Lolla

Muddy from all the rain.

LOLLAPOLOOZA! This weekend has been pretty much awesome in Chicago with the music festival. Day 1 was over cast with rain the whole day which made it feel like we were a part of something pretty great and dedicated with all the people not leaving even while being drenched. My friends and I drank a lot of large beers to keep up us all a little warmer. The bands we rocked out to the first day were:

1. Manchester Orchestra - loved it
   
2. The Gaslight Anthem - pretty sweet
   
3. Bon Iver - not memorable
   
4. Ben Folds - loved it and danced in the rain
   
5. Crystal Castles - psychotic
   
6. Asher Roth - fun loving and danced in the streets
   
7. Peter Bjorn and John - i think i liked it...looking forward to KOL
   
8. Kings of Leon - rockin' but could've had more energy

It's crazy how being surrounded by music makes me feel so much more carefree and alive. I love music and the way it triggers those emotions and nostalgic memories. Regardless of the fact that I had a few beers in me, the rain and music just released this inner hippie that did not care how crazy my dances looked nor the nappiness of my hair from the on again and off again rain. It's a beautiful thing, feeling that comfortable and free. No worries troubling my mind, just singing and dancing with my friends.
Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park

A very clever idea from the Lollapolooza masterminds was to get all the carefree music lovers to grab some trash bags, fill them with cans and recyclables and then once it is full you earned a free t-shirt. Free Labor = Free Stuff. Who doesn't love free stuff!! So I got a pretty sweet commemorative shirt with all the artists listed on the back. Shirts cost $25 at the merch table so for the walking back and forth, trekking around a bag of beer cans, water bottles, and cardboard in the pouring rain, I felt even more like a hippie so one with nature...that or a hobo. Collecting cans struck quite the conversations with people on the lawns. Many people wanted to know where I got my trash bag to get one for themselves to keep them dry, I gladly told them where and informed them of the great free shirt they could get instead which could also keep them dry.

Free Labor = Free Shirt. Collecting cans on a rainy day.

After finishing the evening with Kings of Leon, who could have really exuded a little more energy, my friends and I headed down Columbus St. in downtown Chicago with a crazy swarm of all the fun loving hippies from Lolla. I was so amazed by the quantity of people just walking down the street that would normally be swarming with cars. The crowd was singing still and then everyone congregated to the water falling down the Millennium park video bricks...you know what I mean? The the most refreshing water even though we were all wet from the rain all day.

Splashing around with no care in the world.

Day 2 of Lollapolooza was even better for the performances and SO hot and humid compared to day 1 with the brief chill and rain. My legs were glistening from the sweat slowly dripping down them before I even entered the gates of Lollapolooza. It was THAT hot. The lineup for the day was:

1. Miike Snow - great rhythms, loved it!
   
2. Ida Maria - quite the screamer, like Janis Joplin
   
3. Atmosphere - rapper from Minneapolis. who knew.
   
4. Chairlift - didn't sing much.
   
5. Coheed and Cambria - FANTASTIC! Love Claudio!
   
6. Glasvegas - better live than on Conan
   
7. Lykke Li - WOW! loved them!
   
8. Ben Harper and Relentless 7 - chill
   
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Thrilling! Outfit changes and awesome energy!

Hot and sunny on day two

The performances despite the heat were great! It's impressive how the artists don't slow down, they just keep pumping everyone up. I appreciated their adrenaline which got me revved to collect MORE cans and bottles. I hit the jackpot out in the open fields which really smelled like a landfill especially in the humid heat. So I earned another free t-shirt and entered to hopefully win a 2010 hybrid car. I learned about recycled tire mulch that is quite cushy and absorbs water instead of drifting. Pretty neat stuff.

CLAUDIO SANCHEZ, ladies and gents, of Coheed and Cambria

I was SO pumped to watch Coheed and Cambria who I have had the chance to see in concert 3 other times. There was no disappointment with this show. With the sun blazing at 4:30pm I was ready to rock. Claudio and his mad guitar skills just blew me away.

To refuel it was a lot of water, Sweet Leaf half and half lemonade and iced tea, and water! We pit stopped to eat even though with the heat, you really don't feel hungry in the humid heat, which is just one more reason why I feel like I would enjoy living some place warmer... you crave refreshing food like fruits and salads. We ate some delicious veggie noodles and chicken on a stick before watching Lykke Li who reminded me like Lady Gaga. A bit eccentric but great stage presence.
Veggie noodles with chicken on a stick. Refuel.

Taking a rest before Lykke Li

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs had the best show yet! With outfit changes and a headdress the show was totally out there. I danced my butt off jumping around and letting my sore feet go numb from pure fun and flaying my arms up and down with my glow bracelets beaming with energy. It was an awesome show that ended day two.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I cannot wait for tomorrow for the final day. Time to shower and tuck myself in to the glorious hotel bed sheets.

beijos!