An Open Letter to Lollapalooza

Dear Lollapalooza,

Bonnaroo just announced their line-up for 2011, and they did SO many things right. I hope your organizers stumble upon this blog and take this plea to heart, and steal Bonnaroo's line-up! Ok, so maybe not the WHOLE thing, but if you would please extend an invitation to the following artists, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thankyouverymuch!

Arcade Fire
The Black Keys
Neil Young
Mumford & Sons
The Decemberists
Iron & Wine
Florence & the Machine
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
!!!

Three Lolla 2011 Headliners Announced

Apparently The Tribune's Greg Kot announced three of this year's Lolla headliners. In order of excitement, they are Foo Fighters, Eminem, and MUSE!!!

MUSE! MUSE! MUSE!
YES! YES! YES!

And I'm pretty stoked to see Eminem too, I'm not gonna lie.

Also, "according to several industry sources," Best Coast, Girl Talk, Crystal Castles and Lykke Li are expected to be on the line-up. I'll check out Lykke Li and Girl Talk if I'm there, sure, but they're no incentive for me to buy a ticket. However, because MUSE is on the bill, Lollapalooza will have my money. SO excited.

Muse to Headline Lollapalooza 2011?! Please Lord, Yes.

Rumors of 2011's Lollapalooza line-up probably started August 9, but I'm happy to report I'm in full support of this idea coming to fruition! According to THIS Consequence of Sound article, an article recently published in Kerrang! Magazine indicated the band was offered a headlining slot at next year's fest. No official word from Lollapalooza of course, and we probably won't hear for sure until April, but until then I'm going to pencil them in.

Dear Lollapalooza,

If this isn't real, now's your chance to make it real. Please do so.

With love,
Tracy

Lollapalooza 2010: I LOVED You :)

I had a GREAT time at Lollapalooza. It seems every year is so much better than the last. And while I wish Of Montreal could be there every year, I had a pretty great time without them. Here are some random comments and clips from my weekend.

Top 5 Shows:
1. Green Day - I was thoroughly impressed with Green Day's live show. It was entertaining, involved the fans at a level I've never seen before, and Billie Joe has an amazing voice live! You put all this with the fact that I was addicted to Nimrod for at least a year or two of my youth, and the fact that my brother was there, and it just couldn't be topped. GREAT time.

Here's a clip of "Basket Case"

At many points throughout the show, Green Day invited fans up on stage. One such instance was when he asked "who here knows all the words to this song?" as "Longview" was starting in the background. He grabbed a guy from the crowd who said he did, and BJ gave him the mic and the guy ran with it! He had a freakin' blast! Not only did he know all the words, but he screamed it out while running across the stage, totally living it up. At the end, BJ gave him the guitar he was playing. Here's a clip of that:

Click HERE to see "King for a Day" and HERE for "Holiday"

2. Arcade Fire - Arcade Fire was AMAZING. I had high expectations for their show, as I've heard nothing but great things about it AND I love their new album. Needless to say, I was NOT disappointed. Here's a clip of "Neighborhood #2." I have another video, but YouTube is giving me the business about it, so oh well.

3. Mumford & Sons - I really liked their album Sigh No More before I saw them, and since the show I've only grown to love it more. These guys make amazing music. They incorporate great harmonies, beautiful lyrics, and an energy that either makes you want to cry or dance. I absolutely LOVE them, and their performance was impressive. I WILL definitely go see them again. Here's a clip from "Roll Away Your Stone"

4. Foxy Shazam - I discovered these guys while researching music in Ohio, and I was immediately struck by their music. I have a thing for good rock and roll, especially rock and roll with a live show that just doesn't give a fuck. I heard that's what these guys were all about, and I totally missed their Beat Kitchen performance earlier this year. When the line-up was posted, these guys were one of the first "must sees" I noted. My God, am I glad I prioritized them. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. In a move that rarely happens, but thankfully it did a few times this year at Lolla, my high expectations were met and exceeded.

Their show is littered with random moments, including dramatic dialog, perverse dancing, and shit talking. At one point, Foxy asked the crowd for a cigarette. The stage was soon flooded with full cartons. He grabbed one, opened it and put all the cigarettes in his mouth. Asked next for a lighter, and again received dozens. He grabbed one, lit all the cigarettes, smoked them all in two massive drags, then turned them around and ATE them. With the crowd in a confusing state of shock, disgust and love, he then offered anyone there $20 if they could kill him after the show. Then they went right back into rock and roll, and I fell in love. I've pretty much had their self-titled album on repeat since. Here's a clip from "Wanna Be Angel," which should give you an idea of their show, but doesn't do the whole set justice.

5. Semi Precious Weapons - I've loved Semi Precious Weapons for a few years now for the same reason as Foxy Shazam = great rock and roll with an exceptional live show. I saw these guys for the first time for free on a Thursday at Cobra Lounge, and I've since followed them to Double Door, Bottom Lounge, Subterranean, the Metro, and even at Minneapolis' The Fine Line Music Cafe. I'm so happy that they played Lollapalooza this year! (which I'm sure is because I voted for them to play this year and not because they're touring with Lady Gaga) I didn't get a video of them here, but believe me when I tell you they were just as fabulous as ever. Lady Gaga even joined them on stage and stage-dived with Justin. Delicious.

Other acts that definitely deserve a mention:

• The Constellations -Their album Southern Gothic is pretty fun, definitely an eccentric rock vibe that's very danceable. Their live show was energetic and really entertaining. I definitely recommend checking them out HERE.
• Hot Chip - I saw the first handful of songs by Hot Chip, and luckily they were most of my favorites. It was awesome seeing them live. I'm a big fan of some of their stuff, and if The Black Keys weren't playing opposite of them, I definitely would have invested in a better spot and danced the whole set.
  
• The Black Keys - Did anyone even doubt that their set would be awesome? It was. I really enjoyed them, and I would love to see them again.
• Blitzen Trapper - I swear I've looked into these guys in the past, and didn't really find them to be anything exceptional. I really liked their live set though, so I'm dedicated to opening them back up. Let me know if you have any song/album recommendations I should start with.
  

Also, I saw Spoon, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Metric, Skybox, Royal Bangs, The Strokes, Lady Gaga, Hockey, Yeasayer, Frightened Rabbit, MGMT, and The Temper Trap. They were all enjoyable. :)

Hope you had a GREAT Lollapalooza!

Lollapalooza Research: Mavis Staples, American Bang, Jukebox the Ghost and Raphael Saadiq

Today I took a look at the 2pm time slot on Day 1, which consists of Mavis Staples, American Bang, Jukebox the Ghost and Raphael Saadiq. This proves to be a difficult decision, but not because I really like several of them, as I did in the previous post, but because I'm pretty indifferent about most of them. I think I figured it out, though.


The first act I checked out was Mavis Staples. Man, this woman has a voice. Not only does she sound great, but she has such emotion and attitude in her performance, there's no doubt I want to see this woman live. However, her live show seems like something I'd want to see in a smaller setting, sitting down with some red wine. In the Lollapalooza heat and crowd? Not so much. But, just because the setting seems off, doesn't mean I still may not love it. She made my list of one of two acts I'm going to stop by.

Mavis Staples
Playing Lolla on Day 1, Budweiser stage at 2:00pm

The next act I listened to was American Bang. I instinctively thought these would be the guys for me, since their name implies rock and roll, and I LOVE rock and roll. And they are rock and roll, but more Kings of Leon (eh) than Zeppelin or White Stripes or Black Keys (awesomeness). Seriously, if you're a Kings of Leon fan, click their pic below and listen to the first song on their MySpace, "Wild and Young." You'll love it. I like the second song posted better, but since they only give me two songs to sample, I'm not sold. This is the other act that made my list of shows to stop by.

American Bang
Playing Lolla on Day 1, Sony stage at 2:15pm

I've heard of Jukebox the Ghost plenty, but never ventured to their site and listened to their music. They create a very pop, upbeat, singer/songwriter sound, and it's enjoyable. It reminds me a bit of Ben Folds meets Eric Hutchinson. I like both of these folks, but nothing from JtG really got me excited. I think I'm going to sacrifice these happy tunes to see what Mavis and AB can do for me.

Jukebox the Ghost
Playing Lolla on Day 1, BMI stage at 1:45pm

Raphael Saadiq makes me want to snap my fingers. Another singer/songwriter, but definitely more reminiscent of Mayer Hawthorne and the Jackson 5. Upbeat grooves in songs with titles like "Love that Girl," "Staying in Love," and "Oh Girl." Again, it's enjoyable, but nothing that excites me. I'm sitting this one out too.

Raphael Saadiq
Playing Lolla on Day 1, Parkways stage at 2:00pm

So, the Day 1 trek looks like this so far: These United States --> Foxy Shazam --> The Constellations --> the end of Los Amigos Invisibles --> Mavis Staples --> American Bang. I have a feeling I'll be at Drive By Truckers after American Bang, but I haven't fully researched this so I can't be positive. I'll let you know soon.

Lollapalooza Research: Los Amigos Invisibles, The Ettes, The Constellations and Balkan Beat Box

As I continue researching my way through Day 1, I've checked out who I should see AFTER Foxy Shazam.

As you can see from below, I have many options. I can quickly rule out Wavves cause I don't like their music. And The Walkmen are out because they bothered me when they were at Pitchfork. Everyone knows The Walkmen's song "We've Been Had," which is likely what put them on Pitchfork and everyone else's radar, and yet they didn't play it during their set. I think it was a little too early for them to pull that artistic crap, and shove the rest of their album down our throats. I even liked some of their other songs, but come on. You can play your big hit? Sheesha.

This leaves my options as The Ettes, Balkan Beat Box, Los Amigos Invisibles and The Constellations.


I checked out the Ettes first, and they don't do anything for me. While I can concur with Lollapalooza's statement that you can hear some of The Gossip and The Black Keys within The Ettes, I don't really dig it. It reminds me of Matt & Kim and Sleigh Bells, and I don't really LOVE either of these bands. If you do, I suggest you check them out HERE. That narrows it down to three options for me.

The Ettes
Playing Lolla on Day 1, BMI state at 12:30pm

The next band I checked out was Los Amigos Invisibles. Despite my two semesters of Spanish one, I understand almost none of their songs, as they're all in Spanish. But, I do understand the awesomeness OF their songs. My initial thought was, "awesome, even if all the other bands suck, I can have a fun time dancing to these guys for an hour." I definitely encourage you to visit their MySpace and check them out.

Los Amigos Invisibles
Playing Lolla on Day 1, PlayStation state at 1:00pm

The next band I checked out was Balkan Beat Box. Yet another band I can dance to! My immediate thought was, "this is awesome, but now I don't know who to dance to, Los Amigos or these guys!?" While the Balkan Beat Box is more rap focused, they still use trumpets and trombones and saxes and provide the good times. Another thing to consider, is they're at the other end of the part from Foxy Shazam. I should note here, this distance does not scare me. I'll go back and forth all day long if I want to, so there! :) Definitely check these guys out by, as always, clicking their pic.

Balkan Beat Box
Playing Lolla on Day 1, Parkways stage at 12:15pm

Last but not least was The Constellations. Before I checked them out, I did consider if I even should. I mean, I'm already struggling to decide between Los Amigos and Balkan BB, do I need another contender? However, I'm glad I did! I mean, any band whose MySpace descriptors include Psychedelic / Ghettotech / Showtunes, I'm interested. I was pretty convinced with the first song that played on their MySpace, "Felicia," that these guys were also really freakin' awesome. Starts out with some hand claps and tambourines, then brings in a good bass line. It's like they wrote the song just for me. Even the vocals are that deep, somewhat hard to understand style I love. All this, AND they're also danceable! AND they post pictures like this on their MySpace.

Ok, these guys win.
The Constellations, if you're reading this, way to be awesome. Also, please email me, I'd like to bring you back to Chicago with Verona Red.

The Constellations
Playing Lolla on Day 1, Sony stage at 1:00pm

So, the Day 1 trek looks like this so far: These United States --> Foxy Shazam --> The Constellations --> the end of Los Amigos Invisibles. I would love to check out Balkan Beat Box between Foxy and Constellations, but there's only a 30 minute gap between the two and that would likely give me just enough time to walk there and back, so I'll use that time to apply sunscreen and such.

The next band I KNOW I want to see is Semi Precious Weapons at 4:15, so I there's plenty more research to come.

Lollapalooza Research: These United States

So, there are definitely several bands I KNOW I want to see at Lollapalooza this year, but there are certainly a lot of bands I don't know the slightest. I'm starting to check out all the bands in the gaps of my schedule to see where I should invest my time. Starting with day one, bright and early, I know for sure I want to see Foxy Shazam at noon, but who should I check out beforehand? I started my research with These United States.

These United States

Playing Lolla on Day 1, BMI stage at 11:15am

These United States are from Washington DC and Lexington, KY, and they provide an alt-country sound that's energetic and catchy. I like a lot of the songs on their MySpace, including some of the newer tracks like "One You Believe" and "Dug Him in the Dirt." These new tracks are off their latest release, What Lasts, out July 20, 2010. Click the band's pic to visit their MySpace and check them out. These guys are definitely a contender!