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Words by SuperDee |
Photos by Adam George & Dave
Vann
Chicago by Adam George |
Lollapalooza 2006 was this summer's premier rock festival destination. Modeled
after the major rock festivals of Europe, Lollapalooza offered a wide variety
of genres from bands of all shapes and sizes. Mega-star headliners Kanye
West and Red Hot
Chili Peppers were complemented by indie dreamers Built
to Spill, Feist
and Stars, jam-friendlies
Particle and The
Disco Biscuits, cult-classics Ween
and Sleater-Kinney,
and hip hop sensations Lady
Sovereign and Lyrics
Born. There was a kid's stage for the little ones with lots of fun acts, including
a "peace out" conga line by the KidTribe, The Blisters which featured
Jeff Tweedy's son, as well as a surprise appearance by Patti Smith. Being in an
urban setting, its second year at Chicago's Grant Park, there was a much different
feel than our "sleep-over" festivals. Instead of being surrounded by
nature and tents, you are surrounded by skyscrapers, lending sophistication to
the overall experience. You might sacrifice some of the spontaneity that comes
from being out in the wild, but the magic remains. With the Sears Tower looking
down on you all day long, you never forget that you are in the heart of Chicago,
a city as classy as they come.
AT& T Stage by Dave Vann |
The corporate sponsorships were clearly visible, but they were not obnoxious -
they all seemed to be somewhat functional. Playstation brought game tents where
people could compete against each other in "Guitar Hero," AT&T brought
the webcast capabilities so that the festival could be shared with everyone all
around the world; and Bud Light…, well who doesn't like a cold beer in the
hot summer sun?
The music was plentiful and powerful. Big bands, little bands, and everyone
in between (130 bands in total) shared the bill, creating a varied quilt of musical
choices for three straight days on eight stages. Besides the main stage headliners,
each band got just one hour to do their thing, so they deliberately packed in
a power-punch set to show the people what they've got. Many of these modern rock
bands that have that 80's retro synth-rock thing happening sounded the same
to my jam-smeared ears, but there was a number of stand outs which I will share
with you now.
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