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The Long Ride
In the Summer of 2003, I began a journey that I wasnt quite sure I'd be able to fininsh in one piece. After hearing the lin... More
Even Mother Nature wanted to rock...
I'm not 100% positive but I'm pretty sure this was the opening day of the tour as it came back from hiatus... July 5, 2... More
I get to meet QOTSA?!?!?
The summer of 2003 was epic. I was newly single, sharing an old row house with a bunch of gnarly dudes, and making serious ba... More
vindication, and a moment of personal growth
one week before lollapalooza in milwaukee, my best friend dana and I had tickets to see the white stripes. that morning I woke up with the worst flu of my life, but my friend still showed up and literally dragged me off the couch for the show. after driving over a hour and a half, we arrived at the rave to see the show had been cancelled and we were crushed, not to mention, I was crushed anyway, my boyfriend had just broken up with me and it was my first heartbreak:(. anyways....one week later everything was made better when we attended lollapalooza and watched chris cornell and audioslave do a AMAZING cover of seven nation army. if fact, they did seven nation army way better than the white stripes anyway! but even better yet, I had always been the good girl with long blond hair, and after I had been dumped I needed a change, so while listening to jurassic five in the distance , and while my friend dana got a massage, I got a lollapalooza make-over, they dyed my long blond hair hot cherry red. I think that experience changed my life. I became the bad girl, and got alot of attention from men, who had never really paid alot of attention to me before that. and after the let down the week before we were completely vindicated, thanx perry and etty! and thanx audioslave! ps, me and dana still go every year! and now I have met the love of my life, and he'll be coming too!
Canadian Stuck at the Border
I know this contest is over and can't win since I'm in Canada but I'd like to share my story anyways. I've been to Lolla '92 in Vancouver, 2009 in Chicago, but this story is about Washington State in 2003. My husband and I drove from Edmonton, Alberta (about 14 hours) to pick up his brother in Vancouver and all go to the show. Only the border patrol had another idea in mind. Every single person who was going to the show was pulled into the office and given a hard time. There were at least a dozen of concert-goers there and we all tried to explain what Lollapolooza was to a bunch of old fogeys. We were in our thirties at the time and thought we looked pretty innocent and respectable but once we said rock n' roll they figured we were trouble! They took my jeep completely apart, pulled off panels, the whole thing and emptied my clothes onto the road. They grilled us all one by one until they finally decided to let us into America. I was not a happy camper. We missed most of the day but got to see a Perfect Circle, Audio Slave and Jane's Addiction. The trouble was well worth it. I still remember Audioslave's awesome rendition of 7 Nation Army. We landed up crashing in a crack motel - literally, but that's a story for another day.
vindication, and a moment of personal growth
one week before lollapalooza in milwaukee, my best friend dana and I had tickets to see the white stripes. that morning I woke up with the worst flu of my life, but my friend still showed up and literally dragged me off the couch for the show. after driving over a hour and a half, we arrived at the rave to see the show had been cancelled and we were crushed, not to mention, I was crushed anyway, my boyfriend had just broken up with me and it was my first heartbreak:(. anyways....one week later everything was made better when we attended lollapalooza and watched chris cornell and audioslave do a AMAZING cover of seven nation army. if fact, they did seven nation army way better than the white stripes anyway! but even better yet, I had always been the good girl with long blond hair, and after I had been dumped I needed a change, so while listening to jurassic five in the distance , and while my friend dana got a massage, I got a lollapalooza make-over, they dyed my long blond hair hot cherry red. I think that experience changed my life. I became the bad girl, and got alot of attention from men, who had never really paid alot of attention to me before that. and after the let down the week before we were completely vindicated, thanx perry and etty! and thanx audioslave! ps, me and dana still go every year! and now I have met the love of my life, and he'll be coming too!
All the Lost Souls
I often write poetry when I am at places that inspire creativity such as Lollapalooza. It is such a great positive environment at Lollapalooza and there are so many great performing artists I personally find it a great place to get inspired. Accordingly, I usually bring a small journal to such places in case a poem crosses my mind which I want to write down. I also like to write short stories so I also like to have my journal in case I get any short story ideas. For the 2003 show I got there early and was enjoying a beautiful day and jotting down some thoughts. I then observed this guy a bit further down also writing in a journal. I decided to walk up to him out of curiosity and ask him what he was writing. I introduced myself and told him I noticed he was writing in a journal so I asked him what he was working on. I then showed him my journal and explained how I like to bring it in case I want to jot down an idea. He told me he wrote reviews for the newspaper and was taking some notes. I then talked to him for a little while about the show and some of the musicians. At the end of the conversation I said you know what would be cool if you captured some aspect of our conversation in your review. He then asked me why I was bringing my journal to the concert. I answered him something to the effect; I am just another one of the lost souls here attending the concert looking to be inspired. He then told me okay I will use that Lost Souls comment in my article. With that I left him to do his work and thoroughly enjoyed a terrific concert. I particularly liked the performance by Jane’s Addiction. The next day I went out and bought the Chicago Tribune. I was pretty stoked when I saw he did in fact start his article with a phrase based in part on our conversation (i.e. the Lost Souls comment). I have attached a relevant excerpt from the 2003 article to this story. I still hold on to the article and plan on showing it to my kids someday. I haven’t looked at article since I saw this contest and it was pretty fun to reread the article and reflect again on what was truly a great concert. I still go to Lollapalooza every year and continue to bring my journal. I am really looking forward to the concert again this year.
A Call Comes (aka Life Is What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans)
After living and loving Lollapalooza ’91 through ’97 I was certainly excited for its return. Differences between the first festival years and ’03 included being married and having a kid. Concertgoing still remained a priority even as being an adult sometime sucks. My wife being away gave me single-parent latitude on making a plan for my wonderful 4-year-old: sleepover with a daycare buddy whose family we did not know too well, but felt okay with. The only issue was he was coughing somewhat. And he had a minor—a minor—fever. Assuming he’d rebound well and me being eager to enjoy the whole lineup, I take the day off of work (as I do each Lolla year), avoid Friday summer traffic. (Ask anyone in the D.C. area – traveling to Nissan Pavilion, even in the best of times, is truly a mess). I rock to The Distillers and The Donnas. A call comes. My son’s friend’s mother says she’s now too uncomfortable taking him because of his condition since they have a newborn and are worried about sickness. I try all sorts of rationalizations and pleadings (my dramatic pacing on the cellphone on the concessions concourse must’ve been quite amusing to onlookers) but to no avail. I had to come get my son. No way I could bring him to the pavilion; even though there’s a huge lawn, I gotta be upfront for Audioslave and Jane’s. And no friends/family nearby our place to help out. I finally get an okay from a friend and I’m glad arrangements could be made even though I’d have to leave the concert, miss a few bands (aaargh—miss Queens, Jurassic 5?!? AND A Perfect Circle, maybe even Audioslave!!?! Horrifying, but had to be done.) Did the thirty+ mile drive back to Washington and then back to the highway with my son. A call comes. An acquaintance whom I was helping with tickets for a big tennis tournament was having troubles at that will-call. I need to pull over—no cellphone use while driving! Two calls later, it’s an easy fix but time was being used up all while the missing the bands. Back on the road. A call comes. My friend, now-last-minute-babysitter, just had his house broken into--stuff like expensive jewelry was missing. Police activity. Frantic upset wife. Scared daughter. “I’m afraid I have to say no to babysitting.” “No!” “You know I wouldn’t say no if I didn’t have to. Sorry, man. It just wasn’t meant to be.” Since I was in shooting distance of his house and, therefore, within a halfhour of the concert, I drove right up to his door and subtly pleaded, even with the emotional appeal “Your daughter may need to have another little one around while she processes all that’s happened….. and it’ll give you and your wife a break while you’re dealing with everything…blah blah blah” Yes! Back to the highway and the concert site. I don’t remember the hoops I went through to get an out/in pass from the usually-harsh gatekeepers at the site but I was back in, just in time for Audioslave and my beloved JA. Plus…I got to see the club show of A Perfect Circle the next night at the 930 Club in Washington!
2003
LOLLAPALOOZA RETURNS BACK TO ITS ROCK ROOTS
Following a five-year hiatus, organizers and promoters brought Lollapalooza back to life for a daring return-to-form. Having learned a few hard lessons from 1997's over-reliance on electronica-heavy headliners, Lolla swung back hard to good old rock and roll, roping in mainstream progressive and hard rock acts like Audioslave, Incubus, A Perfect Circle and Queens of the Stone Age. The icing on the cake: Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell’s band Jane’s Addiction reunited again for Lollapalooza’s 2003 reboot. Headliners Jurassic 5 held down things on the hip-hop end.
Lollapalooza's new, improved midway amplified the festival experience, with video game competitions, interactive wireless kiosks, exotic foods and art. In an attempt to recapture the social responsibility and freewheeling ways that made its debut successful, the festival’s World of Just (Be)Causes featured local and national nonprofits addressing a range of social issues, with a marked focus on alternative energies, one of festival founder Farrell’s pet interests.
Festival highlight
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE ♥ THE DISTILLERS
No stranger to scandal, Lolla got some big buzz when Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and The Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle made out at Rolling Stone photo shoot, putting the nail in the coffin of Dalle’s marriage to Rancid guitarist Tim Armstrong.
Culturally Speaking
- MySpace prototype launches.
- The O.C. airs.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of California.
- Clay Aiken finishes second on American Idol.
- Chappelle's Show premieres on Comedy Central.
- Paris Hilton debuts in 1 Night in Paris.
- Roy is attacked by a tiger during Siegfried & Roy's Las Vegas show.
tour stops + dates
- 07/05/2003 – Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
- 07/08/2003 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS
- 07/09/2003 – UMB Bank Pavilion, Maryland Heights, MO
- 07/11/2003 – Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI
- 07/12/2003 – Tweeter Center, Tinley Park, IL
- 07/13/2003 – Germain Amphitheater, Columbus, OH
- 07/16/2003 – Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
- 07/18/2003 – DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
- 07/19/2003 – Post Gazette Pavilion At Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
- 07/20/2003 – Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
- 07/23/2003 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
- 07/25/2003 – Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, MA
- 07/27/2003 – Tweeter Center At the Waterfront, Camden, NJ
- 07/30/2003 – Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY
- 08/01/2003 – Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA
- 08/03/2003 – Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GA
- 08/05/2003 – Sound Advice Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL
- 08/08/2003 – Smirnoff Music Centre, Dallas, TX
- 08/09/2003 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Selma, TX
- 08/10/2003 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX
- 08/12/2003 – Journal Pavilion, Albuquerque, NM
- 08/13/2003 – Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village, CO
- 08/15/2003 – Cricket Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ
- 08/16/2003 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA
- 08/17/2003 – Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
- 08/19/2003 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
- 08/21/2003 – USANA Amphitheatre, Salt Lake City, UT
- 08/23/2003 – White River Amphitheatre, Auburn WA
- 08/24/2003 – Columbia Meadows, St. Helens, OR
