Lollapalooza Music Festival Chicago [Event Review]

For Chicago’s EDM fans wanting to catch the biggest touring artists of the summer, three days of Lollapalooza was a non-negotiable event on the social calendar. In addition to a strong lineup, this year’s festival promised an experience different from past years. Given the success of Spring Awakening, Lollapalooza expanded the electronic home base known as Perry’s Tent into Perry’s stage. The setup eliminated the traditional tent and its club-like atmosphere, and instead featured an open-air stage (a circular centerpiece flanked by two side screens) and two rounded screens planted mid-field.

Without the spatial constraints and sweltering temperatures imposed by the tent, the electronic area of Lolla 2012 was entirely different from 2011. The increased capacity at Perry’s drew a crowd with a wide spectrum of musical tastes: part EDM fanatic, part curious newcomer, but overall very rowdy. At times, the mix was optimal, and at times it hindered promising performances from attaining festival nirvana. So for those who didn’t witness the staggering heat of Friday, the torrential downpour of Saturday, or the Lolla edition of Sunday Funday, here’s what you missed.

Best City Tribute

German nineteen-year-olds Sebastian Theissen and Tino Hannes, who work together under the name Young Bloods, earned the privilege of christening Perry’s stage by winning the Lollapalooza Remix Throwdown competition. A surprisingly sizeable crowd showed up in full form for the noon time slot as the YoungBloods gave them a set that could hardly be considered a warm-up.

They played some of the hottest House tracks like Matisse & Sadko’s ‘Unity’ remix, Alesso’s ‘Years,’ and Dirty South’s ‘The Wave’ remix. Just as their 45 minutes ended, the boys unleashed one of their thumping original productions. The track which is rumored to be titled ‘Chicago‘ in homage to the city that welcomed them to their first big festival. It features a winding melody with a Dirty Dutch flair, and it got every dancer psyched and sweaty.

Favorite Mash-Up

Even after White Panda’s 45-minutes of crowd-pleasing and clever mash-ups (including ‘Calling’ vs. ‘Somebody That I Used to Know,’) my ears perked up when Zedd took to the decks and dropped ‘Cinema’ vs. ‘Slam the Door.’ The German was literally breakin’ a sweat as he delivered what I think was the peak of Friday’s performances.

Worst Crowd

In an unfortunate turn of events, a battalion of bros infiltrated Perry’s for Porter Robinson’s set early Friday evening. This statement is coming from a girl’s perspective: Robinson rattled the south end of Grant Park, but the extreme lack of ladies and sub-par enthusiasm from the guys threw me into a spiral of confusion. How could the music be so right, and the atmosphere be so wrong?! Most people seemed more concerned with finding their friend groups than soaking up the music. Post-Robinson sets from Nero and Bassnectar also, in my opinion, fell victim to the lackluster crowd.

Best Relief

Even after a hot day full of solid performers, the most devoted fans made it to the MID (nightclub), including a group of friends from New York and Washington, D.C. wearing custom-made “Keep Calm and Madeon” t-shirts. It followed that there was zero ‘CALM’ and plenty of Madeon. The die-hard 21+ fans clearly appreciated Madeon and Porter Robinson for their prodigal talent at the after party. In the club’s more intimate setting, Madeon’s live performance of Pop Culture on a Novation Launchpad was truly inspirational and impressive. Porter Robinson brought the club up to sweltering temperatures, but the beats made it hard to leave.

Biggest Comeback (in my book)

When I first saw him perform in March, Calvin Harris’ set at the Congress Theater fell short. Neither his songs nor his stage persona (if he had one?) thrilled me. However, his performance at Lolla ’12 felt perfectly placed. The crowd ate it up, and in my opinion, Harris’ live performance was renewed.

Longest Set-to-Set Sprint

The fifteen-minute power walk across the entire Lolla footprint from Perry’s to Bud Light stage was intense. Festival organizers clearly anticipated a warm reception for Avicii, placing him on the Bud Light stage and thus granting him the distinction of being one of only two EDM artists to play outside of Perry’s (the other being Justice). Avicii’s time slot conflicted with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which proved to be a challenge. His audience was smaller than I had expected, but I enjoyed every moment spent dancing in the muddy pit caused by the afternoon’s showstopping (literally) storm.

Best Throwback

Avicii capping off his Saturday night set with his club mix of Robyn’s ‘Hang With Me’. For those familiar with the Swede’s earlier work, it definitely brought back memories of those good days. For those not as familiar, it was new ear candy. Let’s face it, Avicii has been taking the same tunes around the country on his current arena tour: ‘Nicktim,’ ‘Spectrum’ vs. ‘Sunshine,’ ‘Levels’ vs. ‘Somebody That I Used To Know.’ They’re great records, but fans like variety. The inclusion of this older remix was refreshing and reminded me that I wasn’t listening to his set from EDC, Tomorrowland, or Ultra.

Biggest Build-up

Kaskade’s set was a treat for the Lolla-goers who were hungry for some House music on Sunday night. After a day full of dubstep at Perry’s, including Doctor P and Zed’s Dead, Ryan Raddon brought the crowd’s excitement to another level with his command over melody, floating vocals, and pumping beats (particularly from Swanky Tunes and Tommy Trash). I had listened to the YouTube video of Dada Life’s ‘Llove‘ remix for days on end, but Kaskade’s set was the first time I heard it live – and it came to life in a major way. His stellar set was enhanced by visuals portraying the skyline of Chicago melting, twisting, and swirling. The DJ reflected on his days spent skating in Grant Park in a heartfelt announcement, and suddenly the communal love for the city of Chicago became palpable. I’d been waiting all weekend to feel some sense of unity in this crowd, and Kaskade finally brought it.

Biggest Buzzkill

After sealing his set with the summer anthem that is Pryda’s ‘Allein,’ Kaskade took a bow. He then silenced the “one more song” chants with Swanky Tunes’ ‘Sending my Love.’ With that unique, full-throttle energy that magically appears at the end of a festival weekend, the crowd exploded once more… until organizers pulled the plug mid-song, at 10 PM on the dot.

Festival choices are bountiful in the US right now, but I highly suggest checking out Lollapalooza, especially if you haven’t gone before. Chicago’s backdrop is unparalleled, Grant Park is beautifully maintained, and Lolla knows how to keep customers happy with free water refills and respectable emergency management.

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