Post date: Aug 12, 2011 5:19:0 PM
(★★★★ out of ★★★★★)
The weather for Day 2 of Lollapalooza was a little less pleasant than Day 1. It had rained the previous night, which turned much of Grant Park into a swampy, humid (upper 80% humidity), mess. But since I was enjoying good music with 95,000 other people in the great city of Chicago, the less than ideal weather was a fairly small complaint.
The Chain Gang of 1974 (★★ and a half out of ★★★★★) – The first act I saw for Day 2 of Lollapalooza was The Chain Gang of 1974 (rock). It actually wasn’t my first intention to watch this band, as I was initially heading over to the Bud Light Stage to watch Death From Above 1979. However, upon hearing the screaming (I think some consider it singing?) coming from their stage, I decided to take a little detour. I only caught the tail end of The Chain Gang of 1974’s set, but I did enjoy my short time there, even if it wasn’t that memorable.
The Drums (★★ and a half out of ★★★★★) – The next band I saw, The Drums (rock), also falls into the forgettable category. Not much else to say here.
Local Natives (★★ out of ★★★★★) – This band was highly recommended to me by my good friend, Justin, who was in town visiting for Lollapalooza (and to see me and Hannah, of course!). While their music wasn’t bad, it was pretty boring. Justin also happens to be a fan of Grizzly Bear (a band I also consider pretty boring, although I do like this song), which is the band the Local Natives reminded me the most of. While their music may not have appealed to my tastes, the lead singer did have a kickass moustache, which was fairly entertaining.
The Glitch Mob (★★★★ out of ★★★★★) – While I know I said Ratatat might have been my favorite performance from a band I wasn’t previously aware of going into Lollapalooza, I think that distinction actually belongs to The Glitch Mob. They had an awesome light show and the music (electronic/glitch music) was fun and energetic.
Atmosphere (★★★ out of ★★★★★) – I only caught the last couple of songs from this set, but it was pretty cool (rap).
Pretty Lights (★★★★ out of ★★★★★) – As always, Pretty Lights put on a highly entertaining set of good music (electronic) and a PHENOMENAL light show (are you surprised?).
Eminem (★★ out of ★★★★★) – I was kind of disappointed by Eminem’s show, honestly (despite being a fan of his early stuff). Of course, I should probably say that I am usually letdown by live rap performances. For whatever reason, they just aren’t that entertaining to me. I think my general dissatisfaction with rap concerts actually stems from the fact that, in their essence, they pretty much equate to watching a person talk really fast.
After Lollapalooza, my group met up with one of my graduate student friends and his crew. We decided to walk to Navy Pier, which, if you weren't aware, is a pretty long walk.
Harry Caray's Tavern - Navy Pier (★★★ out of ★★★★★) – Once we arrived at Navy Pier, we stopped into Harry Caray's (do you know who that is? because you should) for a drink. The place had a nice atmosphere and was, obviously, in a great location. Good time.