Tuesday Top Ten: Lollapalooza 2019 Edition

The first four days of August were the 15th edition of Lollapalooza at Grant Park here in Chicago.  It was my 15th Lolla overall (and 14th since it has been in Chicago).  Admittedly, I wasn't as excited about the lineup this year.  I thought the headliners were relatively weak, and there weren't a ton of the non-headliners that I knew.  But, as always, I had a fantastic time and discovered some great bands.

This was also the first time in a few years that I have been able to go to all four days.  Usually, I have a recruiting trip the Monday after Lolla, but that got moved back a week, so I made it to all four days.  That said, please Perry, make Lolla three days again, and not four.  The lineup gets watered down, the teenagers will get one less day to chug vodka on the Metra on the way in from Naperville, and I will have to take one fewer day off of work.

The "weekend" started off with a bang, as I saw Beck, Cage the Elephant, Spoon, and Wild Belle play a show the night before Lolla.  That was a great show, but that's a story for another post.

I enjoyed my Lolla experience, as I always do.  This was probably the nicest weather we've had for Lolla, ever.  It was in the mid 80s and sunny every day, getting down to the upper 60s at night.  Don't get me wrong, it was still hot as balls in the sun during the day, but at least I wasn't dripping sweat or, worse yet, getting doused with rain.

Other highlights included taking all three of my kids to the fest Friday afternoon (first time for Son).  Kids under either 10 or 12 are free, so it cost me nothing to get them in.  It cost me an arm and a leg in ice cream, sno cones, and t-shirts at the fest, but well worth it.  They had a blast, and I once again sing the praises of the Kidzapalooza area.  There are so many great (and free) things for kids to do.  All three of them got tats and their hair colored.  Suffice it to say, they're looking forward to coming back next year.

But now onto the music.  Here are the bands and artists for which I saw two or more songs over the course of the weekend:

Thursday:  Emily King; half-alive; Lennon Stella; Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers; Fitz & The Tantrums; The Strokes

Friday:  The New Respects; The Nude Party; IDLES; Japanese Breakfast; Maggie Rogers; Chevelle; Childish Gambino

Saturday:  Sam Fender; Fantastic Negrito; Jade Bird; Mondo Cozmo; Bad Suns; Gary Clark, Jr.; Lil Skies; Tenacious D

Sunday:  Just Loud; Slender Bodies; The Arkells; Yeek; G Flip; Illiterate Light; Perry Ferrell; The Revivalists; Diesel (aka Shaquille O'Neal); Sharon Von Etten; Kacey Musgraves; Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators; Ariana Grande

Here are my top ten shows that I saw over the course of the weekend:

Honorable Mention:  Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers; Sam Fender; Mondo Cozmo, Gary Clark, Jr.

10.  Fitz & The Tantrums

I've seen them before at Lolla and thought they were great live.  My opinion hasn't changed.  I like their music, and they are good at creating a lot of energy for the crowd.

9.  Childish Gambino

I only stayed for about a half hour of this because I had to go to a Gary Clark. Jr. aftershow, but Donald Glover was excellent for what I did see.  At one point, he went into the crowd and took a guy's phone and took a selfie.  I love that kind of shit.

8.  Fantastic Negrito

I saw these guys open up for Gary Clark, Jr. at an aftershow at The Metro Friday night, but it was so crowded and late that I didn't get the chance to enjoy them all that much.  Thankfully, they were playing the next day at Lolla, so I saw them then, and they lived up to their name.  It was politically charged garage soul -- energetic, funky, and rocking all at the same time.

7.  Illiterate Light

I love a good blues-based guitar-and-drums rock duo (see White Stripes, Black Keys, Black Pistol Fire), so it's no surprise that I enjoyed Illiterate Light, a duo out of Virginia.  

6.  The New Respects

I caught the second half of The New Respects' set on Friday afternoon with my kids, and I'm glad I did.  They were fantastic.  It was three females up front on guitar, bass, and vocals, and a dude on drums.  The music reminded me of Sly & The Family Stone, which is high praise.

5.  Perry Farrell

This is kind of cheating because my buddy Daniel and I happened to be walking by Buckingham Fountain Sunday afternoon at about 4, and we saw a small crowd gathered around a little stage.  Thankfully, Daniel recognized that it was Perry Farrell on the stage.  He was playing an unannounced impromptu three-song set with an acoustic guitarist (Nick Maybury) and Etty, his wife/back-up singer.  They played "Pets" by Porno for Pyros, a Stooges cover ("I Got a Right"), and "Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction.  There were maybe a couple hundred people gathered around, tops.  Most people were just walking by without any clue that the man singing was the founder of Lolla.  Fucking millennials.

4.  Just Loud

This guy might have been my favorite find of this year's Lolla.  I love it when up-and-coming artists play Lolla and are so happy and grateful for the experience.  His music was a blend of soul, pop, R&B, and rock -- and he covered Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell," which was cool.  And as if that wasn't enough, he came down into the crowd and danced and sang.  He certainly made a few hundred fans.

3.  Tenacious D

I have never seen Tenacious D before, and this was one of the acts that I was most excited about seeing.  They didn't disappoint.  They were hilarious, and they shredded.  Jack Black actually has an pretty damn good metal voice.  He looked like he spent a few too many weeks in a secluded mountain cabin, which is exactly how I would hope and expect he would look.

2.  Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

I have seen Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators before, so I knew I was in for a good show.  For Christ's sake, it's Slash.  The rest of the band ain't too shabby either.  With the exception of "Nightrain," all of the songs were the band's originals, and while I would have liked maybe one or two more GNR songs, the set was full of energy.  I also got right up against the rail for this show, which added to the fun.

1.  The Strokes

I last saw The Strokes at Lolla in 2010.  They were great then, but I think they were even better this time around.  Of course, I came to the blinding realization that they are all in their late 30s or early 40s.  It's hard not to think of them as kids in their 20s, but a child born when their first album came out would now be able to buy porn and cigarettes in most states.