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PrintableLOLLA DAY 3
NINE INCH NAILS 
As soon as Love & Rockets were done, a scrim was lowered in front of the stage and the freaky ass graphic you see above was projected on it. And so the waiting for our final act of Lolla '08 would begin. During the gap between L&R and NIN, it seemed like easy pickins to find a spot in the field where we'd get our fill of eye candy, licking options and ball sweat. The options looked so good that even the folks who had originally opted to sit out on the sidelines joined us as we inched ever closer to the stage. We took care to get close but not TOO close. After all, we might have been naive that night, but we weren't flat-out dumb. None of us wanted to end up in a swirling mosh pit. Still and all, the folks around us seemed like a pretty diverse mix, we were feeling comfortable and lucky, and even if the crowd was starting to get a wee bit shovey as the time neared for curtains up, we all seemed fairly confident about our position in the audience. Of course, we weren't terribly comforted when a guy ran screaming through the crowd with a girl over his shoulder who had passed out (or SOMEthing). It was a creepy omen of things to come as the guy pushed past us and we could see the girl's face. She was clearly unconscious, but her eyes were wide open. Hopefully she's okay. Thankfully, whatever happened to her, she got out out of the crowd before the show started. Speaking of which: 
...and people started to get REALLY shovey. Annoyingly shovey. Then, disconcertingly shovey. And then some motherfuckers started literally tearing through the crowd as if we were weeds instead of people, punching and kicking their way to the frontiest frontermost of the stage area with a level of entitlement that would have made Satan blush. We hadn't ended up in the mosh pit, but the entire front half of the crowd was one big pile of crazy all the same, and these psychopathic douches ripping through the crowd were starting to scare the crap out of us. And they were pissing us off. I think Honeypot took off a bit of someone's face with her nails, and my sweetie kicked for dear life. Even I ended up hauling off and punching someone when I saw that these idiots were fucking with my friends and loved ones. Not proud, but that's how Leos do. 
It was at that point that we decided to get out of there before our base instincts took over and we ended up reverting to some utterly unattractive state of nature, or even worse, we'd end up in the hospital consorting with failed Rage fans. We formed a human chain and we pushed our way the fuck outta there, under the idiot crowdsurfers and the past the throngs of douchery deep in the throes of testosterone overload. And then we all got ourselves a goddamn beer and sat our asses down on the sidelines and enjoyed the rest of the show. 
To be honest, crowd violence or not, sitting away from the crowd in a more expansive part of the field was a much better way of enjoying our last hours of Lolla 08 than being crunched up in a hysterical crowd. The jumbo screens were fabulous and we still really had some great direct views of the stage. Plus, we were able to dance freely to "Closer" and "Head Like A Hole" without having to bother with the whole sardine-tin problem. 
But what about the show? It was fantastic. 
 
 
The setlist was nothing short of perfection, and for me, that was the star of the show. Trent and the gang did an excellent job of working the avalanche of new NIN material in with classics and a generous helping of songs from "Year Zero". The instrumental "Ghosts" material held the show together and created excellent transitions between new and familiar songs, and the songs from his latest rock album, "The Slip", sounded perfectly at home with songs from "The Downward Spiral". The whole performance had a really smooth flow musically, and hey - we got to see Trent Reznor play a xylophone! Truly, there was a little something for everyone in the show. The stage show was impressive and very technologically advanced, but I have to admit it didn't do much for me other than provide some really neat bells and whistles. That's less of a criticism of the stage show than it is a compliment for the music and the presence of the band. The lasers and blippety-bloppety light doohickeys were great, but they were just icing on a darkly delicious cake. 
And goddamn Trent Reznor has some sexy muscle arms. No, I didn't take that photo. I don't think it's even from the Lolla show. But still: DAMN. 
And then, alas, it was over. 
As we walked back toward our hotel on Michigan Avenue, the streets were taken over by thousands and thousands of giddy, celebratory Lollapaloozers, hooting and swinging from things and generally acting like an enormous bunch of fools. The Kanye fans and the NIN fans were playfully taunting each other and it all reminded me of the scene from Xanadu where the new wavers meet the old timey jazz cats (of course I'd be reminded of a scene from Xanadu, lol). We stood outside our hotel for a while and watched the chaos roll down the street, just taking it in while we could, before we were sentenced back to our workaday lives of routine and order. We had a good weekend...even if we had to take a few people out. | |
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superspaceboy said: I don't know how you can do Music fests...but more power to ya!
sooo...no Outside Lands concerts in Golden Gate Park for you? Now I'm more determined than ever to see Radiohead on Aug. 22. But I'm not an outdoor-music-fest-type person either.  | |
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heartbeatocean said: superspaceboy said: I don't know how you can do Music fests...but more power to ya!
sooo...no Outside Lands concerts in Golden Gate Park for you? Now I'm more determined than ever to see Radiohead on Aug. 22. But I'm not an outdoor-music-fest-type person either. i don't know how many more i have left in me, to be honest. i had fun last weekend, but it was more about being out of town with a group of friends and less about being in the middle of an outdoor music festival. more and more, i'm appreciating the magic of reserved seating and air conditioned indoor venues.  | |
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I am SOOOOO jealous that you got to see Chromeo.  Feel free to join in the Prince Album Poll 2018! Let'a celebrate his legacy by counting down the most beloved Prince albums, as decided by you! | |
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Anxiety said: heartbeatocean said: sooo...no Outside Lands concerts in Golden Gate Park for you? Now I'm more determined than ever to see Radiohead on Aug. 22. But I'm not an outdoor-music-fest-type person either. i don't know how many more i have left in me, to be honest. i had fun last weekend, but it was more about being out of town with a group of friends and less about being in the middle of an outdoor music festival. more and more, i'm appreciating the magic of reserved seating and air conditioned indoor venues. Well, we have an air conditioned city, but I am leery of crowds. I'm one of those shy people who love rules, because I panic at the thought of having to assert myself and find a seat. Plus I can't think of anyone who will go with me. I don't have any friends who are into Radiohead in real life. And I guess superspaceboy won't go...
phoning NDRU! 
leery not leary unless I subconsciously made a Timothy Leary reference without knowing it edit [Edited 8/8/08 21:38pm] | |
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Anxiety said: I was completely blissed out during L&R's set, famming out on my own gothed-out Cloud 9. I've been a fan of this band since waaaay back in the day, and they didn't disappoint me at all during their Lolla gig. Their entire set list was comprised of classic Love & Rockets tunes. I kid you not when I say that every song they played was my favorite one - fortunately, Carrie shared my fam vibe and we spent the whole time dancing and singing along on our own little wave of gloomy glee. 
I can't tell you how happy I was that SOMEone there was enjoying it as much as I was. As I told Darin, Love & Rockets were my turning point band when I was, like, 13. They were THE band that got me into my whole alternate universe, so to speak. I'd never seen them live and I was so, so happy when you finally switched palces with Darin so we could dance and sing together.  |
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Awesome thread Chris. 
all it's missing is pictures of sexy bitches.  | |
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Is it bad that Anx punching someone turns me on? [Edited 8/9/08 13:57pm] Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.” | |
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Lammastide said: Is it bad that Anx punching someone turns me on? You, too?
[Edited 8/9/08 13:57pm]
Chris is the most Zen person I know and him getting all badass is such a turnon. | |
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Anxiety said: 
Heyhey, nice write up. Good to see some lovin for Sharon Jones. Can you believe she played in my country to a crowd of 200? That's it. No one else is aware of her. Be glad you in the US of A! The pic, which one is you? | |
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Anx is on the left!
Thanks for this...I really wanted to go but now I feel like I have, without the hangover or the missing ca$sh to cover everything. | |
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Slave2daGroove said: Anx is on the left!
Aha, thanks. | |
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by the way, i just read this article about the RATM madness and i totally agree with it:
http://www.vh1.com/news/a...hine.jhtml On The Record: Rage Against The Machine, Now More Than Ever (Their Fans, Maybe Not)
If I learned anything this past weekend at Lollapalooza, it was this: Rage Against the Machine are still great, still fiery, still drill-team tight. They haven't let time, George W. or Audioslave change any of that. Not surprisingly, their fans haven't changed either. Most of them are still morons. Yes, it was 1999 all over again Saturday night in Chicago, and I mean that not just in the smash-and-dash, Woodstockian sense of the phrase. Here was Zack de la Rocha, focused and fierce, launching missives against the bullheaded Windy City police and the spy towers they had erected throughout Grant Park. Here was Tom Morello, summoning those squeals from deep within his guitar — a feat that is still impressive no matter how many times you've seen him do it now — and running circles 'round the stage. Here was Commerford and Wilk, pounding and precise as ever — making the Machine go. Here were Rage being Rage: mighty and massive. And, of course, here were their fans, great angry throngs of shirtless men in their early 20s, most of them toddlers when Rage's self-titled debut blew up in 1993. They broke down perimeter fences, spilled onto the grounds, injured security personnel, crushed some girls against barricades and pushed others down stairs. They created a panic, they stormed the stage, and — perhaps most tellingly of all — when De la Rocha stopped RATM's set three times to beg them to relax ... they didn't listen. And that's always been the rub with Rage and their fans: They hear the words coming out of De la Rocha's mouth, they just choose not to listen to them. They're more interested in cracking a few skulls than they are in learning about the Shining Path movement. They probably don't consider the power of a sentiment like "rollin' down Rodeo with a shotgun" while they're faux-rapping along with it, and when De la Rocha screams, "F--- you. I won't do what you tell me," they think he's talking about the security guard standing between them. And that's a shame, but it's just the way it is. At the end of the day, kids don't want a civics lesson; they want to blow off some steam, drink a few beers, take their shirts off and get a tan. There's a reason Noam Chomsky doesn't headline the summer-fest circuit. I'm fairly certain De la Rocha realizes this, and I bet it makes him rather sad. It's probably what he was referring to in the October 2000 statement that announced his departure from the band, saying, in part: "Rage ... is no longer meeting the aspirations of all four of us collectively as a band, and from my perspective, has undermined our artistic and political ideal." And yet, in the seven years between that statement and Rage's reunion show at Coachella 2007, there seemed to be plenty going on that could've rekindled both of those ideals. We needed Rage, wanted to hear what they had to say about, oh, I don't know, a stolen election or an illegal war or the occupation of an entire nation. But De la Rocha remained silent, invisible. Probably because he knew what our reaction would be. But then Morello announced that Rage were re-forming at Coachella to "combat right-wing purgatory," and De la Rocha paraphrased Chomsky onstage, comparing the Bush administration to war criminals who "should be hung, tried and shot," and things started to get interesting. Fox News got all worked up into a tizzy by De la Rocha's comments (not surprisingly, they also paraphrased them and suggested he wanted to assassinate the president), and the frontman hit back with even more incendiary barbs at Rock the Bells, and you could get the sense that maybe, just maybe, he had the ear of the nation. And then, well ... then nothing else happened. This ain't the '60s: Musicians don't have clout, and kids don't care. The news cycle moved on. Fox found something else to hyperventilate about. And that's when De la Rocha was probably like, "Man, f--- this." So now, we get events like Saturday night at Lollapalooza. It was still very much a Rage show, only minus much of the proselytizing — why bother, if no one's going to listen or care? — and with violence and bodily harm to spare. It was an unspeakably ugly scene — girls crying, skinny kids being pulled limp over the barricade at the front of the stage — and one that could've turned out much worse (luckily, no one was seriously injured by the crush of the crowd). And I'm not sure how Rage felt about the Lollapalooza situation. To the best of my knowledge, they haven't addressed it. They probably never will, mostly because they don't have to (after all, nothing that happened was their fault), but I'm sure, by now, they've grown accustomed to their message being all but ignored by the meatheaded masses. Or maybe it's me who's missing something. Perhaps the chaos on Saturday night is just part of the revolution — that the kids who got smashed against the barricade or the hired security that got hurt were just casualties in the ongoing war ("Those who die," De la Rocha will remind us, "are justified"). And maybe the only way to start something is with some violence. Maybe music is a weapon and anger is a gift. Maybe I am part of the problem and not the solution. But I sort of doubt it. After all, the dudes doing the damage at Lollapalooza weren't revolutionaries, they were drunk frat guys. Jocks. Steakheads. They were angry, for sure, though I'm not really sure why — or at whom. They didn't seem to be the kinds of people who have much to be angry about, actually. And as I watched them stream out of the Lollapalooza gates, shirtless, some bloody, yelling and kicking half-full cups of beer at people, it occurred to me that these so-called Rage fans actually had more in common with the people in power, the shadowy corporate figureheads, and the George W. Bushes of the world than they do with anyone else. They're all bullies: cruel and powerful and unconcerned with the plight of the little people. The kind of people who have pent-up aggression, and rather than release it constructively, they just wanna hear loud, aggressive rock music and pound someone in the face. Or invade Iraq. This is not exactly normal behavior. And I'd hope De la Rocha doesn't want people like this in his Grand Revolutionary Army. And again, nothing I've written is meant to be a slight against RATM, and I hope it's not taken as such. I think their ideals and goals are noble ones, and I'm willing to bet we share most of the same beliefs (hey, I voted for Nader — twice), plus, I think they're a great band. It's their lunkheaded fans I've had enough of. Because if you want to make change, there are better ways of doing it than injuring people, creating chaos and kicking stale beer all over dads and kids. Vote in local elections, volunteer, write your congressman, march and protest and use your outrage for good, not dumb-assery. And I bet De la Rocha would agree with me about that — and this: When you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out. I think John Lennon said something like that once. Or maybe it was G. Love during his Sunday afternoon set. You know, whatever. Questions? Concerns? Raging against my machine? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com. | |
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Anxiety said: by the way, i just read this article about the RATM madness and i totally agree with it:
http://www.vh1.com/news/a...hine.jhtml      | |
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contrapposto said: Anxiety said: by the way, i just read this article about the RATM madness and i totally agree with it:
http://www.vh1.com/news/a...hine.jhtml Y'know while I agree with what's being said here, people not listening to the message and girls being hurt with the crowd acting like morons and all... RATM music just makes me angry...in a good way but after about an hour I feel like I could put my fist through a wall and I'm not a violent person. | |
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| SHARON JONES
She's my new shero! 'Specially since I'm getting my solo/band music career off the ground in the second half of my life. She was profiled in a recent edition of MORE magazine (a rag for us 40 something women) and I've LOVED her ever since! Wish I coulda seen that show! Thanks for the pics and reports! | |
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NuPwr319 said: SHARON JONES
She's my new shero! 'Specially since I'm getting my solo/band music career off the ground in the second half of my life. She was profiled in a recent edition of MORE magazine (a rag for us 40 something women) and I've LOVED her ever since! Wish I coulda seen that show! Thanks for the pics and reports! sharon jones was just fantastic. i love her attitude, both in the show i saw and in the interview clip i posted in this thread. i love her whole attitude of "the stage is my job, this is what i do for a living". she takes performing very seriously, but you couldn't tell it from watching her because she's clearly having the time of her life up there. i seriously could have watched her and the dap-kings play for another couple of hours. | |
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Slave2daGroove said: contrapposto said: Y'know while I agree with what's being said here, people not listening to the message and girls being hurt with the crowd acting like morons and all... RATM music just makes me angry...in a good way but after about an hour I feel like I could put my fist through a wall and I'm not a violent person. i know what you mean - they're very aggro - but i think they have the ability to channel that energy in their fans and audiences. sometimes i think their whole "subversive political progressive activist" schtick is nothing more than a front for a bunch of macho posturing b.s. i read one review of the RATM show at lolla and they pointed out some between song banter when zach was trying to calm down the audience: "brothers and sisters, please take care of each other...this next song is called 'bullet in your head'." i think that about says it all. | |
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Anxiety said: heartbeatocean said: sooo...no Outside Lands concerts in Golden Gate Park for you? Now I'm more determined than ever to see Radiohead on Aug. 22. But I'm not an outdoor-music-fest-type person either. i don't know how many more i have left in me, to be honest. i had fun last weekend, but it was more about being out of town with a group of friends and less about being in the middle of an outdoor music festival. more and more, i'm appreciating the magic of reserved seating and air conditioned indoor venues. Yeah, I'm there, too. I won't even go see acts at the State Fair anymore.  | |
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NuPwr319 said: Anxiety said: i don't know how many more i have left in me, to be honest. i had fun last weekend, but it was more about being out of town with a group of friends and less about being in the middle of an outdoor music festival. more and more, i'm appreciating the magic of reserved seating and air conditioned indoor venues. Yeah, I'm there, too. I won't even go see acts at the State Fair anymore. i'm seeing sharon jones at the state fair next week, but i'm just gonna go enjoy the music and the fair - i'm not trying to compete with anyone for a good viewing spot. lollapalooza took all the fight out of me for a while. | |
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Anxiety said: NuPwr319 said: Yeah, I'm there, too. I won't even go see acts at the State Fair anymore. i'm seeing sharon jones at the state fair next week, but i'm just gonna go enjoy the music and the fair - i'm not trying to compete with anyone for a good viewing spot. lollapalooza took all the fight out of me for a while. I'm seeing Prairie Home Companion at the MN State Fair. We have floor level seats, but I still think they're going to be awful! | |
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heartbeatocean said: Anxiety said: i'm seeing sharon jones at the state fair next week, but i'm just gonna go enjoy the music and the fair - i'm not trying to compete with anyone for a good viewing spot. lollapalooza took all the fight out of me for a while. I'm seeing Prairie Home Companion at the MN State Fair. We have floor level seats, but I still think they're going to be awful! i don't mind having crummy seats if it's reserved seating, because at least you can adjust to your surroundings and adapt to it. with general admission, once you get used to where you're standing, some schmuck pushes in front of you and ruins everything.  | |
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Anxiety said: NuPwr319 said: Yeah, I'm there, too. I won't even go see acts at the State Fair anymore. i'm seeing sharon jones at the state fair next week, but i'm just gonna go enjoy the music and the fair - i'm not trying to compete with anyone for a good viewing spot. lollapalooza took all the fight out of me for a while.  when you said you were seeing Sharon Jones at the state fair I forgot for a second that you moved to another state and I almost peed my pants.
But we got Fergie and Joan Jett this year.  | |
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Anxiety said: heartbeatocean said: I'm seeing Prairie Home Companion at the MN State Fair. We have floor level seats, but I still think they're going to be awful! i don't mind having crummy seats if it's reserved seating, because at least you can adjust to your surroundings and adapt to it. with general admission, once you get used to where you're standing, some schmuck pushes in front of you and ruins everything. just the thought of that makes me all nervous. but I know it's written somewhere that the meek shall inherit the earth. | |
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heartbeatocean said: Anxiety said: i don't mind having crummy seats if it's reserved seating, because at least you can adjust to your surroundings and adapt to it. with general admission, once you get used to where you're standing, some schmuck pushes in front of you and ruins everything. just the thought of that makes me all nervous. but I know it's written somewhere that the meek shall inherit the earth. the meek ain't inheriting no damn NIN concerts, that's for damn skippy. | |
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errant said: Anxiety said: i'm seeing sharon jones at the state fair next week, but i'm just gonna go enjoy the music and the fair - i'm not trying to compete with anyone for a good viewing spot. lollapalooza took all the fight out of me for a while. when you said you were seeing Sharon Jones at the state fair I forgot for a second that you moved to another state and I almost peed my pants.
But we got Fergie and Joan Jett this year. joan jett is good times. i've seen her twice and she kicked my ass both times. 
fragglie, not so much.  | |
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Anxiety said: errant said: when you said you were seeing Sharon Jones at the state fair I forgot for a second that you moved to another state and I almost peed my pants.
But we got Fergie and Joan Jett this year. joan jett is good times. i've seen her twice and she kicked my ass both times.
fragglie, not so much. I hope if I go see Fergie I don't get her mixed up with the Butter Cow, although I'm equally fascinated and appalled by both. | |
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Anxiety said: NuPwr319 said: Yeah, I'm there, too. I won't even go see acts at the State Fair anymore. i'm seeing sharon jones at the state fair next week, but i'm just gonna go enjoy the music and the fair - i'm not trying to compete with anyone for a good viewing spot. lollapalooza took all the fight out of me for a while. YOU GET TO SEE SHARON JONES *AGAIN*??? Lucky bastid. I need to Google her and find a concert schedule. It is my dream to meet her and tell her what an inspiration she is to me. After I saw that interview posted above, she reminds me so much of me, my mom and my sister. Just FAMILY! | |
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NuPwr319 said: Anxiety said: i'm seeing sharon jones at the state fair next week, but i'm just gonna go enjoy the music and the fair - i'm not trying to compete with anyone for a good viewing spot. lollapalooza took all the fight out of me for a while. YOU GET TO SEE SHARON JONES *AGAIN*??? Lucky bastid. I need to Google her and find a concert schedule. It is my dream to meet her and tell her what an inspiration she is to me. After I saw that interview posted above, she reminds me so much of me, my mom and my sister. Just FAMILY! i would love to meet her just to tell her how happy i am for her that she got out of working in corrections, because that's one hell of a hard life. even touring the world in buses and singing state fairs is like living the life of luxury compared to that career. | |
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Anxiety said: NuPwr319 said: YOU GET TO SEE SHARON JONES *AGAIN*??? Lucky bastid. I need to Google her and find a concert schedule. It is my dream to meet her and tell her what an inspiration she is to me. After I saw that interview posted above, she reminds me so much of me, my mom and my sister. Just FAMILY! i would love to meet her just to tell her how happy i am for her that she got out of working in corrections, because that's one hell of a hard life. even touring the world in buses and singing state fairs is like living the life of luxury compared to that career. The article in More magazine says she been living in a QUEENS,NY HOUSING PROJECT with her mother since 2000. She was quoted as saying she hopes to be able to move out of the projects and buy a house for her mother "so she can sit out on a porch and enjoy it before she gets too old". Awww. . . . | |
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