Post date: Aug 12, 2011 8:51:16 PM
(★★★★ out of ★★★★★)
As is typically the case with experiences in bad weather (see West Virginia vs. Auburn, 2009), Day 3 of Lollapalooza will probably end up being my most memorable day of the festival due, in large part, to the unruly elements. Just like the day before, it was nice and humid when we first arrived, with the only difference being that it was even warmer (mid to upper 80s); however, the real treat had yet to come.
The Cars (★★★★ out of ★★★★★) – The first act I saw on Day 3 was the old new wave band The Cars. I’ve always been a fan of The Cars (proof: I downloaded their self-titled album to play on Rock Band), so I was looking forward to hearing this legendary group perform some of their classics. I was definitely not disappointed. The band was energetic and on point, mixing classic tracks like “Good Times Roll” and “My Best Friend’s Girl” with tracks off their new album. I was particularly impressed with how crunchy (crunchy, being used to describe the distortion, which is definitely not a negative thing) their sound was at certain points during the set.
Flogging Molly (★★★ out of ★★★★★) – After watching The Cars, I went to catch the last few songs by the Flogging Molly (Celtic punk). This band is great. If you can listen to them without getting the urge to fight a drunken Irishman, then you should probably loosen up.
Cage the Elephant (★★ out of ★★★★★) – Part of the reason I had ventured over to catch the ending of the Flogging Molly set was because their stage was right next to the PlayStation Stage where Cage the Elephant would be playing next. Unfortunately, the stage ended up making the experience pretty negative. It was ridiculously crowded, even in the back, and those who were far from the stage were incapable of actually seeing the band because the stage was located at the bottom of fairly deep decline. To top it all off, the sound was not nearly loud enough, which made it difficult to even hear the band. Needless to say, I ended up bouncing out of there within a few songs. My review more reflects the venue and not the actual band, who I probably would have enjoyed.
Arctic Monkeys (★★★★ out of ★★★★★) – After leaving the disappointing set at the PlayStation Stage, I headed over to catch the Arctic Monkeys, a band that used to be one of my favorites in previous years. It was at this point that Mother Nature decided to make things a little more interesting. While I was still at the Cage the Elephant show, some rather ominous looking clouds had started rolling in, but, despite their appearance, had only brought with them a rather welcome cool breeze (it had to have been at least 15 degrees cooler than the air temperature). After leaving Cage the Elephant, and at about the time that I first caught sight of the Music Unlimited Stage (where the Arctic Monkeys would be playing), it started to rain. While it wasn’t a particularly hard rain, it definitely wasn’t light either. “Eh, big deal,” I thought to myself as I kept trucking ahead (If only I had known what was coming my way! ). As I continued walking, I passed by the Sony Stage where Portugal. The Man was playing a cover of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis. It was a memorable moment, with everyone in the large crowd singing in unison as the rain came steadily down. By the time I had reached the Music Unlimited Stage, roadies were busy covering the instruments to prevent water damage. The large screens that usually broadcast footage of the stage instead read, “Weather Delay”. It was at this point that the floodgates opened. I kid you not, it was raining sideways, and it continued to do so for a solid half an hour. As if being cold and wet wasn’t bad enough, the field near the Music Unlimited Stage was a soupy, muddy, mess that smelled like (and I'm not exaggerating) shit. Finally, after the deluge had lightened up a bit, the Arctic Monkeys took the stage, and their performance quickly made everyone forget about their shivers and the stench.
Deadmau5 (★★ and a half out of ★★★★★) – After watching the Arctic Monkeys, I went to grab a bite to eat and hang out with my crew until Deadmau5 (one of the headliners for the last night) was about to start. We started our journey to the Bud Light Stage at approximately 8:10 P.M. and arrived to our spot at around 8:15 P.M. (Deadmau5 was set to begin at 8:30 P.M.). It was at this point that Mother Nature, with her impeccable timing, decided to make sure that all those crazy kids got the party started right by bringing the rain. Rather than delay his set, Deadmau5 decided to embrace the moment and started early. While the crowd was energetic and the stage effects were cool, I became rather bored with Deadmau5's music fairly quickly. Hannah had mentioned that she wanted to see Kid Cudi, so we snuck out of Deadmau5 early to catch the remainder of the Kid Cudi set.
Kid Cudi (★★ out of ★★★★★) – I pretty much had the same opinion about Kid Cudi’s set as I did about Eminem’s. I’m just not a fan of seeing rappers live.