Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Photos by Bracken Mayo

Lollapalooza once again drew world-class talent and thousands of music fans to downtown Chicago for a weekend in August in what may have been the most colorful popular music festival ever, at least when examining the band names.

RED Hot Chili Peppers, BLACK Sabbath, Jack WHITE and the BLACK Keys (and The White Panda, The Black Angels, Purple Apple, Yellow Ostrich, Milo Greene, Neon Indian, JJ Grey, White Rabbits, Red Oblivion, Kid Color and The Big Pink; we can’t help but notice a theme) joined a ton of other great artists such as Sigur Ros, At the Drive-In, Alabama Shakes and Middle Tennessee’s own Moon Taxi and JEFF the Brotherhood.

The Chili Peppers sprinkled in a few new tunes from its latest I’m With You record among old favorites like “Under the Bridge”, “Give it Away” and “Suck My Kiss”, as they did at Middle Tennessee’s Bonnaroo this year. And likewise, vocalist, Anthony Kedis, let famed bassman Flea take charge of inter-song banter with the crowd.

“We’re on the verge of something beautiful,” the shirtless slapmaster said in Chicago.

The set was delayed a bit after Grant Park’s evacuation earlier in the day during storms, but the fans were excited to see and hear the sounds of the Chili Peppers.

“Be nice,” Flea told the slightly muddy and exhausted crowd. “Support live music; music is all we have.”

While Lolla has some similarities to camping festivals, there are also some stark differences in experience and atmosphere.

The event shares many acts and fans with Bonnaroo, but unlike the annual Tennessee music festival in the neighboring county to our southeast, Lollapalooza is an urban affair, a massive music festival smack in the middle of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the Western Hemisphere—Chicago.

JEFF the Brotherhood

Also, in contrast to the ‘Roo, there are no wild raves or jam sessions spanning ’til the sun is peeking up in the morning. The music fans in Grant Park on the shores of Lake Michigan are asked to vacate the premises around 10 p.m. each night. This can necessitate the rental of a hotel room, and staying in downtown Chicago when 100,000 other music fans have the same need can add a substantial amount to the total festival cost (at Bonnaroo, we are invited to pitch a tent right on the festival grounds and stay for the weekend).

In coordination with the core Lollapalooza festivities, though, plenty of other shows occur after-hours in many of Chicago’s indoor venues, with an additional ticket required. Jane’s Addiction and many of the bands performing during the regular festival participated in these affiliated after-parties.

These nightclubs and the middle-of-the-city setting can make Lollapalooza not quite such an escape from the “real world” as a camping event, and this can be seen as a positive for some, a drawback for others. As soon as the music is over for the day and the people are herded back into the portion of the city not reserved for the festival activities, the sights, sounds and smells of the Windy City are unavoidable—the “regular people” (non-concert attending) local residents, street vendors, elevated trains, horns honking and skyscrapers present on Chicago’s streets all year long.

Bonnaroo is more of a secluded other-world that pops up for a single weekend out of the year then disappears leaving only a 700-acre piece of pasture until the next year’s event. Those attending Bonnaroo may not see anyone other than those specifically there for the festival the entire weekend.

At any rate, both events offer excellent music and great company and people-watching.

Black Sabbath

At the Drive-In made a rare appearance at Lollapalooza after a decade-long hiatus. Frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s constant ramblings on subjects from chanclas to John Madden to Latin Danzig to Quiet Storm provoked a “I don’t know what this guy is on, nor have I heard the name At the Drive-In in my past 10 years of music listening, but these guys are incredible” respond some in the crowd.

Sigur Ros brought its full brass and string sections for a well-received performance Spin called “The Worst Placement of A Nighttime Band in the Day.” The EDM style was alive and well, and Ozzy looked very happy and energetic reuniting with his Black Sabbath brethren on Friday evening.

Lollapalooza, founded by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell in 1991, is now a worldwide brand, also staging festivals in Israel, Chili and Brazil.

For more information, videos from 2012 and years past and updates on next year’s event, visit lollapalooza.com.

Moon Taxi