Lollapalooza Celebrates Its 20 Year Anniversary With Style

Written by Carmen Garza

Lollapalooza Huge Party

Another year, another awesome weekend in early August in Chicago, Illinois as concertgoers make the trek to the annual Lollapalooza Music Festival. Music fans gathered in Chicago’s Grant Park for the 3 day festival during the weekend of August 5, 2011 to witness the colossal event of epic proportions.

As much as the annual theme of the celebration of music, art, and kindness to the environment has remained a staple each time, this year’s gathering was unique in itself. 2011 commemorates the grand festival’s 20th anniversary, and Lollapalooza creator/founder, Perry Farrell, pulled out all the stops and summoned the best the world has to offer in alternative, indie, house and electronica musical artists to join in the celebration. Such stellar acts that joined the festivities this year were: Muse, Coldplay, Eminem, Deadmau5, A Perfect Circle, Cage The Elephant, Foster The People, My Morning Jacket, Arctic Monkeys, Girl Talk, The Cars, Big Audio Dynamite, Cee Lo Green, Pretty Lights, Lykke Li, Kid Cudi, Modeselektor, Deftones, Switch, and Foo Fighters.

Lollapalooza 2011 hit its all-time record breaking attendance. A total of 270,000 festival goers sauntered through the front gates to take part in all the fun - breaking last year’s attendance of a mere 240,000. There was a constant vitality in the air and not even the deluge from the God’s above on Sunday couldn’t detract from the enthusiasm of the exuberant attendees. Here are some highlights from this year’s Lollapalooza.

A Perfect Circle
All the controversial rumors you’ve heard about A Perfect Circle’s frontman, Maynard James Keenan, may or may not be true. However, his painfully shy or grossly aloof stage demeanor on Friday afternoon would tend to sway someone’s opinion of him one way. For most of the set, he stood and sang dead center but almost at the back of the stage.

No matter what the reason behind Maynard’s persona, A Perfect Circle continuously cranked out the hits one after another. Bandmates James Iha (rhythm guitarist), Josh Freese (drummer), Billy Howerdel (lead guitarist), and Matt McJunkins (bassist) played with strong conviction attempting to make their fans’ ears bleed. Some of the songs A Perfect Circle performed were “Weak And Powerless”, “Blue”, “The Outsider”, “The Hollow”, and “3 Libras”. Check out more stuff about this gifted heavy metal band at https://aperfectcircle.com/.

Skrillex
One of Friday afternoon’s electronica sensations to grace Lollapalooza 2011 was Los Angeles based, dubstep producer, Skrillex. While his followers mainly know him by his stage name, his mom refers to him as Sonny Moore.

Skrillex’s career has blossomed since he began spinning the decks in 2002, and he has been carving a name for himself amongst his peers ever since. He flawlessly mixed his artistic interpretations of original songs by Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, The All-American Rejects, and The Black Eyed Peas for the crowd’s amusement. Skrillex’s style and energy are synonymous and can be summed up in one word - relentless. Go to http://www.skrillex.com/ for more updates on the beat master himself.

Afrojack
On Friday evening, Dutch DJ/producer extraordinaire, Afrojack (a.k.a. Nick van de Wall) gave such a masterful performance that sent shockwaves throughout the concertgoers. Afrojack’s blend of finely crafted house music coupled with intensely raw progressive beats makes him one of the most sought after mixmasters in the world today.

For the past 5 years, Afrojack has collaborated with such stellar artists such as Pitbull, Ne-Yo, David Guetta, Gregor Salto, and Quintino. Zealous fans were able to witness these collaborations live first hand. Nothing could break their enthusiasm - not even a massive thunderstorm which threatened to interfere with all the fun - as they grooved into the night. To get your Afrojack fix, go to http://www.afrojack.com/.

Muse
Friday night headliners Matthew Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard of Muse reminded the crowd why their stadium concerts effortlessly sell out throughout the far corners of the world. Their highly technical, super intense visuals along with futuristic sci-fi sounds contribute to the band's sensationalistic approach to the live arena.

Muse's opening number, "Uprising", is a true testament to that philosophy. The trio electrified the crowd with a bevy of their most powerful hits ranging from the past 12 years such as “Supermassive Black Hole”, “Starlight”, “Knights Of Cydonia”, “Bliss”, “Hysteria”, “Stockholm Syndrome”, “Undisclosed Desires”, and “Resistance”. Their magnificent auditory creations as well as intelligent lyrics makes Muse a force to be reckoned with and second to none in the vast world of progressive rock/alternative rock artists. Check out this musical phenomena at http://muse.mu/.

Perry Etty vs. Chris Cox
"The Godfather of Alternative Rock" as he is emphatically known, Perry Farrell once again proved that he is a true contender in the electronic world. Recently, he has boldly stated that music festivals are taking on more of a dance/house/electronica vibe. This has been the driving force behind his record spinning and the creation of unique beats during the past few years.

Playing alongside legendary mixmaster/producer Chris Cox, Perry maintained his ground and left a positive impression on the revelers assembled at their set on Saturday afternoon. In comparison to past years when Perry graced the electronica stage, this time was super-sized and larger than life. Perry Etty vs. Chris Cox's performance wouldn't be complete without a few songs crooned by none other than Perry's curvaceous and talented wife, Etty. She took to the front of the stage dressed in a sexy number to screaming, admirers as she melted their hearts with her voice.

Sharing his love of music with his ardent fans since 1981, Perry Farrell has been a prominent member of such musical acts as Jane's Addiction, Porno For Pyros, and Satellite Party. He has shown no signs of stopping and don’t be surprised if he’s around for another 30 plus years. Check out more of Perry’s shenanigans and collaborations at http://www.facebook.com/perryfarrell.

Big Audio Dynamite
On Saturday afternoon, legendary British rock band, Big Audio Dynamite, lead fans through a musical journey back in time when punk rock reverberations coupled with music sampling mixes were king (at least as far as B.A.D. is concerned). The band stood in all their glory - Mick Jones (vocalist/lead guitarist), Dan Donovan (keyboardist), Greg Roberts (drummer), Leo Williams (bassist), and Don Letts (sound effects).

Big Audio Dynamite performed their 80’s and 90’s hits “C’Mon Every Beatbox”, “Just Play Music!”, “Rush”, and “Medicine Show” while true devotees frolicked in the scorching sun with not a care in the world. No matter how many years have transpired, B.A.D. will always personify one of the most influential punk rock bands ever to emerge from the U.K., and they’re still kicking. To check out Big Audio Dynamite and the band’s current trek across the globe, go to http://www.bigaudiodynamite.co.uk/.

Local Natives
Hailing from the upscale Los Angeles suburb of Silver Lake, Taylor Rice, Kelcey Ayer, Ryan Hahn, Matt Frazier, and Gabe Noel brought a refreshingly upbeat set to the eager concertgoers assembled before them. Judging by most of the onlookers' reactions, they seemed mostly surprised by the simplicity of Local Natives' music as well as the band's intricate chord changes.

The band formed in 2008, but Local Natives displayed as if the current members had been together all their lives. Fans seemed quite impressed and even curious passers by stopped to check out the group’s infectious indie rock sound on Saturday evening. To become more familiar with Local Natives, go to http://www.thelocalnatives.com/.

The Glitch Mob
The Glitch Mob, a talented trio hailing from Los Angeles comprised of Ed Ma, Justin Boreta, and Josh Mayer, stunned the onlookers with their amazing display of musicianship on Saturday night. Their unique style of blending electronica music with industrial sounds and performing their live music with instruments is a refreshing change of pace for most DJ/producers. However, The Glitch Mob somehow makes this approach work.

These gifted mixers proudly spun their interpretations of songs by TV On The Radio, Coheed And Cambria, STS9, The White Stripes, Linkin Park, and Daft Punk. They are currently on the road promoting their 2010 fresh-sounding debut album, Drink The Sea. Go to http://www.theglitchmob.com/ to check out more facts about The Glitch Mob.

The Cars
The Cars, the band who left their mark on the new wave music scene during the late 70’s/early 80’s, made time stand still during their Sunday afternoon performance. All original band members (minus the deceased Benjamin Orr) were present to give their fans a set to remember. Ric Ocasek (lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist) stood mid stage as statuesque as any music icon would along with bandmates Elliot Easton (lead guitarist/backing vocalist), David Robinson (drummer/percussionist/backing vocalist), and Greg Hawkes (keyboards/bassist/backing vocalist).

Hipsters from all ages and walks of life grooved along to such classic Cars’ hits as “Just What I Needed”, “Let The Good Times Roll”, “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Let’s Go”, “Candy-O”, “Magic”, and “You Might Think”. Hits that signify their lengthy as well as successful career in the world of music. The Cars are currently on a U.S. tour promoting their latest album Move Like This. To see what The Cars have been up to lately, go to http://thecars.org/main.html.

Foo Fighters
Neither wild horses nor the downpour of rain could keep the devout Foo Fighters’ followers from experiencing one of the best sets Lollapalooza 2011 had to offer. Concluding the 3 day festival celebration as headliners on Sunday night, Dave Grohl and his supporting band didn’t let the inclement weather phase them either - seemingly getting a charge out of playing in the pouring rain.

During the set, Dave’s signature growl could be heard throughout a vast section of Grant Park while Chris Shiflett’s screeching lead guitar, Nate Mendel’s quivering bass, Pat Smear’s rocking rhythm guitar, and Taylor Hawkins’ thumping drums harmoniously chimed in. The band performed songs from their comprehensive musical library spanning the past 17 years such as “Big Me”, “My Hero”, “Everlong”, “Learn To Fly”, “All My Life”, “Times Like These”, “Best Of You”, “The Pretender”, “Rope” and “Walk”.

It’s hard to believe Foo Fighters have been rocking their beats into our hearts for almost 2 decades because it seems like it was only yesterday when they emerged onto the scene. Go to http://www.foofighters.com/us/home to see what part of the world Foo Fighters will be next on their current world wide tour promoting their album Wasting Light.

Lollapalooza 2011
Lollapalooza 2011 will go down in the music history books as the party that never stopped. The event may be over, but its memories will live forever in our hearts and souls. To relive the monumental occasion, all you have to do is go to http://www.lollapalooza.com/. Until we meet again.