Another year in the books. This was my 3rd trip to Grant Park for the annual music festival. Right now, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on how the festival works. To be honest, I was not as impressed with the lineup this year. There was not a headliner I was dying to see, and I was a little underwhelmed by the list of hip-hop acts performing. While I like some of his music, Snoop Dogg barely counts. Anyway, this did not stop me from wanting to make the most of the festival. In years past, I have learned of groups that ended up becoming favorites (e.g. TV on the Radio, Mark Ronson, MGMT). I figured this would be a great year to check out bands that were unknown to me.

Before diving into the weekend, I was VERY surprised that Lolla sold out. It makes me a wonder a couple things. What kind of person goes to a music festival? I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about music, so it makes for a great weekend for me. I think, though, I am in the minority. The headliners were not as big as last year, so I can only imagine the majority of the crowd were people looking to party for an entire weekend and socialize. I guess that is great for the promoters of this festival, but I just find it strange. Why drop $200 on a weekend pass and then countless more on food and drinks for music that you might or might not care about? I don’t know. In the end, maybe that is what makes the weekend interesting…

Anyway…the music. My wife and I started out the weekend listening to Hey Champ while eating lunch. I read they are Chicago boys and were touring with Lupe Fiasco last year. Definitely enjoyable. I wish we had heard more of their set. Then, we went back to back with two of our current favorites, The Knux and The Gaslight Anthem. The Knux were about what I expected. They have a lot of hook driven songs on their album, so they definitely used that as a strength when performing. The Gaslight Anthem were more enjoyable than I would have thought. The lead singer, Brian Fallon, definitely seemed to enjoy the attention. I don’t normally see people smile while singing. It just doesn’t make sense. I like their music because they have a definite spin on the normal four piece sound. They get  a lot of comparisons to Bruce Springsteen and I think the similarities are warranted. I’m looking forward to see where they go in the future. Then, we checked out a little of Hollywood Holt’s set at the DJ tent and Ben Folds. Hollywood Holt was about as hype as I’ve seen anyone at one of these festivals. I think he wanted to make a definite impression on the crowd. With the rain and the late night we expected, we decided to head home. Although, I am kicking myself because Janelle Monae played a couple songs with Of Montreal. It has been a year…I have yet to see her perform anything live…

That evening, my wife and I went to see TV on the Radio at the Double Door. THAT was a show. You don’t often get to see a band like that in a venue the size of a bar. Even though it was not a Lollapalooza event, it was the highlight of the weekend. We were probably about 5 people back from the stage and they just killed. It was just amazing. The sound at the Double Door is also amazing. We sweated like we were on a 10 mile run. Speaking of after-shows, I was really surprised at how many after-shows were happening this year. I feel like in years past they have been relatively sparse. It seemed like half the bands were part of an after-show this year. If you don’t go to Lolla, it seems like you could make a good weekend out of just going to the after-shows.

Saturday began a little later. I wanted to see Atmosphere. I’m surprised I had not gotten into his music earlier. They have been around for a while. He did a good job with the large crowd. It is funny that he had the crowd going even though so many of his songs are…well…depressing. It is an interesting place for a hip-hop group to place their music. Took a break before hitting three shows in a row. First, it was two Mills favorites…Santigold and TV on the Radio. We had already seen them more than once this summer, but we were not about to miss them again. I’m glad Santigold announced she is about ready to make some new music. She basically plays her whole album in concert along with some guest star spots. I want some new music from her! TV on the Radio was obviously different this time around since we were further away, but I’m not going to complain. Then, we checked out Diplo who put on a very nice DJ set. I think the DJ tent is going to be an even bigger part of the festival next year. It tends to wrangle in a bunch of people who just want to dance. We checked out some of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Bassnectar before calling it a night.

Sunday was the day to just check some things out. I started the day with two groups I enjoyed thoroughly…Friendly Fires and Bat for Lashses. They made enough of an impression that I decided to check out their albums. Then, I saw a couple groups that just did not do it for me..Cage the Elephant and Gang Gang Dance. Not a problem…one of the great things about Lolla. Then, I saw a smattering of groups to finish out the day. Listened to some of Passion Pit and Vampire Weekend. Out of pure curiosity, I wanted to see Snoop Dogg. It is amazing that a guy who has so many hits and songs has to bring the Lady of Rage on stage to perform Afro Puffs. While I definitely like some of his music, I’d like to see Lolla go after hip-hop acts that are going to put on a better show. Seriously, Wale was not available. And as I mentioned, they couldn’t Janelle Monae. I would have even preferred to see someone like Lil Wayne. Okay, now I’m just complaining for no reason. Then, we heard a little of The Cold War Kids and then finished the night with The Killers. The Killers sounded very good live. I was a little surprised.

Well, I’m not sure if I will be there next year, but it will always be on my radar every summer as long as it comes to Chicago…