Lollapalooza Music Festival live updates
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Three days of music and fun in the sun (and an evacuation) are in the books for
Shots from Jack White,
Our guy reports on Jack White, Florence + the Machine, At the Drive-In and the amazing Amadou and Miriam.
Jack White wrapped up the festival by summing up most of the music that preceded him: surf-into-metal-and-back-again guitar solos, erotic co-ed duets, fiddle and pedal-steel-charged country laments, eerie break-up ballads, twisted blues. And if that weren't enough, Lollapalooza promoters C3 Presents also announced that the festival would expand to a third foreign location next year — Tel Aviv, Israel, joining Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Santiago, Chile.
From intrepid reporter Heather Gillers today:
"Lollapalooza’s first-ever evacuation ran relatively smoothly, said city and concert officials, who kept a close eye on the fast-changing skies. Tens of thousands of fans left Grant Park Saturday afternoon before a thunderstorm hit and then returned in time for evening shows — though what happened in between was less orderly.
About six or seven bands were unable to play because of the evacuation, but Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents will not make any refunds, spokeswoman Shelby Meade said."
About Last Night blogger Luis Gomez reports on celebrity sightings in Chicago over the weekend.
Tribune music critic Greg Kot gives his take on the early acts on Sunday at Lolla.
Sigur Ros takes the Red Bull stage at 4 p.m. From Greg Kot:
"The Icelandic group has basically written one song over six albums, but it’s a beautiful one."
Christopher Borrelli talks to those people who carry around sticks with all sorts of things on them in the crowd. What's up with that?
A little change of pace is coming up at 3:30 as the Dum Dum Girls take the
"Buoyant, high-energy melodies played at punk velocity with girl-group harmonies."
Another shot from the Frank Ocean show last night. Check out more Lolla day 2 pics here.
Crazy.
Kid Color takes Perry's stage at noon. Here's a look from them at
Point to Infinity takes the
Our friends in breaking news have all the details from yesterday's storm and evacuation.
Check out pics of the Great Lolla Evacuation.
Crazy, but orderly, from what we've seen.
Our friends at RedEye have a whole bunch more photos from the Chief Keef show earlier today. Sure looks dry out there ...
The latest from the breaking news desk:
Thunder was the music and lightning the light show for a time this afternoon, causing the suspension and evacuation of the Lollapalooza festival in Grant Park while a powerful storm front moved through the Chicago area.
About 2 1/2 hours later the festival reopened, and the Chicago area began to clean up.
A line of thunderstorms bearing down on Chicago from the west caused organizers to close down the music festival Lollapalooza and resulted in severe thunderstom warnings across the area.
According to Tribune reporters on the scene, Lollapalooza, in Grant Park, was evacuated as the storm, now approaching the city from the southwest, barreled in.
More decisions, as Delta Spirit is up against
"The San Diego quintet’s albums haven’t caught up to their rousing live performances, but this year’s self-titled release comes close." -- GK
Aloe Blacc plays the Red Bull stage at 2:15. This from Greg Kot:
"The 33-year-old Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III is not easily categorized, encompassing folk, hip-hop and soul in his multifaceted songwriting."
A sneak preview.
The hip-hop act is playing the Red Bull Soundstage right now, but already have photos up.
Perhaps the most anticipated hip-hop act of the weekend is local boy Chief Keef, who takes Perry's Stage at 12:15 p.m.
More from Kot: "A late addition to the lineup, teenager Keith Cozart has risen from the South Side’s hip-hop underground to an Interscope record deal on the heels of a monster digital hit, 'I Don’t Like.'"
We're less than an hour away from the start of Day 2, with JC Brooks and the
From Greg Kot: "The Chicago band isn’t breaking any ground, but their high-stepping, horn-fired retro soul makes for an instant dance party."
If you think the noon time slot is kind of a bummer, you're not alone. Check out Chris Borrelli's piece on the subject.
And here's a video of JC and the boys in action.
About Last Night blogger Luis Gomez reports on all the celebrity sightings during Lolla weekend. The biggest one so far: Lady Gaga at
Some other Lolla-related news:
Weather report from Tom Skilling: Today's going to be hot -- real hot -- with temps hitting the high 90s. And then ... the storms roll in.
"Those same storms included wind gusts as high as 80 m.p.h. as they passed through the upper plains Friday."
But Sunday looks like it will be beautiful, with highs in the mid-80s.
More big art from our good friends all around the Tribune. Great stuff, guys!
A man was stabbed downtown outside the Lollapalooza music festival just before 7 p.m., according to the
According to very preliminary police information, the victim was a man in his early 50s who might have been scalping tickets for the festival.
Greg Kot wraps up all the action from Day 1 at Lolla with a blow-by-blow account of Friday's music.
Tribune food critic Phil Vettel reviews the food at Lollapalooza:
To sum up Lollapalooza's food lineup in terms of its musical headliners, this year's Chow Town roster is less Black Keys (currently hip) and more
Curated for the last three years by chef
Our boys (and girls) at RedEye have compiled some of the best fan comments and pics from the day. Enjoy.
... and a little Black Sabbath to keep you awake tonight.
So, which one do you prefer?
Which headliner you pick to watch says a lot about what kind of person you are, no? First, a Black Keys primer ...
It’s a ritual by now at Lollapalooza. Once again the Perry’s stage, devoted to
Read the full report from Greg Kot.
Greg Kot reports from Lolla, where it's hard work being a fence jumper.
The Head & the Heart are midway through a relaxing, mellow set, followed by The Shins on the Red Bull Soundstage (south). Should be an interesting contrast. Here's a Shins preview.
One of the more anticipated acts, Passion Pit, take the Bud Light (north) stage at the top of the hour. Check out a primer video of them above.
And see what Greg Kot had to say about their latest album, "Gossamer."
Here's a sneak peek.
Sharon Van Etten takes the Playstation stage at 3 p.m. Here's a preview.
Can't be at Lolla? Check out their YouTube live stream for live looks at different acts all weekend. It's cheaper than a ticket (and beer!).
The War on Drugs hits the
Some quick observations from the improved Perry's stage, where Young Bloods got the party started at the break of noon:
After a few years of pretending Perry's was still a sideshow, Lolla has finally made it a main stage, with an imposing LED-clad DJ stand on stage and a pair of speaker/light towers (looking like the skeletons of twin grain silos) out in the crowd, or out where the crowd will be when it fills in later.
The energy is high and the vibe is fun. A clear contrast from last year's atmospheric but claustrophobia-inducing tent, where the vibe was downright fearful at times, Perry's 2012 doesn't sacrifice spectacle and makes Lolla look awful smart for taking the top down.
That said, it'll totally be a mob scene here later. Glad I grabbed a spot in the shade eary. -- Leo Ebersole
Here are some pics of the new fences sorrounding Lolla. They look daunting. You feeling lucky?
Another of Friday's must-see acts, Michael Kiwanuka, takes the Playstation stage at 1:30. Here's what Greg Kot has to say about the British folkster:
"London-based singer-songwriter has drawn comparisons to the introspective folk-soul of Bill Withers and Terry Callier."
O Rappa takes the Bud Light stage at 12:45. Here's what Greg Kot has to say abou them:
"Lolla doesn’t venture outside its comfort zones of rock and electronic music too often, so this Brazilian outfit is definitely worth a look with its blend of reggae, rock, samba and a smidge of hip-hop."
And here's a video of them in action.
We are getting ready to kick things off. Two early acts that you might want to check out: First Aid Kit on the Playstation stage and rapper Wax on the
Check out First Aid Kit playing "Emmylou."
Want to see some bona fide Chicago acts while at Lolla this weekend? Here are six local bands who will be playing.
We all have decisions to make in life. Red Eye helps us sort our our biggest Lolla conflicts with a handy guide to choosing which bands to see when two (or more) great acts are on at the same time.
The Lollapalooza sightings have begun.
“Community” actress Alison Brie and rumored boyfriend and “21 Jump Street” actor Dave Franco had dinner Thursday at
-- Luis Gomez
Looking to spot some celebs at the Lolla after-party scene? About Last Night blogger Luis Gomez has you covered all weekend. Make sure you buy him a drink if you see him out.
Christopher Borrelli on the woes of playing the noon show at Lolla -- and which acts you should get there early to see.
Red Eye's Matt Pais gives us his picks for bands you absolutely shouldn't miss this weekend.
Starting Saturday, police will be able to issue $250 tickets for those caught with small amounts of marijuana. And Lollapalooza attracts plenty of fans who enjoy lighting up a joint as part of the concert experience.
But
You're not trying to sneak anything in. What're you, a cop?
From our friends at Chicago Now.
Before we get into today's lineup, let's take a trip down memory lane to see how we got here.
We'll start with Greg Kot's Lollapalooza preview, way back in April when the lineup was announced. We all seemed so much younger and more innocent back then, didn't we?
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