I just got in from Day 1 of Lollapalooza 2006, and boy are my (insert joke here) tired!



I started off the day figuring out where I'd be going, checking out the t-shirts (didn't buy any, holding out for a Sonic Youth tee tomorrow), and heading to the muddy murk where the eels would be playing.

I was kinda "eh" about seeing the eels...they've always been a favorite of mine, but I didn't like their last album so much and I really wasn't sure if I was in the mood to hear E and the boys moan through a bunch of their maudlin classics.

I'm glad I stuck it out because they RAWKED.

First off, they re-arranged their songs for the stage basically by speeding them up and turning them all into what sounded like bluesy Ramones songs. Secondly, they wore funny costumes and had a crazy bald guy in a security t-shirt and a big walrus moustache do nutty stuff throughout the show. Thirdly, they did some way fun covers including "I Put A Spell On You", "That's Life" and (OH. MY. GOD.) "ROCK SHOW" by PEACHES!!!!

(apologies to the orger who was the victim of my doing the good ol' hold the cellphone to the stage trick during the peaches cover, ahem)

I'll never doubt eels again. They were the highlight of my day. And the goofy security guy (Crazy Al, that is) went from standing still and being intimidating to doing karate moves to feeding the audience whipped cream from a can (don't ask) to actually playing a guitar solo and doing a damn good job at it! There was nothing Crazy Al could not do.

Here are some pics from the eels' set:



and my favorite pic, taken via the video screen:



After the eels rocked my ass off and served it in a salad, I limped off to the dining vendors for a nibble of overpriced lunch, and found a vegetarian joint that served a weirdo burrito which involved sweet potatoes.

While I was choking that down, a couple of reporters from SPIN approached me and asked me some stuff and asked where I travelled from, and I told them I came from across town and they were like "oh, we're looking for people who travelled long distances to see this." And I said "well, it DID take me 30 minutes to get here" and they asked how that was for me and I told them I went through a lot of changes on my trip out to Lollapalooza, and they asked what kind of changes and I told them I had to change trains at one point.

I don't know that I'll be quoted in the next issue of SPIN.

So after that, I stomped over to get a good spot for Lady Sovereign's set, and stood directly under the sun during what had to have been the hottest part of the afternoon. Sweat was BEADING on my skin, as if I'd just run my arms under a faucet. It was gross. And the show started 20 minutes late. And when it finally did start, I wasn't impressed. I felt like I was watching Sporty Spice's stage presence-impaired little sister performing at a summer camp talent show. Seriously, she looked 12. I wanted to tell her to put her beer down because it was creeping me out. I left halfway through. Here's a pic:



Her rapping was okay and the band was good, but nothing about the show made me feel like there was anything more special to it than just sitting at home with her CD. Very blah.

But then I moved to the total opposite of blah...THE RANCONTEURS!!!

Another butt-kicking performance. While I waited for them to start, a crazy drunk guy started telling me his life story, all about how his brother just came out of the closet to him and his whole family has drinking problems and sometimes he doesn't make good desicions and and and THE SHOW STARTED! AND NONE TOO SOON!

Jack White is an amazing guitarist and a hell of a showman. This was one of those "never a dull moment" performances where the intensity of a band's musicianship grabs you and doesn't let go until they're good and ready to be done with you. They did a couple of fun covers too - "It Ain't Easy", which Bowie covered on his "Ziggy Stardust" album, and...oh HELL yes...I got to hear Jack White sing a hard rock rendition of "CRAZY" by Gnarls Barkley. IT WAS THE CAT'S ASS.

Here are some pics:



After eels and The Ranconteurs were done with me, I'm afraid there was little left of me to go around. I wanted to stay for Ween, and I even stood in a spot near the stage and waited for nearly an hour...but I was done. Spent. Couldn't do any more. Wussed out.

So I took arty pictures of some weirdo balls and of Buckingham Fountain on my way out:



And as you can see from the look on my face, I was RET TA GO.



More tomorrow!
[Edited 8/4/06 21:24pm]
[Edited 8/5/06 18:34pm]
[Edited 8/7/06 5:08am]

Great report kitty!

and at the Spin stuff...they SHOULD print your li'l quote cos that shit was funny!

I didn't know this went on, honestly

BlackBuddy said:

It's a yearly festival in Chicago now. It used to be a yearly tour, but I suppose this is a cheaper way of keeping it going.

Glad you had a good time, I've been into E since his debut, but as always I have yet to see Him/them in concert.

I shall double my efforts on this matter.

aw, you didn't like Lady Sovereign. I knew the Ranconteurs would put on a good show. I would've loved to hear their cover of "Crazy". You got pretty good shots of the stage. "RET TA GO" My ass would've been there all day

Awe man -- this looked like a lot of fun! Crazy Al, the sweet potatoe burrito, Jack White... this is what summer is all about, right? It seems like you had a good time. This probably proves you are a kick to hang around with too, so the next time you do something fun like this....



Thanks for the pics!

purpleunderground said:

hey, that would be a hoot - are you near chicago?

meanwhile, it's gonna take a lot of effort today to top crazy al...

AnckSuNamun said:

oh, i was there pretty much all day! i got there at 1:30 and hung out till around 9pm. i just decided to leave before the final show to beat the crowds and because i was sunburnt to a crisp and ready for bed.

awesome report, Anx!!

Wish I could have been there. Darin's right, that SPIN stuff is hilarious!

Cool details, mayne!!!


Mustachioed, bald guys RAWK!!!!


(But, I'm biased.)

ThreadBare said:

i'm not arguing!

Anx said:

I remember hearing they would stop the tour way back. I didn't know it was now set in one place

Anx said:

I agree with this assessment of Lady Sov live. I saw her @ Central Park this past Sunday and she just wasn't that interesting or even that attention-grabbing to me. It was hot and humid as hell out, so a lot of people weren't feeling it. She sounds better on wax, IMO -- like with a lot of hip hop acts. I was chatting about this the other day and I can basically say the only rap acts that can really give you a good live show are LL, Queen La, The Roots and a few others. Other than that I don't expect too much from rap acts @ festivals.

Oh, yeah, and she was nursing the same cup of beer @ our gig. Lemme guess, did she make references to it tasting bad? I bet you that's all part of her set. Glad I saw the show for free, though 'cause it was worth no amount of money. A few people in front of me were hating, I was like, "damn, if you're not feeling it -- BOUNCE!"

AnckSuNamun said:

I still haven't even heard this "Crazy" song that I seem to hear mentioned daily. And I think I'm starting to have a sort of a crush on Jack White even though I'm not a fan. I've just read nothing but glowing reviews over the past week of Raconteurs shows in various places, and it's really intriguing me. But then, I DO have a thing for pale guitarists with dark, long hair.

Mara said:

damn,I thought with the band and everything she would've been on point. I love her live version of Public Warning, so I kinda judged her live act from that. I've read mixed reviews about her live shows though.

minneapolisgenius said:

I think people are sick and tired of hearing the original "Crazy" by now. I have noticed a lot of bands covering it though. Jack White... You and Sweeny are gonna have to duke it out for him I knew they would be good live, because the White Stripes aren't a let down.

"crazy"
[Edited 8/5/06 15:16pm]

I would've tried to catch Sleater-Kinney too....since it's probably their last time in a long while performing together.

AnckSuNamun said:

Well, see the White Stripes WERE a let down for me, based on a live show I caught of theirs on MTV2. (I wrote about it in the Raconteurs thread recently) And no one will ever replace my Jimmy though, so Sweeny can have him (for now anyway ).

And yeah, I only listen to the oldies station on the radio, so I haven't heard "Crazy". I'm trying to see how long I can go without ever hearing it. I get back to Holland Thursday though, and I'll bet I'm only in the country 10 minutes before I hear it.

minneapolisgenius said:

I've actually heard it on the radio twice maybe, but the video is on heavy rotation still

AnckSuNamun said:

it's actually been in the top five singles chart lately!

LOLLAPALOOZA DAY TWO:

So today was more of a tactical strike visit to Grant Park, whereas yesterday was more about taking it all in. I'd seen all the sites already, checked out the art installations, dodged all the AT&T salespeople...been there, done that.

Today was about one thing and one thing only: SONIC YOUTH.

But not before I bought my SY t-shirt and made a trip to the vendors to pick up a deck of artist-made playing cards I'd been drooling over the day before (pics of those later maybe...they're pretty neeto).

Oh, and I had to check out THE GO! TEAM.

These little Brits were FUNKY, even if they did play to a backing track (just the horns were recorded...the rest was all live). I expected a couple of DJs spinning retro music while maybe a couple of girls dressed as cheerleaders danced along for eye candy, but boy was I mistaken.

The Go! Team is one of those bands where everyone multi-tasks. The drummer comes out and sings, the guitarist switches off and plays xylophone and banjo, the lead singer plays recorder and keyboard, the bass player plays all kinds of stuff. These kids were ALWAYS OCCUPIED WITH SOMETHING.

And let me just talk about the lead singer for a moment. Two words: DAMN BEYONCE!!! This chick could give Ms. Knowles a serious run for her money if she keeps it up. She had the moves, she had the stage eating out of her beautifully manicured hand, and she made no secret of the fact that she was having a fabulous time doing it. Her rapping was on par, and her singing (though she didn't sing nearly enough for my tastes) was fantastic. And she moved like an Ikette on fire. She was HOTT.

Here are some pics of The Go! Team, with their special guest chaperone, the creepy yet loveable Chicago institution BEATLE BOB:



After The Go! Team rocked my ass, I headed over to the stage where Sonic Youth would be playing. Now, some of you don't understand about me and Sonic Youth. I've been a fan for YEARS, and because I've known very few people who like them as much as I do, they've always held a very special place for me because they're what I listen to when I'm completely alone...and they've been that for me for a long time.

That said, I was DETERMINED to get my tired little butt right up to the front of the crowd, no matter how many shoves and squeezes it may take.

So I hauled it to the stage two hours before SY were scheduled to perform, and I sat through ALL of BUILT TO SPILL's set. Wasn't thrilled with them. They sounded a bit like Grandaddy to me (who I adore), but a little bit too meander-y folk rock and not enough clunky retro goodness. Plus they seemed a little bitter for my mood today. "BUD LIGHT DOESN'T CARE ABOUT US!" one of the band members screamed from the front of the Bud Light Stage. "AT&T DOESN'T CARE ABOUT US! TO HELL WITH THE CORPORATE-OCRACY! DOES PERRY CARE ABOUT US?!?"

Whatever dude. Just don't be late for your autograph session at the Virgin Records booth or whatever. And don't forget your bag of swag.

So I endured that for an hour, all the time edging myself closer and closer to the stage, nagivating my way through drunk and sweaty bodies in the temperate yet hella muggy weather. When Built To Spill finally spilled their last musical building, the crowd dispersed and I leapt desperately to the frontiest space I could manage...and VICTORY! I grabbed me a big greasy hunk of metal barracade! I MADE IT TO THE FRONT!!!

Of course, THEN I had to wait ANOTHER hour with two kids next to me who probably weren't even BORN when "Daydream Nation" came out and who were also quite fond of PDA.

But it was SO worth it as soon as I saw the roadies wheel out the rack of guitars:



And then the show began.

What can I say. They were transcendent as always. They mostly played songs from their new album "Rather Ripped", and Kim didn't play bass as much as she sang and danced and played the role of Sonic Youth's version of Stevie Nicks (when did this happen!??). Even while Kim was playing bass, she had back-up in the guise of a former member of Pavement, who is joining Sonic Youth for their latest tour as 2nd bass player to Kim.

And Thurston. God damn, what can I say about Thurston? I am in LOVE with that man. Nobody but Prince can make me lose my shit completely when I watch them go haywire on guitar. To say Thurston gives me chills when he plays is not doing the experience justice. Like I said...I love that man. Damn. Shit!

Their set ended beautifully with an enormous tidal wave of crashing guitars and feedback and flailing rock gods and an audience of kiddies holding their ears and SY fans grinning from ear to well-prepared ear. Ol' Beatle Bob introduced the band, saying it would probably be the most dynamic set we'd hear at this year's Lollapalooza, and I gotta say, the crazy coot was probably right.

Anyway. Here they are, in all their glory:




And that, I am fairly certain, concludes my Lolla '06 dispatches for this year. I'm not planning on going back tomorrow - Hot Chip has me interested, but I don't know if I'm up to braving the throngs for a third day, just for one band playing a one hour set. I'll wait and see if they come back for their own gig, maybe. And I'm not really a big enough Chili Peppers fan to brave what I'm sure will be a RABID crowd tomorrow night.

But, ya never know. It's not tomorrow yet, and I still have my wristband. Stranger things have happened...
[Edited 8/5/06 18:35pm]

AnckSuNamun said:

I really really REALLY wanted to like her, since I seem to have a thing for female rappers to begin with. And I DO like the studio stuff by her that I've heard. I just don't think she has her stage chops yet. She's new...maybe she'll catch up.

Anx said:

I thought they might be pretty great live - I love that album to bits, and it sounds like something that would be total fun in a live setting if done properly.

damosuzuki said:

Their album isn't going to change the world, but it's a lot of fun and full of energy. Their live set perfectly reflected that. They were total crowd-pleasers, and it's always fun to watch a band when you can tell they're having the time of their lives.

OH!

One thing I forgot to mention!

I saw just a little bit of PEEPING TOM's set while I was on the way to Sonic Youth's stage. I just heard the end of "Don't Even Trip", and it sounded really good. I was gonna stick around for more, but Mike Patton brought out some beat-box guy and then left the stage, and I didn't have the patience for it.

damn, i'm reading this and i was hoping you stayed for the red hot chilli peppers set! i wanted pics of flea!

brownsugar said:

they're not until tomorrow anyway. want my wristband?

no...seriously!

Anx said:

that would be nice, what time does it start?
[Edited 8/5/06 19:32pm]

Thanx Anx ~ what a great read and the pictures are fabulous!!!! I want to see the artist cards, please???? I LOVE that kinda thing.