Lollapalooza 2009 - Day Three

Sunday
Because Saturday wasn't hot enough, Nick and Grace headed home, and Chelsea and I prepared to battle the heat again. We prepared by eating a large, heavy Mexican brunch, complete with made-at-your-table guacamole. Who could say "no" to that? Who should have said "no" to that?

After Chelsea misled us to the entrance for the third day in a row, we just missed the end of the Kaiser Chiefs. However, that put us in a great spot to enjoy the Raveonettes. They were good, but a little mellow for a hot Sunday afternoon. As a drummer, I found their drummer using a weird setup - snare, floor tom, and a cymbal. He stood up the whole time and wore DJ head phones -- Not a rocker.

After watching most of that set, we headed to the other end to see Vampire Weekend. First, we stopped at the t-shirt tent to learn that they'd sold out of all of the cool t-shirts, including the kids shirts. Ethan had to live with an adult small. Vampire Weekend was a lot of fun with their get-up-and-dance style.

Near the end of their set, we went to see Passion Pit and meet Chelsea's new male friend. Passion Pit was on one of the side stages and was packed. I read one review that later said the stage area was one of the wildest of the entire weekend. After getting walked on too much, we wandered back to see the Cold War Kids. They were good, but no so different from their recordings. As we were leaving Passion Pit, a cold front moved through, and the temperature dropped 10-15 degrees in about 10 seconds. It felt like someone just turned on the air conditioner. It was quite welcome.

So, while still listening, we moved into position for Snoop Dog. I'm definitely no fan of rap. However, Snoop really knows how to get the crowd "jumpin'." He did several popular covers, and said a couple of bad words (per minute). I think his one hour performance seemed to go quicker than any other.

After yet another beer stop, we switched stages to see the Silversun Pickups. Like the Cold War Kids, they were a good band, just a little short of energy, especially after watching Snoop.

Finally, we switched stages for the last time of the weekend to close things out with The Killers. This was one of my favorite shows, probably because I know more of their songs than any other bands of the weekend. Even after a long, hot weekend, the crowd was still easily energized and made for a spectacular show.

Overall, I had a great time. It was amazing to see live performances by so many of the bands I enjoy. Every time I looked at the schedule, I would say "Oh, I forgot they are here." It was a big change from my only other music festival experience: the 2008 Pygmalion Music Festival in Champaign-Urbana. Speaking of this year's Pygmalion, I don't think we'll be seeing much, given Kimberly's current "bursting" state. Maybe I can sneak away to see the Headlights.