Lollapalooza 2008 has come and gone, marking its fourth year as a Chicago festival (and thus, my fourth year as a Lollagoer). The consensus: the festival was very pleasant, and I didn't see much I didn't enjoy. On the other hand, there wasn't super much that blew me away. The temperature was nice - hot at times, but nothing like the scorching 105 degree heats of the first year. The festival DID seem more crowded than previously - I'm not sure if I am just imagining that, or if it has to do with different stage layouts or what. It also seemed a little disproportionate - on Saturday it seemed like people showed up in hordes on the Southside and stayed there most of the day. On Friday I had hardly any reason to go to the North set of stages.

Also, I don't think the irony escapes anyone that a festival presented by AT&T would occur in an iPhone dead zone. Grant Park is truly the place that cell phone reception goes to die.

Winners:

Yeasayer had one of my favorite sets of the weekend - a very great performance for a hot summer day, with songs like Sunrise and 2080 offering the perfect soundtrack for the festival. Foals was a group I hadn't heard of until the festival - I had caught a couple of tracks at their recent pre-Lolla Apple store performance and had enjoyed it though. They were a lot of fun - the festival program calling them "angular, funky, math rock." They reminded me a bit of bands like the Lovely Feathers, with stand out songs like "Cassius." Wild Sweet Orange was another band who I knew nothing about and was really impressed by. From Birmingham, this group had a beautiful sound and I plan to pick up there album ASAP. It was one of those situations where I heard music in the distance and though "this sounds great, I'm going to wander over and listen to a couple of songs." These happy discoveries are always my favorite part of festivals. My more awesome then me friends were already there! Flogging Molly was a hell of a lot of fun, and though I was dragging ass near the end of the festival (I drifted off to the lovely sounds of Iron & Wine before them), they were the Irish punk shot in the arm in the home stretch that helped me get through it. Finally Broken Social Scene was a highlight performance a couple of years ago, so much that they got the biggest "Encore" chant I've seen at a Lollapalooza. Unfortunately, they were denied an encore that time around, but they were back to blow away the crowd again this year. With special guests like members of Stars, including the lovely Amy Milan, they rocked just as hard in 2008, and I think that you could say they got their encore in a big way.

Radiohead was the performance I was most looking forward to, with Nine Inch Nails a close second. Their performances didn't let me down, although I walked away not as blown away as I was by last year's Muse or Daft Punk performances. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I was more familiar with Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails so had more expectations (but I wasn't familiar enough to know more than a handful of songs). Also, the crowds seemed crazier and the places to view the show from seemed less prime than previous years, which kind of delivered a somewhat muted experience. The light shows were great for both - Radiohead had some interesting light tubes which changed colors and pulsated. Every year for the past few years, the headlining performance has corresponded with fireworks being shot off near the museum campus or Navy Pier for some other event. It happened during Pearl Jam as well as Ween. This year, it occurred during Radiohead, and was a nice touch accompanying Fake Plastic Trees. (There was also a display after the Saturday night festival had let out.) Nine Inch Nails' light show might have been better though, which had some moving video screens and one of the most interesting effects I've seen in recent memory, in which a screen is lowered in front of the performers, and a void appeared around Trent and followed him around. You'd have to see it to get the full effect, but it was great.

Another big winner of the festival was Barack Obama. The whole weekend was abuzz with rumors of a cameo from the Jr. Senator from Illinois. A visit didn't manifest, but that's not the point - festival goers were talking about him all weekend. They weren't the only ones - bands were name dropping him all weekend too. From Chicago's own Office to foreigners such as Broken Social Scene and Bloc Party (Kele was wearing an Obama t-shirt!) Speaking of which - Obama t-shirts seen at festival - 9 bajillion. McCain t-shirts - Zero. Obama even had an official store on the grounds that sold merch and signed people up to the mailing list. I'm going to bet that McCain doesn't know what Lollapalooza is.

The final big winner of the weekend that I have to point out is the most awesome ASL signer that totally rocked out more than anyone I saw in the crowd. She wasn't just signing, she was loving the music!

All in all, it was a great weekend, and I am still glad that Lollapalooza is in town!

Other enjoyable performances: Bloc Party, Dr. Dog, Wilco, Sofia Talvik, The Blakes, The National, Okkervil River. The Ting Tings, Office, Bang Camaro (not my type of music, but great. Kind of the metal version of my favorite band from last year - We're From Barcelona)

Sorry that I missed:DeVotchKa, CSS, Mates of State, Battles, The Kills, Grizzly Bear, Uffie, Chromeo (There's just not enough time or energy in the day!)

Soundtrack of my weekend:
(Go and download these now for a near Lolla experience)

Rogue Wave - Chicago X12
Yeasayer - Sunrise
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
Margot & The Nuclear So & Sos - Quiet As a Mouse
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
Dr. Dog - The World May Never Know
Foals - Cassius
Bloc Party - Like Eating Glass
Gogol Bordello - Supertheory of Supereverything
Wilco - Jesus, Etc.
Broken Social Scene - 7/4 (Shoreline)
MGMT - Time to Pretend
Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe
Office - Oh My
Wild Sweet Orange - Ten Dead Dogs
The Blakes - Don't Bother Me
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Sultan
Nicole Atkins & The Sea - Maybe Tonight
Iron & Wine - Woman King
Flogging Molly - If I Ever Leave This World Alive
The National - Fake Empire
Nine Inch Nails - Closer