Blog: Live from Lollapalooza

Follow updates from World-Herald music reporter Kevin Coffey while he spends the weekend at Lollapalooza, Chicago's three-day music festival:

• Follow Kevin on Twitter.

• Check out the bands Kevin is planning to see.

• Have a question or a suggestion on who Kevin should see? Send him an e-mail.

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SUNDAY

12:31 a.m.

Finally back to where I'm staying tonight after taking a jam-packed train then getting in my car to get to my friend Tommy's house.

Jane's Addiction blew the roof off the joint to end the night. Frontman Perry Ferrell - clad in a gold lamé tuxedo sans shirt - was a ball of fire, running and jumping around the stage.

"What the **** is this?" Ferrell yelled at the crowd. "We've been having this festival for 1, 2, 3 days. Have you slept yet?"

While burlesque dancers did their thing, Ferrell ran around singing and telling stories while Dave Navarro shredded and jammed. It's been 20 years since the original lineup was together, but none of them have lost their abilities.

They jammed out on most songs, including "Been Caught Stealing." Not expected, but it was pretty sweet. Navarro would solo over and over while Ferrell told some weird stream-of-consciousness stories. Awesome.

For the encore, the group busted out the acoustic guitars and did what everyone expected: they played "Jane Says." What was not expected was Ferrell inviting out a special guest to perform the song with them: Aerosmith's Joe Perry.

Perry didn't add anything special to the mix, other than some serious cool points. Pretty sweet to see him up there with Jane's.

All in all, it's weird that the festival is over. It was a total blur and a complete blast.

Tomorrow, I'll post a wrap-up blog with my favorite festival moments and a list of my top five sets from the weekend.

8:42 p.am.

Silversun Pickups just finished and the Killers just stared (kicking things off with "Human" and "This is Your Life").

Silversun was spectacular. They played while the sun went down, giving the band a perfect, ethereal glow that matched their fuzzed-out guitars and singer Brian Aubert's otherworldy, Billy Corgan-esque voice.

They closed out with "Panic Switch" and "Lazy Eye." Both were loud and both were wild. Mosh pits formed and I saw more crowd surfers than I had with any other band yet this weekend.

With "Lazy Eye," the band did an extended noise jam at the end that made the whole crowd go nuts. One of the best bands I've seen all weekend.

Alright... headed to Jane's Addiction after this next Killers song. Will update when the show is over.

7:02 p.m.

I'm currently listening to the mellow sounds of hip-hop star Snoop Dee-Oh-Double-G. Not bad, but when he does a song like "The Next Episode," Dr. Dre isn't here so we don't get to hear half of the song.

I'm about to go camp out in front of the stage for Silversun Pickups, which means I'll be missing MSTRKRFT. Not a big deal, since I only would have had a few minutes to spend there anyway.

Which leads me to the decision of the day: I think I'm going to go see Jane's Addiction.

Why? Well, it's because of what I said earlier. I think the Killers will keep touring for awhile and I'll inevitably see them in Omaha or KC or somewhere else close. Who knows what might happen with Jane's Addiction? I think it's best to hit them up now.

However, due to the proximity of the Silversun Pickups' stage, I'll still catch the beginning of the Killers' set before and while I head over to Jane's Addiction's stage. So, I'll still be catching part of each.

When it came to weighing in on who I should see, it was about even from you, my faithful readers. Thanks for the e-mails, Facebook messages and Tweets!

6:54 p.m.

Hey folks, sorry for the delay in updates. The media area here is tragically low on something as simple as power outlets and my laptop lost juice and turned off in the middle of writing an entry. I'll try to reconstruct it for you now...

I caught a few songs from avant-electronic noise guy Dan Deacon. There were some stops and starts because of the sound, which can be blamed on Deacon having himself plus at least 15 other musicians onstage with him.

Highlight of the day (so far) has been Vampire Weekend. The band performed every song from it's eponymous debut album and worked in a few new songs from a forthcoming release.

Vampire Weekend really got the crowd going: Clapping to the beat, singing along to "Oxford Comma," screaming "whoaaaaaaaaaa" during "M79" and yelling out the refrain for "Blake's Got A New Face."

Lead singer Ezra Koenig dedicated "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" to director John Hughes, who just died. Koenig also saluted the crowd for sticking with it after three days of mixed up weather (cold rain and hot sun).

"You were rained on, baked, fried and you're still so beautiful," he said.

3:03 p.m.

An update about the music? Okay, I can do that.

First was Ra Ra Riot, a band that's been to Omaha quite a bit in the past year or so. Kind of like Vampire Weekend, but sub the guitars for keyboards, cello and violin.

The guy standing next to me said they were one of his top three bands to see all weekend. They're not that high on the list for me, but still excellent stuff.

Let me also say that one of the things that I love about festivals like this is seeing bands you've never heard of. Discovering new and hidden talent, we could say. One such group was Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, a British blues-rock group.

I was heading over to catch Portugal. The Man (more on them in a second) when I heard these guys jamming out on one of the smaller stages. The group had tight, slick blues riffs and solos mixed in with an electric organ while their singer (the aforementioned Mr. Knowles) had a deep voice dripping with blues and emotion.

Knowles said he's writing songs and co-producing a new album with Peter Frampton (of "Frampton Comes Alive" fame). I caught one of his Frampton co-written tunes, a CCR cover and a few other songs.

Then I was onto Portugal. The Man, which looked like a band right out of 1975. Sounded like one too. Long hair, beards, thrift store clothes and the most enormous White Falcon guitar made the band's images on the big screen next to the stage look like a scene from the movie "Almost Famous."

They played tripped out guitar jams while their singer belted out sosme high-pitched lyrics. Check them out in Omaha on Wednesday at the Waiting Room.

Currently listening to the Airborne Toxic Event (thanks Julie in Boston for the suggestion). Right now they're doing a version of "Goodbye Horses" by Q Lazzarus (the song that Buffalo Bill dances to in "Silence of the Lambs"). Love it!

2:41 p.m.

Re: my debate on whether to see the Killers or Jane's Addiction tonight...

Response so far is to see the Killers because of their 'killer' (ahem) live show.

Once again, I'm open to suggestion. Send me a message on Twitter or you can send me an e-mail to tell me who to see and why.

2:33 p.m.

An update on the fashion here at Lolla:

Seems like the thing all the cool kids are doing is wearing brightly colored sunglasses. Ray Ban is advertising it's colorized campaign and tons of people are sporting plastic frames in colors from white to red to bright green.

The Ray Ban versions will set you back a pretty penny, but they're selling cheap-o versions at a festival kiosk for $15.

And I'd like to nominate a runner-up to my "Best Dressed at the Fest" award (or whatever I called it):

A long-haired, bearded gentleman was sporting an Elmo head as a hat. It looked like he decapitated the Muppet above it's lower jaw and crowned himself with it. Absolutely hilarious.

12:08 p.m.

It's hot! Just walking from the train to the show has me practically soaked through my shirt.

Speaking of shirts, let's talk Lolla fashion for a moment. It's a music festival, so there are a lot of hipsters. With a lot of hipsters, you have a lot of beards and you have some interesting clothing choices.

While most everyone is decked out in T-shirts and shorts to stay cool, there have been some other interesting choices.

Cuffed jeans are a popular choice among guys and gals, although I don't know why one would choose to wear jeans in 90-degree-and-up heat and humidity. T-shirts with ironic messages are all over the place (a favorite being one with a picture of North Korea's leader that read "Kim Jong is Illin' ").

Other faves were a girl wearing skin-tight gold lamé pants and a very skinny dude wearing nothing but bright orange hot pants. Some folks have chosen to go almost-clothingless. A lot of shirtless men and bikini-clad women have been seen wandering Grant Park.

Best Outfit of the Fest Award has to go to a guy and girl in their late teens/early 20s decked out in Indian garb. Guy was wearing a headress, body paint and leather shorts. Girl was wearing feathers, a beaded headband and a suede dress. People kept asking to take pictures with them, to which the girl said, "Oh my God, we're going to be all over the Internet."

Outstanding.

OK then... Listening to Alberta Cross. Decent, though not particularly memorable. Going to get some water and head to Ra Ra Riot shortly.

10:05 a.m.

Good morning! I'm tired, but it looks like it's going to be another nice day. Probably as hot as yesterday, but that's OK. I'm prepared today. I'm bringing more sunscreen and an extra T-shirt.

My plan for the day is as follows: Get there early and check out some of groups I'm not familiar with (Alberta Cross? Sam Roberts Band? Dunno... Yuto Miyazawa plays for a half hour and I've heard one of his songs before, so maybe him.). Next, Ra Ra Riot (who have played in Omaha three times in the last year... When they come back, go see them.).

After that I'll go see Portugal. The Man, who have been buzzed about. Also coming to Omaha soon, I believe. After them, there's nothing I have planned. Eat some lunch maybe and go check out Kaiser Chiefs or the Raveonettes or Dan Deacon or the Airborne Toxic Event. All playing around the same time and all bands that I've heard good things about.

Then I'll be seeing Vampire Weekend, for sure. Cold War Kids are next (did a decent job opening for Death Cab a few months back). Then MSTRKRFT has a set at the DJ tent Perry's, which I'll hit up for a few minutes before going to see Silversun Pickups (I listen to their song "Lazy Eye" a few times a week. You should too.)

To wrap up the evening, I can't decide between Jane's Addiction and the Killers. I want to see both for completely different reasons. The Killers will be a wild show to see and their fast, upbeat stuff will be a great way to end the day. On the other hand, you've go the newly re-formed Jane's Addiction. Where else will I get the opportunity to see them again?

That might end up being my deciding factor: Jane's Addiction may or may not be around long enough for them to hit up Omaha. The Killers almost certainly will be. I have a feeling that they'll stick around for a bit and come back to town. We'll see.

If you want to weigh in, send me a message on Twitter or you can send me an e-mail.

Wish me luck!

SATURDAY

11:21 p.m.

Finally home after the end of another long (and hot) day.

Ben Harper put on a great set, but mostly played the stuff from his new album. While he used to perform with the Innocent Criminals, Harper has a new band, the Relentless7. They're much more intense and hard-rocking.

Because of that, they didn't play anything like "Burn One Down," which I'm sure the festival crowd would have enjoyed. Instead, they kept it up-tempo with stuff like "Shimmer and Shine."

And can I say that his drummer is intense? He put his whole body into smashing his kit and it was wild to watch.


To end out the night, we sat on the lawn and watched the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Tool played at the other end of the park at the same time). The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were a last-minute replacement for the Beastie Boys, who had to cancel when Adam Yauch, aka MCA, was diagnosed with cancer.

While it wasn't terrible, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the first not-so-great set I've seen all weekend. Their set was all over the place, going from danceable tunes to chilled out slow songs to up-tempo jams. They didn't do a good job of keeping people into their set. It didn't help that frontwoman Karen O forgot the words a few times.

Karen O was a spectacle to behold, however. She took the stage wearing a feathered headdress and donned a shawl, cape, flag and leather jacket throughout the show. She also did a pretty good job of fitting a microphone down her throat, which was weird.

The fact that they were a replacement for the much-anticipated Beasties really hurt the band. Yeah Yeah Yeahs would have been a great mid-afternoon show at Lolla, but they weren't exactly headliner material. "We weren't even supposed to be here," Karen O remarked at one point.

7:25 p.m.

Clouds came in and the wind picked up, so it became a much nicer day. This has, however, brought out about twice the people that were here yesterday. It's getting difficult to move around, which is why my friends and I have camped out on one end of the park and haven't moved for awhile.

It's been hours since I last updated about the music. We checked out Atmosphere to start, and I can see why he's so popular. The Minnesota native rapper was good. He's not Eminem, but who is, really? It was a perfect time in the afternoon to have some hip-hop.

I heard a song or two from Gomez, the British indie rockers that performed at Omaha's summer youth concert in Memorial Park a few months ago. What I heard was interesting, but now I'm not worried that I didn't see the Memorial Park show.

Perry Farrell had a pretty cool DJ set at Perry's, the DJ spot that features Bassnectar tonight and MSTRKRFT tomorrow. Farrell had a "special guest" that I didn't catch the name of, but I wasn't paying much attention to that person. Farrell took the mic and was singing the whole time.

Just got done hearing Santigold and TV on the Radio. Santigold made my friends - who hadn't heard her before - start dancing around. I think my pals are now hooked.

Ben Harper and the Relentless7 are up on the stage next to me now. I'll report back later.

2:26 p.m.

Yesterday was cold and rainy. Today, it's HOT and muggy.

Finally arrived at the festival today. Slept in after a long day yesterday. Favorite Chicago site so far: Guy on the street with a sign that read, "Girlfriend kidnapped by ninjas. Need money for ransom and karate lessons."

Plan for today is to wander around a bit. There aren't too many bands until later tonight that I'm dead-set on seeing, so I'll probably just check out some new stuff.

Blind Pilot is on around 4 p.m. and I didn't get to see them when they were in Omaha. Perry Ferrell is doing a DJ set this afternoon at his namesake stage, Perry's. That spot is pretty wild and is like an all-day dance party.

Off to find some friends also at the show. Check back in later!

FRIDAY

10:31 p.m.

Day one of Lollapalooza is in the books. It was marked by a lot of rain and mud, although the weather eventually quit and it ended up being a perfect summer evening.

I watched Kings of Leon to close out the show. That might have been the tightest batch of songs that I've seen any band deliver. Not one note was out of place or missed. The vocals were dead on. And the crowd went wild.

I can't even guess how many people were at the North end of Grant Park to watch the Kings play. If the Qwest Center holds 17,000 for a concert, there was at least double that. Maybe triple? Quadruple? There was no way to tell.

I thought I was far back until I had to go to the bathroom. People were standing as far back from me as I was from the stage.

Lead singer Caleb Followil said the group played Lolla way back when it was a traveling festival. Typical crowd for their sets, he said, was a whopping 10 people. Must have been wild for him to look out on the crowd from tonight.

Kings of Leon delivered songs from all albums, including favorites like "Taper Jean Girl" and "Sex On Fire," both of which had excellent crowd singalongs.

The set was structured differently than your average rock show, though. Instead of closing out the show with "Use Somebody," currently the band's most popular song, the group went with one I don't even know the name of. But it was refreshing to see a band buck the formula and just play whatever they wanted.

I didn't see Depeche Mode (the night's other headliner that performed at the other end of the park) but I had friends that did. I'll ask them what they thought and post that in this space tomorrow.

Well, that's it for tonight. I'm going to get some rest in order to prep for tomorrow. Day two should be interesting.

7:33 p.m.

Missed the Decemberists, unfortunately. They're on the opposite end of the grounds from where my home base is in the media tent, so I didn't have time to get over there before they were done.

I did catch about half of Peter, Bjorn & John's set. In a live context, they play really danceable tunes, which I never thought about listening to their albums. Quite a few men and women were grooving.

Favorite moment was when Peter jumped into the crowd in the middle of "Young Folks" and let a guy named Steve sing a verse of the song.

Alright... Kings of Leon start their set at 8:15 p.m., so I'm going to get a head start over there so I have a decent spot. Depeche Mode will close out the show on the other end of the festival, but I think I'm skipping them to see the Kings.

6:34 p.m.

Just got back from seeing Bon Iver, Ben Folds and Fleet Foxes (and eating a gyro).

Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes are probably two of the most buzzed about indies from the last year or so. They're also two of the most chilled out, mellow bands on the festival's lineup.

Fleet Foxes were a treat, if only to hear their four-part harmonies flood out over the park. The group played their first song without instruments, just four voices playing off each other. They kept it pretty mellow until the last few songs, when they picked things up a bit.

Both Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver brought huge crowds to a stage that's set into a hill. If you didn't get there early enough, you were stuck on the crest of the hill where you could barely see the stage - if you could see it at all.

That brings up another point: If you want to get close to the stage for your favorite band, plan on getting to that stage well before they get onstage.

Ben Folds had a full band backing him up, different from when it was just him and a piano when I saw him a few years ago. He only played two Ben Folds Five songs ("Kate" and the set-closing "Army"). Most of his material was solo stuff and most of it his newest material.

Best moment of the set was when Folds did a cover of Dr. Dre's "B****** Ain't S***." The entire crowd sang along and Folds was laughing onstage.

As for the gyro, it was pretty tasty (in case you were wondering about that).

6:23 p.m.

While the rain has let up momentarily, an understanding about umbrellas has been reached among (most) concertgoers. When the set starts, fold up the umbrella.

There have been a few incidences of a row of umbrella carriers blocking out the stage for people behind them. Yelling and throwing of beer cans ensued.

Now, if we could only figure out a way for people to be more aware of their giant handbags/backpacks. Folks, when you spin around to talk to your friend next to you in a crowded festival, your giant bag knocks into 10 people. None of them are pleased.

2:53 p.m.

It's still raining. Coming down slowly, but surely. It hasn't stopped crowds from showing up. We just got word that the show sold out of three day tickets and of today's passes.

Caught pieces of sets from Black Joe Lewis and The Knux while I was wandering around. Both were good, but I didn't stick around.

I did check out the Gaslight Anthem, a rock band that will be compared to Bruce Springsteen for the rest of its existence. It's not just because their lead singer sounds remarkably close to Springsteen. They sing about the same blue-collar, familiar subjects that he does.

The group will be at Sokol Underground on Sept. 11. I recommend checking them out. If you have a chance to check the band's MySpace, give the song "The '59 Sound" a try.

Next up for me is Bon Iver, on the other side of the grounds. Ben Folds, Fleet Foxes and The Decemberists follow.

12:35 p.m.

It's raining in Chicago, which is perfect weather for an outdoor festival. Good thing I brought a raincoat.

Most people weren't as fortunate and had to buy a poncho for $5 outside of the festival. Who knows how much one costs inside the grounds.

While hiding from the drizzle in the media tent, I'm listening to Hey Champ. I haven't heard them before, but they're a sort of pop indie group. Like what I've heard so far.

I had planned to get here earlier and see Hockey at 11:30, but catching the train and walking a mile or more to Grant Park got me here a little too late.

I don't have anyone in particular that I want to see until Bon Iver at 3 p.m., so I'm probably going to wander the grounds and familiarize myself.

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