Saturday morning, we got to the fest a little before 4:00 (sleep, breakfast and a trip to Target delayed us a bit.) I wanted to try to get there to see The xx, but instead we got there in time to just hear the last half of their set. They sounded great, and since they are so mellow, I am sure I didn't miss much by not seeing them. We camped out and got a spot on the ground for the next show, which I was excited to see--Grizzly Bear! They were playing at the crappy stage, though, so we could only watch them on the monitor, and since they are mellow and quiet, sometimes it was hard to hear them. But it was really awesome to hear them live and to just relax and zone out on a blanket with the man that I love. It was great people watching, too.
We explored the grounds, and found a booth from our coffee shop, Metropolis! We chatted with our friend Sienna about the fest.
Then we headed over to the secluded Sony Bloggie stage for what was in my opinion, one of the best shows in the festival--Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
I was REALLY excited to see ES&TMZ. I love them. Their song "Janglin" was my theme song from last summer, and I can't listen to "Home" without getting a little teary eyed. We had tickets to see them play at Schubas earlier in the year or last fall (I cant remember) but we were too tired and I was too stressed out to go to the 9pm show. I am kicking myself now, cause I bet that show was amazing.
Here's a snippet from their band bio:
How can you watch this video and not just be filled with joy?
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "Home" from Edward Sharpe on Vimeo.
The stage was tucked away in the shade and it was jam packed with people, so much so that they were climbing the trees.
What a show it was. They sounded amazing, and there was something magical about it. Lots of love, lots of joy. I totally cried. Yep.
It was actually really spiritual. Thinking back on it, I feel like it was a modern taste of what it might have been like to hear Jesus preaching--the masses clammoring to hear His words, everyone filled with love for each other. I am not comparing the band to Jesus, really, but in that there was something magical that we were all experiencing together, and how exciting that must have felt back then. I don't know if that makes sense.
For the last song, Alex, the lead singer, asked us all to sit on the ground, and every single last person did it. It was awesome. I was talking to a guy before Soundgarden on Sunday and he said "I had never heard of that band, but there was something really amazing going on over there. When he asked us all to sit down, you just had to do it."
I was so moved, I said a prayer thanking God for all the blessings in my life, for Fuzzy, for my family, for the ability to experience joy again. Like I said, it was a beautiful moment all around. A concert I will never ever forget. I highly recommend downloading their album--I can't stop listening to it. Their lyrics are just filled with so much love, and the music is just powerful.
After that show, we got a snack and then headed over to the mainstage to see Green Day. This was special for me--the first Lollapalooza I went to was in 94, shortly after Dookie came out, when Green Day was just a bunch of punk kids who didn't think any song should be over 2 minutes long. They were the opening band. Boy, how things have changed in 16 years. These dudes were putting on a SHOW. Fireworks, fire, bringing people up on stage, giving away guitars, having a conversation with the audience, refusing to stop playing at 10pm, just entertaining. It was fun. Fuzzy and I hung to the back of the crowd and spread out our blanket. It was awesome to just let go and DANCE.
Oh yeah! We're in Chicago!
Pure joy.
After they played what I call the "Dookie Rock Block" we headed over to the other stage to catch the last song from Phoenix. They sounded great. When we left the area at 10:15, Green Day was still going strong.
When we were biking home, we caught the Saturday night fireworks at Navy Pier. It was an awesome end to an amazing day.
