Lollapalooza 2010: Reviews from Day 3
Video by Kevin Pang
Lollapalooza is a wrap, setting a new attendance record of 240,000 for the three-day festival, up 15,000 from the peak set in 2008 and ‘09.
Here’s an excerpt from my Monday story for the print edition that summarizes my concerns about the record-busting weekend:
Size matters at Lollapalooza, as the festival expanded its reach westward by shutting down Columbus Avenue and spreading eight stages across 115 acres, up from 80 acres in previous years. Columbus Drive was converted into a giant sidewalk lined with portable toilets, a simple but effective improvement that allowed fans to avoid the dreaded Buckingham Fountain bottleneck that had turned previous festivals into human traffic jams. The festival topped its previous three-day record of 225,000, reached the last two years.As for the music, here’s how Day 3 went down Sunday, with reports from me (GK) and my indefatigable colleagues Bob Gendron (BG) and Andy Downing (AD).
Still, there was little room during some performances at the northernmost stages on Butler Field, where fans jostled shoulder-to-shoulder for space to see performances by Metric, Phoenix and Arcade Fire. Note to Austin, Texas-based promoters C3 Presents: How about widening the southern entrance to Butler Field or moving one of the stages onto Columbus Drive to relieve what is becoming an annual problem? It's only going to get worse if the festival approaches its new capacity of 95,000 a day in future years.
11:20 a.m.
Chicago DJ Dani Deahl begins her early set on Lollapalooza's final day under gray skies and a steady stream of raindrops. Flanked by a quartet of dancers that pop-and-lock like extras from Madonna's “Vogue” video, Deahl mixes glammed-up disco grooves with harder rock beats (dig that ominous, reverb-soaked bass line), but has a hard time rousing the couple dozen early arrivers that mill about the stage. Surrounded by partially-deflated beach balls, the soggy attendees — some wearing wide-brimmed sombreros — stand around glumly as though their afternoon beach party has just been canceled. (AD)
View more Lollapalooza 2010 pictures.
11:35 a.m.Health guitarist-vocalist Jake Duzsik throws his instrument down on the stage floor. The action isn't out of frustration. Rather, it's part of the Los Angeles quartet's sonic terrorism that, along with the steady rain and wind, gets Day Three off to a ruckus start. There's no way to tell if the noise rock band (above) makes any mistakes. Borrowing from the Japanese no-wave tradition, songs aren't concerned with form. Function — namely, using various gadgets, hot-rodded computer keyboards and tribal percussion to stir up a frenzy — is key. Indecipherable vocals, phased effects, repetitive electronic loops and programmed synths that mimic shorting-out fuses contribute to the danceable commotion. One wonders what E.T. would've done had the alien heard the group's version of Speak and Spell transmissions. In the process of bridging abrasive disco to hyperactive punk, Health aptly reminds everyone about the importance of treating attention-deficit disorders. (BG)