Music, Crowds and Rain
…are three things I did not deal with this weekend. While I’m a fan of music the other two things I can do without and as Lollapalooza took place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I was actually thankful that I wasn’t dealing with the hoards of people in the steamy sunshine left behind after a massive downpour. Does this mean I’m getting old? Maybe, maybe not.
Good luck finding me.
I’ve attended my fair share of festivals and even spent a few summers roughin’ it at Bonnaroo in Tennessee. I’ve been to Lolla a couple times as well and I actually had a blast at each of these concerts. I even thought about going to Lolla this year but when the line-up came out, I wasn’t overly impressed. I like the Foo Fighters but was lucky enough to see them for a BBC live taping in London in 2005 (I got a drumstick and guitar pick from the band and actually got to walk out talking to the guys as they headed to Sweden or Switzerland or someplace that started with the letter ‘S’). I was interested in seeing some of the other acts but not interested enough to shell out close to $90/day to do so. Besides, I had stuff going on at the Field Museum on Saturday and I ultimately decided doing my researching and docent thing was a better way to spend my Saturday. Oh crap. Maybe I am getting old.
Even though I didn’t hit the fests, I’m able to appreciate how massive and popular they are. In fact, I spent part of Friday looking out our office windows and watching the thousands upon thousands of people amassing in Grant Park. I also walked by a huge fence on Saturday morning as I made my way into the museum – the fence was being guarded by extremely bored looking Lolla volunteers to ensure no one was going to jump it and sneak in. Which was a shame because the thought absolutely crossed my mind. Trains were packed and traffic in and around downtown was somewhat of a nightmare, making me once again happy I don’t have a car. There where people everywhere but they all seemed to be having a pretty great time so I guess even the thunderstorms and overcast skies didn’t put a damper on their days.
And maybe I’ll go next year. I can start saving now and if the set list doesn’t spark an interest once again then I can do something else with the money I’d have spent on a 3 days pass. Like purchase a small island.
Rock Out
So I saw a concert last night (yes, on a school work night). I haven’t been to a show in a while and I’d never been to Northerly Island, the little peninsula in downtown Chicago where this action was taking place. We saw Sublime with Rose (who may not be Brad Nowell but sounds an awful lot like he did) and 311 (who’s lead singer is much more attractive than I was expecting, causing a bit of a distraction). The group I was with had tickets in the bleachers and while this hindered our dance moves, it did not stop them entirely. One $11 beer and a beautiful sunset over the city later and we were ready to rock.
Sweet Home Chicago
The show was pretty damn awesome. Sublime pulled out many old favorites that I sang along to as well as some of their newer stuff that I’m not so familiar with. They played for about an hour before calling it quits, which gave us enough time to grab snacks and beverages while trying to find some old friends. People watching was optimal as there were many super wasted dudes and dudettes stumbling around, so that provided nice halftime entertainment. Then the headliner, 311, came on stage. They seriously rocked. In fact, the lead singer changed his shirt probably 4 times because he was jumping around and sweating so much. I’d never seen 311 live and they put on a really great set – the lights were especially cool and they absolutely knew how to work their crowd. That show as apparently also being filmed for TV so the cameras caused the crowds to be especially rowdy, which was also quite entertaining.
We also couldn’t have asked for better weather. I was more than comfortable in just jeans and a tank top and there was not a drop of rain in the sky. The breeze from the lake was nice and the full moon that came out when the sun went down just added to the general awesomeness of the evening.
In conclusion, go see live music. Especially in Chicago!
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