I love the fact that Lollapalooza, one of the nation’s premier music festivals, happens each year in my town. So I was of course disappointed that family obligations prevented me from attending most of the festival this year. However, being the unreasonable person that I am, I arranged to fly home early enough to make the final day. Fortunately, this also happened to be the day that interested me the most. So after an early flight and a nap, I headed downtown to Grant Park.
I began my day on the very north end of the venue at the Bud Light Stage with Night Terrors of 1927, an indie pop act from Los Angeles. The band is comprised of duo Jarrod Gorbel (ex-front man for Brooklyn outfit The Honorary Title) and Blake Sennett (former Rilo Kiley guitarist). They supplemented their on stage act with keyboards, bass, and drums. It was early in the day, hot, and sunny. It seemed like the band was just as hot as the audience. One security guard was entertaining himself spraying down the audience with a large and welcomed squirt gun. Fortunately, it was also far from crowded. In fact, we were able to walk right up to the front of the stage. Their set was short but efficient. It included all their best songs and was a good way to start off the day.
Night Terrors of 1927 Setlist:
Always Be One
It Would Be an Honor
Talking in Your Sleep [The Romantics cover]
Fall Into You
Running in Place
Dust & Bones
When You Were Mine
Always Take You Back
I crossed over to see Shakey Graves at the Palladia Stage just across the way. It is the only stage with a concrete standing area. While the concrete retains heat, is uncomfortable to stand on, and impossible to sit on, it is at least bowl shaped, providing a better view than is typical at the other stages. Shakey Graves is the moniker of Austin-based Alejandro Rose-Garcia. His music is a cross between blues, country, and garage rock. Following the trajectory of his overall career, his set began with just him on stage with his electric guitar. He then added additional musicians one by one including guitar/bass and drums. He played quite a few instrumental-only songs. The show was quite mellow, such that at one point, both he and his guitarist played laying on the ground. Unfortunately, it seemed to leave the crowd a bit disconnected. It struck me as an act that would have worked much better in a small club instead of a large festival stage. Unfortunately, just like at Pitchfork, thunderstorms started rolling in to chase him off the stage about 15 minutes before his scheduled end time.
Shakey Graves Partial Setlist:
If Not For You
The Perfect Parts
House of Winston
Pansy Waltz
Hard Wired
I was a bit surprised when he made the announcement and stepped off the stage. Though it was a bit cloudy, the sky didn’t look too ominous, and I couldn’t hear any thunder in the distance. Nonetheless, the venue was evacuated. Considering how clear it looked, we waited for a while inside the gate, hoping the festival grounds might reopen before security had a chance to clear the last of us out. However, scanning every local weather source that we could find on our phones, we read that golf ball sized hail could be coming down in the area. That blurb was enough to convince me not to stick around any longer. So we left, wandering on festival’s side streets before finding shelter in the gift shop of a nearby art museum. We were not the only festival goers with this idea. While the museum staff were not pleased, they tolerated the influx of underdressed youngsters who were only interested in taking up space. Of my two festival days so far that summer, we had been evacuated both times. Both times, I also happened to be with Celeste. She pointed out that I only attended a single day of each festival; there wasn’t rain the others days that she was there without me. In the end, other than a very brief shower, it didn’t really even rain that much anyway.
After about 20 to 30 minutes in the gift shop, with the occasional apologetic glance toward the museum staff, we witnessed a horde of festival goers rush back towards the gates. Had the festival reopened? We quickly followed and ended up right outside the still closed fence. The festival had announced that gates would open back up at 3:30. When the appointed time had come and gone, I was got a bit nervous that people might stampede when the festival finally did reopen or start climbing the fences if they didn’t. That’s how people get trampled and killed at events like these. It was a massive number of people waiting to reenter, but things stayed fairly orderly with only a handful of drunk teenagers complaining about the process and their dwindling buzz. Once the gates reopened, we made it back inside very quickly. Like at Pitchfork, there was no security to recheck bags nor were we required to show wristbands.
In total, there was an hour and a half break of music. The festival readjusted the schedule as best as possible so that no artists were skipped. This included some slightly abbreviated sets and extended the evening a bit later into the night. As the information trickled out, there was a bit of confusion. Based on the knowledge we had at the time, we waited for Strand of Oaks to take the Pepsi Stage at 4pm. However, it wasn’t until sometime well after four that we were updated that he wouldn’t start till 4:45. Had I known, I would have walked back to the Bud Light Stage for Moon Taxi, which did start promptly at 4. At least I was able to get very close for Strand of Oaks, though his set never grew particularly got crowded. I wondered how many people weren’t at the show because they weren’t back in the venue yet.
Strand of Oaks ended up being my only set at the Pepsi Stage, the new corporate-sponsored name for the Grove Stage, nestled in cluster of trees in the park. Strand of Oaks is the performing name of folk rock songwriter and producer Timothy Showalter. Though I had only recently been introduced to his music, he already has a handful of albums under his belt. With his massive beard, long hair, and tattoos, he looks just as much like a cast member of Sons of Anarchy as he does a musician. His touring band includes an extra guitar, bass, and drums. Though I don’t have a setlist, I recognized a bunch of his songs by sound if not by name. His driving set was certainly the highlight of the day thus far. I thought to myself that even if the rest of the day gets rained out, at least I got to see one good show. He brought a lot of energy and promised that whatever happens with the weather, he would beat it, and nothing would keep him from his show. A nice sentiment even if untrue.
Following Strand of Oaks, I hustled over to alternative hip hop/indie pop duo Twenty One Pilots, one of my favorite young acts of recent years. A silver lining of the modified schedule was that now Strand of Oaks and Twenty One Pilots were back to back instead of overlapping. So I was able to see the majority of both, just missing a few minutes of the Twenty One Pilots while traversing the park to the other set of stages. I would spend the rest of the day back and forth between these two stages on the south end of the festival grounds.
Twenty One Pilots just released their sophomore album, Blurryface (2015) earlier in the year. Though I don’t love it to the same degree as their debut, Vessel (2013), many of the songs are growing on me. Seeing a few of them live encouraged me to keep listening to the new album, especially “Lane Boy.” As when I saw them two years ago at Bonnaroo, I was amazed that their act consists of just the two of them on stage – Tyler Joseph (lead singer, pianist and songwriter) and Josh Dun (drums). They just bring such amazing energy to the stage.
Since I last saw him, Tyler had obtained a significant neck tattoo. From a distance, he looks like he’s wearing a turtleneck. I take it as a firm commitment to never wanting to work a day job. As I had seen them do in the past, they both pulled on ski masks during one song. Tyler ran into the crowd and climbed a ladder set up for him in the crowd, singing from the top. He later admitted that he hopped to climb the speaker tower a bit further back, but Lollapalooza threatened him with a lawsuit if he followed through. It was another great set for the day. Much wiggling was done.
Twenty One Pilots Setlist
Heavydirtysoul
Stressed Out
Guns for Hands
Holding on to You
We Don't Believe What's on TV
Lane Boy
No Woman, No Cry [Bob Marley & the Wailers cover]
Ride
The Run and Go
Tear in My Heart
Car Radio
Trees
Though the sun would still be up for a couple hours, the temperature was beginning to become noticeably more pleasant. Next up was Lord Huron, who I had seen in 2013 following the release of their debut album, Lonesome Dreams (2012). Though I thoroughly enjoy them, it’s more a general enjoyment of most of their songs rather than a firm dedication to their music. I feel similarly about their follow album, Strange Trails (2015). What started as a solo project for founder Ben Schneider has now become a four piece ensemble - drums, bass, and a pair of guitars. Plus an additional touring guitarist. The trouble with a festival like Lollapalooza, where the bands are all stacked up one after another, is that even though it was a set that I really wanted to see, I eventually have to miss music at some point to grab food or go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, neither is located in close proximity to the main stages. So Lord Huron had to take the hit. I ended up catching the beginning of their mostly acoustic set, missed the middle, then came back to hear the end. I heard a handful of songs that I knew, so no complaints.
Lord Huron Setlist:
Until The Night Turns
Lonesome Dreams
Hurricane
She Lit a Fire
Meet Me in the Woods
The World Ender
Fool For Love
Ends of the Earth
Time to Run
Following across the way was Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men. Though their music would also aptly be classified as acoustic folk rock, it’s a much grander and orchestral sound than Lord Huron. It was also my second time seeing them, following the same Bonnaroo that I saw Lord Huron. The five member band brought an additional four musicians with them to the stage to help fill out their sound. Despite being Icelandic, primary vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson sing exclusively in nearly unaccented English. I’m not sure if their speaking voices are as polished, as they did not address the crowd. To my American eyes, Nanna looks a lot like her countrywoman Björk – perhaps the only other Icelandic woman whose face I would recognize – at least as far as her straight back hair, round, pale face, and penchant for flowing clothing. They were also touring following the recent release of their second album, called Beneath the Skin (2015). Their set was split between songs from their new album and hits from their first effort, My Head Is an Animal (2011), including their biggest hit, "Little Talks." Their set was another highlight of the day.
Of Monsters and Men Setlist:
Thousand Eyes
Crystals
King and Lionheart
Empire
Dirty Paws
Human
Hunger
Mountain Sound
Wolves Without Teeth
Lakehouse
Little Talks
Six Weeks
Magic hour was upon us as TV on the Radio took the stage. The core band now consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), Kyp Malone (vocals/guitars/bass/loops), and Jaleel Bunton (drums/vocals/loops/guitars). It was my fourth time seeing them, but only my second time since the death of bassist Gerard Smith due to lung cancer in April 2011. Their tour also added a bassist and drummer. It was also my first time seeing them since their most recent album, Seeds (2014), was released. I was a bit further back than I had been before. Unfortunately, I didn’t think they sounded all that great; it just wasn’t loud enough where I was standing, and no I wasn’t using my earplugs. Also, for some reason the screen house left was lowered so you could only see the top half of it. While this must have been great for the handful of people standing right there, it was a little frustrating watching from the back. I did enjoy their setlist which included songs I love like “Golden Age” and “Wolf Like Me.” They ended up stopping about 15 minutes early, at least according to the latest schedule that I had seen. I suspect this was to get Florence + the Machine on stage a bit earlier, as another storm would soon be on the horizon.
TV on the Radio Setlist:
Young Liars
Lazerray
Golden Age
Happy Idiot
Could You
Winter
Wolf Like Me
Repetition
Staring at the Sun
Florence + the Machine were the final performance of the evening. It was my second time seeing her and the machine, but the first that she was billed as a headlining set. With TV on the Radio finishing a bit earlier than expected, she took the stage about 9pm. She wore a pantsuit, but until Hillary Clinton, wore it well. At some point in the show she changed into a white flowing shirt and pants. At the end of the show, she stripped off her shirt and ran through the center aisle in her bra. On stage, she’s an ethereal force of nature, like a Tolkienian elf. The camera never strayed from her, and it never needed to. The band truly is Florence + the Machine. In the middle of her set, she came out to sing near the back speakers, not far from where I was standing. On stage, she would run and prance about, sometimes laying down for a moment. I wasn’t sure if that was for effect or exhaustion from all her activity.
During her set, clouds started circulating behind us. Lightning lit up the sky, literally; it flashed so often that there was a near constant light source off in the distance. I’m not sure that I’d ever seen lightning like that before. I was a bit surprised that the festival organizers hadn’t called the show yet. The lightning was quite beautiful. At times, I turned from the stage to watch the lightning. Back on stage, Florence would reach out into the distance. I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t actually her conjuring the clouds.
Though she was scheduled to play till 10:45, she was chased off the stage by 10pm. In the final minutes of the show, she announced to the audience that the “storm had won,” and they would only have time for one more song, asking everyone to give it their all with her. Considering that the final song was the “Dog Days Are Over,” it was easy for the audience to comply with her request. I wondered what other songs we would have heard if she had the opportunity. I can think of a few that were missing, but it was still a solid set. The show ended, and we all exited the venue. I ended up biking home, hitting only a bit of rain and arriving home before it started really coming down. So again, despite some issues with the weather, it ended up being a worthwhile day.
Florence + the Machine Setlist
What the Water Gave Me
Ship to Wreck
Shake It Out
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
Cosmic Love
Delilah
St. Jude
What Kind of Man
Dog Days Are Over
I began my day on the very north end of the venue at the Bud Light Stage with Night Terrors of 1927, an indie pop act from Los Angeles. The band is comprised of duo Jarrod Gorbel (ex-front man for Brooklyn outfit The Honorary Title) and Blake Sennett (former Rilo Kiley guitarist). They supplemented their on stage act with keyboards, bass, and drums. It was early in the day, hot, and sunny. It seemed like the band was just as hot as the audience. One security guard was entertaining himself spraying down the audience with a large and welcomed squirt gun. Fortunately, it was also far from crowded. In fact, we were able to walk right up to the front of the stage. Their set was short but efficient. It included all their best songs and was a good way to start off the day.
Night Terrors of 1927 Setlist:Always Be One
It Would Be an Honor
Talking in Your Sleep [The Romantics cover]
Fall Into You
Running in Place
Dust & Bones
When You Were Mine
Always Take You Back
I crossed over to see Shakey Graves at the Palladia Stage just across the way. It is the only stage with a concrete standing area. While the concrete retains heat, is uncomfortable to stand on, and impossible to sit on, it is at least bowl shaped, providing a better view than is typical at the other stages. Shakey Graves is the moniker of Austin-based Alejandro Rose-Garcia. His music is a cross between blues, country, and garage rock. Following the trajectory of his overall career, his set began with just him on stage with his electric guitar. He then added additional musicians one by one including guitar/bass and drums. He played quite a few instrumental-only songs. The show was quite mellow, such that at one point, both he and his guitarist played laying on the ground. Unfortunately, it seemed to leave the crowd a bit disconnected. It struck me as an act that would have worked much better in a small club instead of a large festival stage. Unfortunately, just like at Pitchfork, thunderstorms started rolling in to chase him off the stage about 15 minutes before his scheduled end time.
Shakey Graves Partial Setlist:
If Not For You
The Perfect Parts
House of Winston
Pansy Waltz
Hard Wired
I was a bit surprised when he made the announcement and stepped off the stage. Though it was a bit cloudy, the sky didn’t look too ominous, and I couldn’t hear any thunder in the distance. Nonetheless, the venue was evacuated. Considering how clear it looked, we waited for a while inside the gate, hoping the festival grounds might reopen before security had a chance to clear the last of us out. However, scanning every local weather source that we could find on our phones, we read that golf ball sized hail could be coming down in the area. That blurb was enough to convince me not to stick around any longer. So we left, wandering on festival’s side streets before finding shelter in the gift shop of a nearby art museum. We were not the only festival goers with this idea. While the museum staff were not pleased, they tolerated the influx of underdressed youngsters who were only interested in taking up space. Of my two festival days so far that summer, we had been evacuated both times. Both times, I also happened to be with Celeste. She pointed out that I only attended a single day of each festival; there wasn’t rain the others days that she was there without me. In the end, other than a very brief shower, it didn’t really even rain that much anyway.
After about 20 to 30 minutes in the gift shop, with the occasional apologetic glance toward the museum staff, we witnessed a horde of festival goers rush back towards the gates. Had the festival reopened? We quickly followed and ended up right outside the still closed fence. The festival had announced that gates would open back up at 3:30. When the appointed time had come and gone, I was got a bit nervous that people might stampede when the festival finally did reopen or start climbing the fences if they didn’t. That’s how people get trampled and killed at events like these. It was a massive number of people waiting to reenter, but things stayed fairly orderly with only a handful of drunk teenagers complaining about the process and their dwindling buzz. Once the gates reopened, we made it back inside very quickly. Like at Pitchfork, there was no security to recheck bags nor were we required to show wristbands.
Strand of Oaks ended up being my only set at the Pepsi Stage, the new corporate-sponsored name for the Grove Stage, nestled in cluster of trees in the park. Strand of Oaks is the performing name of folk rock songwriter and producer Timothy Showalter. Though I had only recently been introduced to his music, he already has a handful of albums under his belt. With his massive beard, long hair, and tattoos, he looks just as much like a cast member of Sons of Anarchy as he does a musician. His touring band includes an extra guitar, bass, and drums. Though I don’t have a setlist, I recognized a bunch of his songs by sound if not by name. His driving set was certainly the highlight of the day thus far. I thought to myself that even if the rest of the day gets rained out, at least I got to see one good show. He brought a lot of energy and promised that whatever happens with the weather, he would beat it, and nothing would keep him from his show. A nice sentiment even if untrue.
Following Strand of Oaks, I hustled over to alternative hip hop/indie pop duo Twenty One Pilots, one of my favorite young acts of recent years. A silver lining of the modified schedule was that now Strand of Oaks and Twenty One Pilots were back to back instead of overlapping. So I was able to see the majority of both, just missing a few minutes of the Twenty One Pilots while traversing the park to the other set of stages. I would spend the rest of the day back and forth between these two stages on the south end of the festival grounds.
Twenty One Pilots just released their sophomore album, Blurryface (2015) earlier in the year. Though I don’t love it to the same degree as their debut, Vessel (2013), many of the songs are growing on me. Seeing a few of them live encouraged me to keep listening to the new album, especially “Lane Boy.” As when I saw them two years ago at Bonnaroo, I was amazed that their act consists of just the two of them on stage – Tyler Joseph (lead singer, pianist and songwriter) and Josh Dun (drums). They just bring such amazing energy to the stage.
Since I last saw him, Tyler had obtained a significant neck tattoo. From a distance, he looks like he’s wearing a turtleneck. I take it as a firm commitment to never wanting to work a day job. As I had seen them do in the past, they both pulled on ski masks during one song. Tyler ran into the crowd and climbed a ladder set up for him in the crowd, singing from the top. He later admitted that he hopped to climb the speaker tower a bit further back, but Lollapalooza threatened him with a lawsuit if he followed through. It was another great set for the day. Much wiggling was done.
Twenty One Pilots SetlistHeavydirtysoul
Stressed Out
Guns for Hands
Holding on to You
We Don't Believe What's on TV
Lane Boy
No Woman, No Cry [Bob Marley & the Wailers cover]
Ride
The Run and Go
Tear in My Heart
Car Radio
Trees
Though the sun would still be up for a couple hours, the temperature was beginning to become noticeably more pleasant. Next up was Lord Huron, who I had seen in 2013 following the release of their debut album, Lonesome Dreams (2012). Though I thoroughly enjoy them, it’s more a general enjoyment of most of their songs rather than a firm dedication to their music. I feel similarly about their follow album, Strange Trails (2015). What started as a solo project for founder Ben Schneider has now become a four piece ensemble - drums, bass, and a pair of guitars. Plus an additional touring guitarist. The trouble with a festival like Lollapalooza, where the bands are all stacked up one after another, is that even though it was a set that I really wanted to see, I eventually have to miss music at some point to grab food or go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, neither is located in close proximity to the main stages. So Lord Huron had to take the hit. I ended up catching the beginning of their mostly acoustic set, missed the middle, then came back to hear the end. I heard a handful of songs that I knew, so no complaints.
Lord Huron Setlist:Until The Night Turns
Lonesome Dreams
Hurricane
She Lit a Fire
Meet Me in the Woods
The World Ender
Fool For Love
Ends of the Earth
Time to Run
Following across the way was Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men. Though their music would also aptly be classified as acoustic folk rock, it’s a much grander and orchestral sound than Lord Huron. It was also my second time seeing them, following the same Bonnaroo that I saw Lord Huron. The five member band brought an additional four musicians with them to the stage to help fill out their sound. Despite being Icelandic, primary vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson sing exclusively in nearly unaccented English. I’m not sure if their speaking voices are as polished, as they did not address the crowd. To my American eyes, Nanna looks a lot like her countrywoman Björk – perhaps the only other Icelandic woman whose face I would recognize – at least as far as her straight back hair, round, pale face, and penchant for flowing clothing. They were also touring following the recent release of their second album, called Beneath the Skin (2015). Their set was split between songs from their new album and hits from their first effort, My Head Is an Animal (2011), including their biggest hit, "Little Talks." Their set was another highlight of the day.
Of Monsters and Men Setlist:
Thousand Eyes
Crystals
King and Lionheart
Empire
Dirty Paws
Human
Hunger
Mountain Sound
Wolves Without Teeth
Lakehouse
Little Talks
Six Weeks
Magic hour was upon us as TV on the Radio took the stage. The core band now consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), Kyp Malone (vocals/guitars/bass/loops), and Jaleel Bunton (drums/vocals/loops/guitars). It was my fourth time seeing them, but only my second time since the death of bassist Gerard Smith due to lung cancer in April 2011. Their tour also added a bassist and drummer. It was also my first time seeing them since their most recent album, Seeds (2014), was released. I was a bit further back than I had been before. Unfortunately, I didn’t think they sounded all that great; it just wasn’t loud enough where I was standing, and no I wasn’t using my earplugs. Also, for some reason the screen house left was lowered so you could only see the top half of it. While this must have been great for the handful of people standing right there, it was a little frustrating watching from the back. I did enjoy their setlist which included songs I love like “Golden Age” and “Wolf Like Me.” They ended up stopping about 15 minutes early, at least according to the latest schedule that I had seen. I suspect this was to get Florence + the Machine on stage a bit earlier, as another storm would soon be on the horizon.TV on the Radio Setlist:
Young Liars
Lazerray
Golden Age
Happy Idiot
Could You
Winter
Wolf Like Me
Repetition
Staring at the Sun
Florence + the Machine were the final performance of the evening. It was my second time seeing her and the machine, but the first that she was billed as a headlining set. With TV on the Radio finishing a bit earlier than expected, she took the stage about 9pm. She wore a pantsuit, but until Hillary Clinton, wore it well. At some point in the show she changed into a white flowing shirt and pants. At the end of the show, she stripped off her shirt and ran through the center aisle in her bra. On stage, she’s an ethereal force of nature, like a Tolkienian elf. The camera never strayed from her, and it never needed to. The band truly is Florence + the Machine. In the middle of her set, she came out to sing near the back speakers, not far from where I was standing. On stage, she would run and prance about, sometimes laying down for a moment. I wasn’t sure if that was for effect or exhaustion from all her activity.
Though she was scheduled to play till 10:45, she was chased off the stage by 10pm. In the final minutes of the show, she announced to the audience that the “storm had won,” and they would only have time for one more song, asking everyone to give it their all with her. Considering that the final song was the “Dog Days Are Over,” it was easy for the audience to comply with her request. I wondered what other songs we would have heard if she had the opportunity. I can think of a few that were missing, but it was still a solid set. The show ended, and we all exited the venue. I ended up biking home, hitting only a bit of rain and arriving home before it started really coming down. So again, despite some issues with the weather, it ended up being a worthwhile day.
Florence + the Machine Setlist
What the Water Gave Me
Ship to Wreck
Shake It Out
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
Cosmic Love
Delilah
St. Jude
What Kind of Man
Dog Days Are Over
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