Over the weekend marked yet another Lollapalooza music festival, set right in the heart of Chicago in Grant Park. Some notable headliners this year included Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence + The Machine, Black Sabbath, and Jack White. The 3 day festival is the experience of a lifetime, what with all the different stages, bands, people, food, vendors, and unexpected weather, one that I have been lucky enough to experience a few times. Unfortunately, I was not able to afford a 3 day pass this year, so I sulked in my own misery as the festival grew nearer and Facebook flooded my feed with Lolla updates and statuses. But, leave it to Lollapalooza, and Chicago, to make sure that even those who are not attending the actual festival, still get to experience part of the Lolla magic outside of the park. Not only was most of this Lolla magic cheap, most of it was free! Thursday through Sunday, all throughout the city, different venues hosted an array of Lolla after-parties and concerts for people to attend to their liking. My good friend Julia and I went to 2 of them.
Lolla After Party #1: Thursday Night: Twin Shadow, Neon Indian, Passion Pit (DJ set) @ Logan Square Auditorium. Hosted by Filter Magazine.
Okay, so this party had a lot of hype surrounding it, since every article stated how awesome Filter parties were, and since the ads also stated that everything was free, including the booze, we knew we had to attend this one. This party required you to RSVP through e-mail, but when we got there they had already ditched the list of names since they received so many responses. Getting there around 8, when the doors opened at 9, the line was already backed up a block and around the corner. Luckily, another one of my good friends, Kelly, had been there for awhile and saved us a spot in line near the door. Chugging vodka in a hot stagnant line, getting our wristbands- I couldn't wait. Once inside, we rushed to the open bar. Free Coors light and Blue Moon bottles, tequila shots, and Saki bombs?? Um yes please! And they were really cool about letting you order a few drinks at a time to save you from another trip and wait in line to the bar. They were also giving away free non-alcoholic beverages (no thanks) and were taking free photos at either their Filter backdrop or through the Coors Light girls, who gave you a free print of the photo immediately. And then we stumbled upon the merchandise station. We were all like, "how much is this stuff?" and they were all like "it's free" and then I just started grabbing things. Posted above is everything I snatched, which started going pretty quickly, my favorite being the T-shirt in the middle. As far as the concerts went, I have to admit I have barely listened to Twin Shadow before and only knew a few Neon Indian Songs. The sound wasn't very good in the auditorium, but overall a fun experience to see each band. With the free bar, and the pressure to make the last purple line back to Julia's on a Thursday night, we left before Passion Pit's DJ set, ahem, somewhat intoxicated.
Now Of Monsters and Men was one of the primary bands I wanted to see if I went to Lolla, so I just about spit out my diet coke when I found out they were doing a FREE show on Sunday night. Doors opened at 10 so we got down there around 8:30 and already a line was starting to form, and it kept doing so very quickly after we got our spot. As is expected, we didn't actually enter the venue til almost 11, but as we made our way up the line we chatted with some interesting travelers and sipped free cans of Starbucks Refreshers that were being handed out. (This show took so long to get into because they were actually checking names on the list to verify RSVPing.) Inside, they had a projector screen in front of where the band played showing clips of Billboard music award shows set to some DJ French Horn Rebellion, who was pretty decent. The set opened with the band, The Jezebels, who I had never heard of before. They were alright and I might give them another listen. Then it seemed like it took for-fuckin-ever for them to set up for Of Monsters and Men, and the crowd was getting antsy too because I somehow kept getting shoved further and further to the stage (I guess I can't complain about that though). Finally, Of Monsters and Men comes onstage with no introduction they each go to their instruments and begin to play "Dirty Paws" and the crowd instantly erupts. Now this is hands down one of my favorite shows I have ever been to for a couple of reasons. First of all, this band sounds better live. With an array of instruments being utilized, like the accordion, the trumpet, and multiple forms percussion, not to mention the actual high number of band members and different voices the band has, their sound is powerful as it boasts the musical and emotional significance of a communal and collective effort. And yet not one member was ever left out of the spotlight. The band made an effort to allow each member its chance to work the crowd and show off their musical talents. Secondly, this band obviously has a blast when they play together live. Which makes you want to have a blast with them. They joked around with each other onstage and encouraged the audience to participate in their songs through clapping, stomping, or singing along. One of the lead singers, Nanna (who was adorable and all smiles), said she liked the size of this particular venue because it reminded her of playing in their pubs back home when they first started playing. Of Monsters and Men blew me away and kept me smiling the whole night, with their genuine audience connection, their playful energy ("Little Talks" and "Mountain Sound" felt like a party), and their overall unique quality of musical talent. Oh yeah, and I caught one of the drumsticks that the drummer threw into the crowd at the end of the set, leaving me with an awesome souvenir from one unforgettable show!
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