With tickets selling out in record time, organizers expanding operations and a lineup that could please anyone no matter your music palette, Lollapalooza 2013 set a high bar. It didn’t disappoint this music festival virgin.
A lifelong music addict, the fact that I hadn’t yet gone to a music festival was just a result of circumstances. I would have never been allowed in high school, and could just never justify the cost in undergrad. Now, as a grad student living in Chicago with a paid internship, making the investment for Lollapalooza seemed a no-brainer. And now, on the weekend of my 24th birthday, I waltzed in the gates of Grant Park like a wide-eyed 12-year-old on the first day of middle school. Overwhelmed and excited, I made it a mission to absorb it all throughout the weekend.
The good, the amazing and the ugly from Lollapalooza 2013:
Most intense fans: Lana Del Rey’s fan girls (and boys) were not playing around on Friday night. There were several moments where I had to stand on tiptoes to get air, as a mass of people crushed themselves to get toward the front where there was no room. Luckily, Lana didn’t disappoint. Waltzing on stage with what appeared to be a joint, she purred her way through hits like “Ride,” “Born to Die,” and “Video Games.” She ended the night with “National Anthem,” and proceeded to walk in the crowd to take pictures and sign autographs before disappearing into the night.
Most Pleasant Surprise: I consider “Good Kid, m.A.A.d City” by Kendrick Lamar to be one of the best rap albums released in recent years, but I went to his Saturday evening show with neutral expectations since I had heard nothing of his live show. Leaping on stage and tearing into “Backseat Freestyle” right out of the gate, I knew it was going to be incredible. It’s hard to keep an audience’s attention at such a big music festival, but Kendrick had the crowd arrested. Hearing a crowd of thousands chant “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” was one of the coolest moments from the weekend.
The Ugly: Ladies, I love crop tops and American Apparel as much as the next fashionista. But maybe next year lets wear something besides that. And fellas, lets retire the jersey. How that became a music festival staple, I’ll never know.
Craziest Party: L.A. stoners Wavves did a fantastic job delivering their brand of SoCal punk rock on Sunday. Having said that, it was almost hard to concentrate on the three-chord surf rock jams when no less than 50 people were pulled for crowd surfing. Smoke, moshing and toilet paper were also very much a part of the mix. “You guys aren’t giving the bouncers a second to rest,” lead singer Nathan Williams said mid-set. Obliging the crowd with their trademark brattiness, Williams taunted the crowd a bit. “Jesus loves you all. Just kidding! No he doesn’t,” he chanted before throwing his Bud Light into the crowd.
Most Swoon-Worthy Set: Yes, Vampire Weekend did an incredible job on Sunday night. They didn’t miss a single crowd-pleasing song and had the whole crowd dancing to hits like “Diane Young,” “A-Punk,” and “Walcott.” But can we talk for a minute about lead singer Ezra Koenig? I think every straight girl was a bit hypnotized by his charisma, we hardly noticed when a guy was tackled by security for running towards him mid-set.
Most Likely to Have You Dancing in the Streets: 2 Chainz was given an awkward set time after the Grizzly Bear/Vampire Weekend shows and before Phoenix/The Cure. This appeared to work to his advantage, as every hipster at the fest seemed to be dancing in the streets/in line for the PortaPotty/on the way to get food as Top 40 hits like “I’m Different” and “No Lie” reverberated throughout the park. If I said I didn’t twerk in the middle of a sidewalk to “No Lie,” well, I’d be lying.
The Best: By Sunday night, I was exhausted. Phoenix was one of the bands I was most excited to see, but I just didn’t think I could last in the middle of a crowd for another hour-long set. Pulling up to the stage in a golf cart and beginning things off with “Entertainment,” their high-energy single from the latest album, I just knew they were going to give me a second wind. With a light-show unlike anything I’ve ever seen, lead singer Thomas Mars’s adorable brand of spunk and unmatched talent, Phoenix blew my mind. I exchanged several “is this real? Do they really sound this amazing?” with my friend during the course of the show. “Usually on Sunday nights of festivals, everyone is so tired. Not you guys,” Mars said with his French accent before charging into “1901,” and had everyone jumping up and down. At the end of the show, Mars ran into the crowd and proceeded to crowd surf for several minutes before making his way into aforementioned golf cart, which ended the show. It’ll be quite some time before I see another show that hypnotic, energizing and somewhat emotional.
How was your Lolla experience?
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