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Why I will never forget my 3 days at Lolla 2011
On the third day of Lolla 2011, we brought 3 of my friends kids with us- Maddox, Maddie, and Nathan! My ticket was a gift from... More
3 Days / 3 Beards, Beardapalooza 2011!!!
DAY 1: FULL BEARD (nice and fluffy too) After months of growth and training, my face friend and I set off for the first day of... More
I turned 20 years old, and so did Lollapalooza.
I came to the United States in 2010 as an international college student. Last year was quite groundbreaking to me. I turned... More
My Love Affair With Lollapalooza 2011
This trip all began with music. In the midst of it all, it included encounters with new friends and new memories that will last... More
...and I will try to fix you.
Well, this story starts off in 2010. I went to my first Lollapalooza and the second I got in I went to straight to the loudest stage I heard. Thankfully, the closest stage to the entrance was Perry's. I walked in the beginning of Nervo's amazing set. I instantly felt the energy, the vibe, the feeling of belonging. Yet, I didn't know a single person there because I went by myself. There hasn't been many times in my life that I've felt like I belong. I've always been somewhat of an outsider. It was during the night of that day when life for me made sense. I was waiting to see digitalism play while I couldn't help but to notice how beautiful the Chicago skyline looked. Suddenly, digitalism takes the stage the lights start flashing in my eyes and there was the most beautiful sight I have ever laid eyes upon. The crowd full of energy and anticipation, the stage with all the amazing visuals and lighting, but the thing that took it over the top was the skyline in the background. I've lived in the Chicago almost all of my life. I saw Jordan unveil one of the several trophies here at grant park, I've sat here for hours thinking about my life and the decision I've made, who knows how many times I've walked from North Avenue Beach to Grant Park with my family and friends. My entire world is here Chicago. I grew up here. That was the most amazing moment until Lollapalooza struck my heart once more. I knew I couldn't miss Lollapalooza the next year so I bought my three day pass took off of work and was set to have the best weekend of my life. Little did I know I would find out who I was as a person. Every day of Lollapalooza 2011 I was front row. I was having the time of my life watching all my favorite dj's and musicians play. I got that feeling of belonging all over again. I felt the energy in my heart, in my head, and in my soul. This time around.....Lollapalooza had something else to teach me. I couldn't explain how happy I was to be able to see Coldplay. I cried during what I believe to be the most beautiful tribute in the entire world that anybody has done. The moment Chris Martin sang a piece of Amy Winehouse's Rehab as an intro to Fix You. The song Fix You has very significant meaning to me. It has brought me up when I was down. It explained situations in my life. I think the most important thing that it did was make me understand that Chicago is my home. As soon as I heard Coldplay start playing the song I knew that I was meant to be here. That somehow and someway out of all the people in the world I was meant to be at Lollapalooza at that very moment. I felt a feeling of happiness I never felt before. I started walking out of the crowd while they were playing Fix You. I realized that my life was meant to tie in with every person at Lollapalooza. I wanted to walk around Chicago for a little before the huge crowd came out and took over the streets. In the middle of this revelation about my life the song came to an end just before I couldn't see the stage anymore. I was on my way out to admire the beautiful city of Chicago but it seems as if I was meant to hear every piece of that song. Almost as if the stars aligned to let me know that life is so precious. I didnt't think I would ever be able to honestly explain to anyone how I felt. For a while after the festival I was a bit sad that I didn't get to share this feeling with anyone else but I didn't realize that I was with thousands of people. I shared that moment with every person there and I know that they would understand if I told them. I shared the most precious moment of my life with all the people at Lollapalooza. I'll never forget that moment in my life. It's something I'll take with me to the grave. One of the things that amazes me the most is the energy that was there. Energy cannot be created or destroyed......all that energy there was what the people were giving to eachother. Thank you Lollapalooza but mostly the people of Lollapalooza for showing me what life really means. (The picture is a collage I made from tall the pictures I found that I was in and the video is Lollapalooza's recap of Pretty Lights. I'm in it at 13 seconds and 33 seconds saying "It's something you have to be a part of. You have to live it.")
Gwyneth Paltrow is one lucky girl
I am a junior at the University of San Diego and had the best weekend of my life at Lollapalooza in 2011. My friends and I decided that we needed a reunion last summer before all going abroad in the fall. The ten of us are from ten different states so we decided on Lollapalooza as the perfect place to have an epic weekend. Finally the weekend arrived and we flew in from Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Arizona, California, Colorado and so on. We were so excited to be together but quickly all split up and got lost in the Lolla mayhem. No one had cell service so we were worried we would not be able to meet up. At night we all came from every different stage and accidentally all found each other for Coldplay. It was amazing to randomly run into each other and stake out a perfect spot at the front of the stage. It was such a metaphor for how we randomly found each other at school and randomly came together this summer. Coldplay was the best night of my life and I don't think even my wedding day will top the encore of "Every tear drop is a waterfall". At the end of the night when we were making our way to Miller's Pub all together my best friend Scott announced to the group, "Gwyneth Paltrow is one lucky girl." WINNING THIS CONTEST WOULD BE THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT IN THE WORLD! I LOVE LOLLA AND CHICAGO MORE THAN ANYTHING!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Attached is a group photo!!!!
Chicago Homegirl Goes To Lolla For First Time Where Her Life Changed For the Better! :)
A little background about me before I attended the most ridiculous adventures euphoric time of my life. Born and raised in Chicago and always was small venue girl but in 2011I attended Lollapalooza for the first time.I did not know what I was getting myself into but was really excited to see what would come. Money is a problem for most of us these days. So getting into the music extravaganza was not so much of a problem just required some work. I stumbled upon the volunteer page and decided to sign up. I happened to apply late but desperately wanted to go. COME ON! DID YOU SEE THAT LINEUP?! There was no way being late was going to stop me. I signed up and then emailed the head honcho of the volunteers. I surprisingly got a response saying there was an opening for two days handing out the maps. I of COURSE jumped onto the opportunity. Sunday was the only day that I still had to work out. I was a intern at a fashion magazine at the time being their photographer. They have never covered a music event before. DING! I emailed my editor proposing the idea of covering the fashion at music events a.k.a. LOLLAPALOOZA! They emailed back saying HELL YES! but not in those exact words... haha.They said that Sunday would be the day I will be working. THE PUZZLE FIT MANNN! Everything fell into place and couldn't worked out more perfect. Working as a volunteer at Lollapalooza might seem like a drag to others but it was not that at ALL! Meeting the most amazing, ridiculous, fun, loving people walking in and out of the gates. Once done with duties I was set free to go enjoy Chicago's most loving music gathering of it's time. I actually spent most of the weekend by myself since my phone was just not being nice to me. It would lose it's charge within an hour so communication was not really in my reach BUT that did not matter at ALL! I ended up meeting amazing people that I still keep in contact with today while traveling from stages to stages, playing in the mud to Cold War Kids, laying in the grass with the sun beaming down with Mountain Goats jamming, listening to Bright Eyes pull your heart strings, dancing in the rain to Cage the Elephant while screaming/singing my lungs out, jumping up and down to pretty lights till my feet were numb or even looking down to realize that you are now wearing one shoe. Also, capturing a lot of amazing unforgettable moments. Lollapalooza is a music festival that brings all different types of music, people, and love to one place. I am so thankful for being a part of it. Being there opened my eyes and heart more. I learned a lot about my self since attending. It actually gave me a boost to move to California for the pursuit of happiness because at 2011 Lollapalooza I found where I belonged.
Love-A-Palooza: A Canadian Bacon meets a Cali Girl… in Chicago
Music brings people together in the strangest, most unexpected, and most beautiful ways. Yes, this sounds cliché. Let me just start from the beginning. I am a chic from LA, who was about to start a doctoral program in psychology in Dallas, TX. I decided to go out hard with one last shebang by buying my ticket to Lolla (a bunch of my college friends were going already) once the announcement came out that the Deftones were playing, which tipped me over the edge of the fence I was leaning on (given the other greatness that was going to be there --Foo, Cage, Young the Giant, A Perfect Circle, and City and Colour). So skipping ahead, the second day at Lolla I split from my friends who had slightly different taste in music than I, so that I could experience Deftones in the real way—from the pit, up close. We had planned on meeting back up at a very ambiguously set spot and there was no way I was going to find them again until the end of the day so I just started to walk back alone towards the next band I wanted to catch. As I was passing the Deftones stage again I noticed all of their gear being loaded into the trailers and two boys peeking through an adjacent fence. I was a little buzzed on an “I don’t give a shit” kind of mode and decided to say hey (as I suspected they were trying to spot the Deftones guys backstage). I started chatting with them (Nathan and Scott) and it turned out we had a TON of musical interests in common—we chatted about the Deftones set we had just seen (Katy Perry cover during 7 Words!), a common love and respect for Mike Patton (and FNM), the breakup of Alexisonfire, as well as other hardcore bands we mutually liked (Every Time I Die). The more surprising thing was that we came from completely different worlds—the boys, from Winnipeg, Canada, and me, from Cali. I realized that I started to divert more of my attention to Nathan and that there was some strong attraction going on (I could have been confused by the alcohol, though, of course). Anyways, just as we got into conversation, we could see Chino and Sergio having post-set beers on the other side of the fence and we started chatting with them! Nathan, the Canadian gentleman he is, offered to boost me on top of a garbage can so that I could see the dudes better. Believe it or not, Chino started to give us the time of day and offered to come out around the fence and sign autographs, take pics, and chill for a bit. The experience was unbelievable to say the least. As we were coming down from that rush trying to continually one-up each other in our respective love and knowledge of Deftones in a playful way, Nathan asked me to keep hanging out (and clearly, I had lost my friends). We decided to head over to see Eminem since he was the headliner, and I noticed Scott was standing further and further away once we were there (def a good wingman). Unsurprisingly, we shared a kiss at that set (as I started to sober up I also realized how muddy and sweaty I had been the whole day—and somehow this guy was into it). That night I invited Nathan to come back and hang out with my friends in the sick apartment I was staying at that overlooked the Navy Pier and Lake Michigan, and we talked about anything and everything. We decided the next day (Day 3 of Lolla) was going to be our “first date”—cheesy, I know, but this dude was the real deal. Right away the next day when we met up at City and Colour(appropriate for the whole Canadian theme I had going) he grabbed my hand and kissed me (Umm finally a guy who knows what he wants??). The Canadian chics he had driven with in his group were unfriendly to say the least, but they warmed up seeing that nothing was going to interfere with our connection—not even pouring rain and mud baths that became of the rest of the day/night. We realized towards the end of the day that the clouds were looking heavy and that it was going to start raining any minute, but it didn’t matter. Cage the Elephant already had the crowd moving as if nothing else mattered at that moment but the music. Accordingly, we continued to dance and sing along while drinking Bacardi clear rum out of a water bottle in the pouring rain. The rain cleared just in time for Explosions in the Sky, a band I introduced Nathan to that day, as I drunkenly air drummed every part of their set (somehow he still thought I was cool and attractive chic). Something happens to my soul every time I hear “The Birth and the Death of the Day,” and it was amazing for him to be there to hear it live with me and gratifying as hell for him to “get it” the same way I do. Quickly into the two hour set of the Foo the rain, mud, and the darkness started to become all the more apparent, so much that we were barely recognizable. Again, nothing seemed to matter but music and our new love, as I got to hear “Monkey Wrench” and “Everlong” for the first time ever. At the point before Dave Grohl goes into that long “One last thing before I quit…” part Nathan assured me the song was over. I told him, “Just wait for it.” Sure enough, I was right, and we screamed the rest of the lines out loud, and I’m pretty sure, with his foot in his mouth, he fell in love. Hearing “Everlong” to close out our entire Lolla 2011 experience seemed almost excessively fitting, and we deemed it “our song,” as it seemed unlikely for anything to ever feel that real again. To give a pg-13 rundown of the rest of the night, let’s just say Nathan had been planning. And he did not want me to leave for the airport from my friend’s apartment. He organized everything with my friend so I could pick up my stuff at her place and take it to his hotel and be with him my remaining hours in Chicago until I left in the morning. We wasted some time trying to find somewhere open for food that late, and I realized that I was more likely to be allowed in somewhere barefoot over the condition my shoes were in; yep, I discarded my TOMs in the streets of Chi Town. Anyways, his room-mates gave us some time alone as they headed to a club, and we made the most of it. But even when they returned, the interaction was so natural (since Scott and I got along well from the start) and respectful, and we all resolved to make trips to Texas/Canada to go to a show some time. With that, I fell asleep on Nathan’s chest and he walked me to get a cab the next morning so that I could make my flight. I can safely say that those three days were the most fun I have EVER experienced. And somehow, the two of us have made Skype a vehicle to keep our relationships going, and have now visited each other four times (him twice in Dallas and me twice in Winnipeg) after Lolla. As a Lolla bonus, I got a live-in boyfriend out of the experience, as Nathan is moving from Winnipeg to Dallas, TX this month with a working visa to live and continue to watch live music with me for the rest of time.
I Had a Feeling 21 Was Gonna be a Good Year
Lolla 2011 was my second year going to Lollapalooza. It was an amazing experience not only because I was seeing many bands for the first time live, but it was also my first Lolla as a 21 year old. This may not seem like a huge deal to anyone. "So what, everyone turns 21 and drinks!" Very true. However, not everyone is 4 "9 when they turn 21. I greatly enjoyed going up to the bar and asking them for a beer band. I almost thought they wouldn't give it to me because I look (height-wise) like I'm only 12. I get that reaction all the time. So walking around with a beer band at that height at a music festival was probably the best range of reactions I've ever gotten for my height. And it rocked my socks. My very tiny size 2 socks. My other fun experience was seeing the endless amounts of bands that I know and love. I went to see Flogging Molly and I sang along to all the songs, dancing along. I got the last owl design t-shirt from My Morning Jacket straight from the wall and fell in love with the band. I started out at Coldplay, which was a strange experience because this woman continually tried to kiss me. My brother shot her some pretty dirty looks. I was just glad her aim was off because she was drunk. Then I went over to Muse and screamed along to all the songs, dancing and getting some thumbs up from people. Then finally I saw the Foo Fighters. I was feeling a bit bummed when it started raining and I considered calling it quits like some people were doing, but then I went back the music made me smile and remember that I could stand all day in rain, snow or shine and it would be amazing. Thank you, Foo Fighters. I knew my 21st year would be good one.
2011
LOLLAPALOOZA TURNS TWENTY
Lollapaloozas 20th anniversary blowout was an epic experience, shattering fans and critics expectations with an explosive combination of music and community. With globe-straddling headliners supported by a diverse line-up of artists from countless different genres, Lollas birthday was a music lovers dream come true.
Fans delighted in the variety, dancing to electro-legends like Girl Talk and Skrillex over at Perrys, basking in the galaxy-sized rock spectacles of Foo Fighters and Muse as the sun set over the Chicago skyline and throwing down the gauntlet with Eminem and his raucous rhymes. Singing in the rain, nothing could keep the crowds from enjoying Lollas most incredible production yet: the celebration of two decades of making musical history with awesome artists and first-rate fans.
Lollas 20th anniversary was a banner year in more ways than one. After rocking out fans in Chile in Marchs South American debut, Lolla announced a new version of the festival to take place in Sao Paolo, Brazil in 2012 making sure fans keep rocking in both hemispheres!
Festival highlight
EMINEM RETURNS TO THE MIDWEST
Any questions about whether or not Eminem still had his chops were quickly laid to rest when the rap hero took the stage Saturday night. Over sixty-five thousand people were treated to a flurry of the controversial rhyme-slingers hits, jamming out to chart-burners like "My Name Is" and "The Real Slim Shady. Joined on stage by special guests like Skylar Grey and Bruno Mars, Marshall Mathers had no trouble getting 130,000 hands in the air.
FOO FIGHTERS ROCK IN THE RAIN
Rain couldnt keep bands and fans from drenching themselves in great music. Action-packed performances by The Foo Fighters and Cage the Elephant took advantage of the downpour to amp up the rock 'n' roll drama.
COLDPLAY'S FIRST LOLLA SET
Leading up to the release of their much talked-about fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay was on a mission to blow minds at Grant Park. Their set was Brit-rock at its finest, pitch-perfect and poignant, striking high notes with hits like Clocks and Yellow along with their recently released single Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall. Closing with a touching tribute to fallen star Amy Winehouse, it was hard to find a fan that wasnt moved by their performance.
Culturally Speaking
- Arcade Fire wins Album of the Year Grammy for The Suburbs.
- A revolution in Egypt signals the start of the Arab Spring.
- Charlie Sheen goes on a winning streak.
- A 9.1-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hits the east of Japan.
- President Obama releases his birth certificate in an effort to end an escalating controversy.
- Two billion people watch the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton in London.
- Osama bin Laden bites the dust in Pakistan.
- Space Shuttle Atlantis lands successfully at Kennedy Space Center, concluding NASA's space shuttle program.
- Singer Amy Winehouse dies at 27.
- NASA obtains photographic evidence of possible liquid water on Mars.
tour stops + dates
August 5-7, 2011Grant Park, Chicago, IL
- Ween
- Bright Eyes
- Arctic Monkeys
- Big Audio Dynamite
- Deftones
- Beirut
- Explosions in the Sky
- Death From Above 1979
- Ratatat
- Crystal Castles
- Flogging Molly
- Atmosphere
- Lykke Li
- Cage the Elephant
- Ok Go
- Local Natives
- The Kills
- White Lies
- Portugal. The Man
- Two Door Cinema Club
- Ellie Goulding
- Delta Spirit
- Beats Antique
- The Mountain Goats
- Manchester Orchestra
- Smith Westerns
- Best Coast
- Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
- The Drums
- Black Lips
- Fitz & The Tantrums
- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
- City and Colour
- Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses
- Cults
- Noah & The Whale
- Sam Adams
- J. Roddy Walston and the Business
- Tinie Tempah
- Lissie
- Dom
- The Vaccines
- Foster The People
- Titus Andronicus
- Mayer Hawthorne & The County
- Chico Trujillo
- The Naked and Famous
- Phantogram
- Rival Schools
- Friendly Fires
- Le Butcherettes
- DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR.
- Reptar
- Maps & Atlases
- Fences
- little hurricane
- Tennis
- An Horse
- Young The Giant
- Los Bunkers
- Imelda May
- Grouplove
- Wye Oak
- The Joy Formidable
- Lord Huron
- Disappears
- Walk The Moon
- Gold Motel
- Iration
- Ryan Leslie
- TAB the band
- Skylar Grey
- Christina Perri
- Black Cards
- The Pretty Reckless
- Boy & Bear
- Patrick Stump
- Kids These Days
- Young Man
- The Kingston Springs
- Lia Ices
- The Chain Gang of 1974
- Ximena Sariñana
- Typhoon
- Electric Touch
- Kerli
- Ceci Bastida
- Deluka
- Ruby Jane
- Julia Easterlin
- DJ Mel
- Dani Deahl
- Peter DiStefano & Tor
- Elizaveta
- Ralph's World
- The Q Brothers
- Northbrook Garage
- Keller Williams
- Kate Diaz
- The Happiness Club
- Haley Bonar
- Brady Rymer
- Big Bang Boom
- The Glitch Mob
- Super Mash Bros.
- 12th Planet
- Busy P
- Joachim Garraud
- The Cool Kids
- Daedelus
- Switch
- Collie Buddz
- Savoy
- Kyle Lucas & Captain Midnite
- Ana Tijoux
- MIDNIGHT CONSPIRACY
- DJ Neil Armstrong
- L1ght
- LADY D
- Narcisse
