During my first foray into the infamous festival that is now Lollapalooza (18 years and still going), I was witness to many things. My fellow festival compatriot, Josh, and I were able to take in some of the best live music that I can remember in quite some time. Unfortunately, we also experienced one of the worst scenes I have ever encountered at a concert. Honestly, in my two days at Lolla 2008 (I didn't have the dough nor the energy to go all three days) I can say I saw the best, the worst and everything in between for live music.

The Worst:

I was SUPER excited to finally see Rage Against the Machine on their reunion tour. I had always listened to them when I was in High School, pumping myself up for my big X-Country meets and tennis matches (Yeah, I know I was an intimidating athlete). They were probably the 2nd most highly anticipated act at Lolla (behind Radiohead) and rightly so. They were THE band for a large part of the 90's. The sound for their set was not loud enough and Rage needs to be heard at insanely loud levels (they need to go to 11 in other words). The band did perform their first 4 songs with flourish and energy that made them one of the top live acts to see for quite some time. Then it all went to hell. The group had to stop because people were crushing others into the stage (too much moshing and insanity). I don't know why people feel compelled to be violent and stupid at rock concerts. When you have to stop music because people are getting too unruly, I sometimes question people's motives. Anyhow, the group ended up having to stop their set multiple times and threatened to cut it short if people didn't calm down. It made me sad to see something like this any day, let alone in this day and age.

Everything in Between:

The majority of the bands at Lolla were unfamiliar to me. I was able to go and explore a great amount which is always a perk when you are in such a wide variety of genres. Some of my highlights:

Gogol Bordello: http://www.myspace.com/gogolbordello
My compatriot was a huge fan of these guys so I tagged along. It is kind of hard to describe gypsy punk music so I would just refer you to their myspace page for a listen. The group had some of the best energy I have ever seen for a live band...crazy ladies jumping around banging drums, old men playing eletric fiddle, just mayhem from start to finish.

Mates of Statehttp://www.myspace.com/matesofstate

Many people have recommend this married duo to me for quite some time and I was glad I saw them. They write some of the catchiest pop tunes I have heard in quite some time. And they make a pretty big sound for just a duo. You throw in a couple of string players and you make this reviewer quite a happy camper. They lived up to the hype and I will probably be compelled to check out some of their catalog now.

Booka Shade, James Curd (Greenskeepers) and DJ Bald Eagle

I have to admit that I used to be a frequent club goer back in the day and I made my way over to see a few eletronic acts and djs. I picked these 3 as they seemed like the closest mix of what I enjoy. Booka Shade are German producers that make some of the best electronica I have heard in quite some time. They were AWESOME and I was blown away by their set, ESPECIALLY since it was in the middle of the day. James Curd also had the small side grooving. DJ Bald Eagle gets bonus points for having enjoyable guests rapping along with his beats and having the best costume get-up since a Flaming Lips show (a perfect rendition of a Bald Eagle...in 80+ heat...bravo)

Bloc Partyhttp://www.myspace.com/blocparty

I have seen Bloc Party before and I just love the energy and talent in the group. I think i was the only person in the middle of Grant Park dancing and grooving but I have complete faith that those people up in front were just as enthused as I was with their set up tunes. I was ESPECIALLY happy with the fact that they played two of my personal favorites off of their debut (Like Eating Glass and Helicopter). In my mind, they were the perfect one-two punch with Radiohead.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings:http://www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings

One word: WOW. The Dap Kings are the band that has played on Amy Winehouse's BACK IN BLACK album and now I know why. The group is SUPER TIGHT and just blow you away with their skill. I probably had the best location for this band (right up front) and I was glad because I was grooving and dancing around on a high RIGHT before the catastrophe that was Rage. Sharon Jones' voice has so much soul and shear power, it needs to be witnessed live and unproduced to believe. They were easily my favorite Non-Headliner act I saw over the two days at Lollapalooza. From start to finish, it was a joy.

The Best:

The whole reason why I went to the festival was for the ability to see Radiohead perform live again. I will never forget my first experience seeing them live in 2001 in Grant Park (one of the best shows I ever saw, bar none) so I had high expectations for this time around. They did not disappoint. Thom Yorke and company were in rare form and they covered most of their catalog, as far back as my personal favorite album, THE BENDS. There was a massive amount of focus on their latest, IN RAINBOWS, and rightly so as it one of the better albums to come out in the past few years. I had heard about the stage lights and the creative aspects of what was in store for the show and they were all insanely perfect for the setting (unfortunately I forgot my camera once again so no pictures to back up my thoughts). The most perfect moment of the entire day (and in my mind, the festival) was when the band was performing Fake Plastic Trees, from THE BENDS, and there were fireworks from some other event going by Adler Planetarium (perhaps it was for Lolla, I don't know). It was indescribable...the fireworks reflecting off the building and the perfect build up of Thom Yorke's falsetto over a serene field of worshippers....It was the epitome of what is best in music now and forever. And it is what keeps me coming back for more (check out the link below for their full setlist and those of other artists from Lollapalooza).

http://www.lollapalooza.com/2008_files/takeover/setlists.asp?dayx=1