Tag Archives: Lollapalooza

Video: Milo Greene – “1957”

Is this the band that all the Mumford & Sons and The Civil Wars fans will be talking about by the end of summer? Certain tastemakers seem to think so and if this song is any indication as to what the band’s full length (due in July) sounds like, it’s very possible that 2012 is the year of Milo Greene.

College kids and minivan driving soccer moms (of which my wife is one) eat up this kind of music, stuff that you don’t hear on the “pop” stations but a far cry from the “alternative rock” of my college days (early ’90s). The pretty male/female vocals, the jangly interplay between acoustic and electric guitars and the strong close (at least on “1957”, which sounds nothing like a song from that year) make Milo Greene instantly appealing and worthy of keeping your eyes and ears on.

The band spent part of 2011 opening for The Civil Wars and will embark on their own headlining tour starting in May with a couple of Civil Wars support dates and an appearance at Lollapalooza thrown in for good measure:
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Lollapalooza 2011 – Day 3

I feared the big crowds at Lollapalooza, had no interest or desire to be stuck in the middle of tens of thousands of drunk and sweaty people. I got over that fear and decided to make the most of it, all culminating in Foo Fighters closing set on Sunday night. After a torrential downpour caused Lollapalooza to come to a halt in the early evening (at least it did on the south end of the park, delaying the Arctic Monkeys set), there was some question about whether or not the Foo Fighters would even have time to play.

As a veteran of Woodstock ’94, I’ve encountered muddy festivals and after the rain had ended (not permanently), the field in front of the Music Unlimited stage was nothing but a muddy, soupy mess. This actually allowed me to get much closer than I probably could have had it not rained. I met a couple who had come from Colombia and a guy who had come from Singapore (!!!!) just to attend Lollapalooza. All 3 were having the times of their lives and were excited for their first Foo Fighters show ever.


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Lollapalooza 2011 – Day 2

Talk amongst the Lollapalooza vets that I’ve been hanging out with the past few days is that this year’s lineup isn’t one of the strongest and that rather than having to decide between 2 or 3 great bands almost every hour of every day, there are now a few stretches where you show up early and sit through a band you don’t know much about just to secure a spot for a band a little further on down the lineup.

I missed seeing Friendly Fires due to getting a late start and having a long lunch. When I got to the media tent, I quickly spotted Mick Jones (The Clash/Big Audio Dynamite) talking to ABC Radio. After he was done, I asked if I could get a quick picture and he willingly obliged. (I’m proudly sporting the Ohio Mixtape t-shirt from Alison Rose).


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Lollapalooza 2011 – Day 1

Who schedules outdoor festivals during the hottest part of the year? The heat was excruciating today at Grant Park where Lollapalooza 2011 kicked off. I guess if there was any sort of relief, it was that clouds blocked some of the sunlight by late afternoon but it still wasn’t much of a reprieve.

If you check out bands that you’re truly interested in seeing, chances are you won’t walk away disappointed and while I’m not a superfan of any of the bands I checked out today, I didn’t stray far from what I knew so therefore I had a great day.

Started off at high noon with Merge Records duo Wye Oak. Poor Jenn Wasner was plagued with guitar pedal problems almost from the get-go and at one point stopped midsong saying, “I can’t do this. I’m sorry.” You had to feel for her as she was playing in front of a large and eager crowd ready to get their Lollapalooza weekend started. Wasner is a completely amazing guitarist and she battled back from the problems early in the set to wow those hanging out at the Sony stage.


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Lollapalooza 2011 Line-Up

Lollapalooza returns to Chicago August 5-7. Tickets are on sale now. Some of the bands:

Eminem
Foo Fighters
Coldplay
Muse
My Morning Jacket
Deadmau5
A Perfect Circle
Cee Lo Green
Damian Marley and Nas
The Cars
Ween
Bright Eyes
Arctic Monkeys
BAD
Deftones
Beirut
Explosions in the Sky
Atmosphere
Lykke Li
The Kills
Sleigh Bells
Best Coast
Black Lips
DOM
Titus Andronicus
Phantogram
Wye Oak

Click here for complete list of bands.

No Beastie Boys?

The Truth About Lollapalooza

The author at Lollapalooza 2008 as shot by Clayton Hauck

I’ve never paid to see Lollapalooza in its current incarnation in Chicago

The first year a friend got me in to the Lollalounge through a radio contest she won, and each subsequent year I’ve had press access. I’ve read and written countless previews and reviews of the festival, and it wasn’t until this year that I realized each and every one was basically flawed. Sure, they tackled the bands appearing, and attempted to capture the vibe, but they never really grappled with the most primal question surrounding Lollapalooza; should you go?

You see, most reviews you’ll come across are written by folks like me. We get in for free, are granted access to amenities 99% of attendees are not, and – this is most important – we come from a vantage point of relative privilege since most critics have probably already seen the vast majority of the bands appearing at Lollapalooza. What does this result in? Well, usually you end up reading uniform reviews semi-complaining about the line-up, flagellating the festival and the bands involved for sponsorship issues, gripes about ticket prices, and much hand-wringing over the infamous “radius clause.” Oh, and if you’re lucky, you get some griping about drunk meatheads, sound bleed, and general overcrowding. (And, yes, every once in a while, you get honest-to-god reporting on isolated incidences.)

The thing is, all those write-ups sort of miss the whole point of Lollapalooza.

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