Lollapalooza: What's With All the Clowns?

Lollapalooza kicked ass.

The whole thing started on the wrong foot - I missed Friday because I was hospitalized (more on that fun experience in another posting) and that was the day for many (if not most) of the acts I wanted to see (Panic! At the Disco, Editors, Raconteurs, Aqualung, Ryan Adams, Death Cab). But Saturday and Sunday more than made up for it.

Weather was decent (a little hot but could've been worse); crowds were mellow and friendly; thumbs way up on Grant Park as a venue site - beautiful Chicago skyline as backdrop, breezes off the Lake, plenty Honey Buckets and water fountains made for really short lines. A perfect ending to a good summer of music festivals. I am absolutely going again next year. You all should too - you can stay at my place.

Highlights: Thievery Corporation; Ben Kweller; Go! Team; Gnarls Barkley; Common; arriving just in time on Saturday to hear "Always Love" by Nada Surf; pretty good acoutsics throughout. Oh, and there was an AT&T tent where you could make free long distance calls anywhere in the world, so I called the Raspone's in London. (I think Richard got the best use of this as he called Australia several times Saturday and Sunday.)

Lowlights: Wilco was sorta disappointing (during the show, Jeff Tweedy made a comment something about: "We're really excited to be playing Chicago. Or at least one-third of us are." Which was weird); not being able to see all the acts I wanted to; having to walk from one end of the Park to the other since the two main stages were on the opposite ends; lots of b.o. from sweaty people; a rumour that Smashing Pumpkins were going to play (but they didn't); my brother paying $85 for a 3-day pass from a scalper while the rest of us law-abiding citizens paid $150.

My friends Kathleen from Portland and Jason from DC were in town, and as great as it was to see them I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked with either.

Of course, there were lots of spectacles: a spanking booth (not sure if you paid $1 to spank or get spanked), people giving free hugs, people dressed like Mexican wrestlers. People dressed as clowns. Lots of people dressed as clowns -- what's up with that? We're talking full makeup, wigs, costumes, the whole deal. And not necessarily friendly clowns, either -- more surly and punk. Stay way, freaky clown people.