Day Two of Lolla started later for a lot of people, I gathered, with Friday night's aftershow/party antics continuing well on into the early hours of Saturday morning. Nursing a Red Bull, I arrived back at Grant Park on Saturday afternoon to a party which was already well cranked.
Toto's "Africa", mashed up with Dre's "The Next Episode" was the first thing I heard coming from Perry's, where Z-Trip was already well into a popular set. Smoke coated the audience as they jumped and sweated on each other, with Z-Trip dropping some new material he's been working on for the first time. Just up from Perry's at The Grove, Ratking represented for New York City in impressive style. I've been following the hip-hop group for a little while now and what I enjoyed the most about today's show is that they've been able to blend some sick punk attitudes with some awesome hip-hop beats and cutting lyrics. It's gritty and vibrantly graphic in areas which makes the crowd connect even more - theirs is an energy that slightly reminds me of Das Racist and the like: hard to categorise, awesome to watch.
I miss Kate Nash due to a scheduling clash, though as our photographer Perri tells me, 'She's not Kate Nash any more. No more songs behind the piano about mouthwash - she came out looking more like Karen O and is grunge.'. Damn. Phosphorescent however, is not grunge at all, and provided a nice soundtrack to an afternoon in the sun. The Brooklyn-via-Alabama artist was one I kept missing at SXSW, so I was happy to be able to catch him today, what a talented instrumentalist! There's hints of gospel and rustic country, with the indie-folk stylings which many fans are associating with modern Americana artists coming through today. I love the sweet bitterness that comes with the newer material Phosphorescent performs today - the mix of some heavier electronic reverb with that almost tangible sound of the guitar is definitely a standout.
The Australians play a large part in today's proceedings too. With Vance Joy getting his summer anthem on with "Riptide" on the Bud Light Stage earlier today, the American crowds have been loving what's coming up from back home, as today and the night would prove. The Temper Trap take to Lake Shore and I struggle to remember when I saw them last. For a band who can have such an atmospheric and swelling sound on record, I've always thought The Temper Trap walked a fine line between nailing it on festival stages and falling just short of the mark. They pulled a sizeable crowd today though, who rode off the euphoria that comes with the likes of "Trembling Hands", "Sweet Dispostion" and "Fader". It's a joy to hear Dougy launch his vocals out over the open area and witness the reception of love the crowd gives back. He comments on the size of the crowd and thanks them multiple times for turning up - the appreciation today is most definitely mutual. The new material the band performed is well received and it's a good time to be a Temper Trap fan, if this is any hint of what we can expect.
Heading over to Palladia/Bud Light, the John Butler Trio are finishing up what's obviously been a stomper set. Butler is in the middle of one of his intense guitar solos and the crowd I'm making my way through looks a mixture of fascinated and spent. I get the impression things are running late on this side of the park, as JBT are still about two songs off finishing when Grouplove are scheduled to start on the next stage. The crowd doesn't mind though and are soon grooving as you do to "Zebra".
Grouplove enter to the Skrillex/A$AP Rocky banger "Wild for the Night", with Ryan Rabin furiously smashing the drum kit to it, while his bandmates enter from side stage with a whole heap of swag. I'm still not over how much the LA band has changed in such a small amount of time. They're so wild even though they've always had the element about them, but it's like you can see the wildness - whether it's in Hannah Hooper's outfit or Christian Zucconi's blue hair. There's something about this band that just makes you happy when you're in their vicinity and it's wonderful. Their crowd is intense, proven when Zucconi jumps into the first few rows, causing the thousands behind to rush for the front of the stage.
Hooper and Zucconi are just perfect together, sharing the microphone when Zucconi's loses power for the initial minutes of the set, grinning at each other as they wildly jump around the stage. Their cover of "Sabotage" is an early highlight and for a moment and it's the first time I notice a lady on a platform doing sign language along to the songs for the hearing impaired, which is awesome to watch in itself. Another cover in Beyonce's "Drunk in Love" sends everyone absolutely bezerk, especially when Hooper takes the 'Armand di brignac, gangster wife' line and makes it her own in badass style. Grouplove cover both Never Trust a Happy Song and Spreading Rumours well in their time at Lolla, with "Shark Attack", "Tongue Tied", "Ways to Go" and "Itching on a Photograph" proving to be winners. Let's be real though, when these guys are around, you're never going to be denied a party.
Hip-hop legend Nas takes over on Palladia and earns himself a great amount of love from a messy, sweaty crowd. He's been obviously having a great year of shows, with the Illmatic anniversary being an excellent excuse to get back on the road. I don't stay for all of his set for the same reason I ditched Iggy Azalea yesterday, the crowd is just too much. It's a shame, because Nas is fucking legendary to watch. One of those moments you stop and pinch yourself over because you don't know when this opportunity is going to be by again.
As I head back south, Manchester Orchestra are powering through on Lake Shore. What a strong live band! I've dug their stuff, but have never seen them perform before now and honestly, if the festival had finished right after they did, I would have been satisfied, because they were brilliant. Andy Hull is incredibly talented and all that love, pain and rawness captured on record simply soars on the live stage. The dynamic between the players today is electric and it's definitely a good time to be a part of today.
Foster the People take to the Samsung Galaxy Stage straight after to one of the biggest crowds of the weekend, further cementing their status as a killer festival act. Having spent some time with Mark Foster only a few hours before, I could get that there's this creative intensity about him; he's incredibly expressive in conversation and open about his music and drive. It's this energy, which I assume is distilled in conversation, which explodes as soon as he goes into performance mode. He reflects on their first Lolla experience as they play to the sunset, noting that when they played in 2011, the reception was unlike anything they'd experienced in America before. With Supermodel proving to be a great follow up to Torches, it was like today's set is a big thank you gift package for the fans. "Pumped Up Kicks" is a nostalgic moment for any FTP fan, I think, and you could see everyone harking back to the first summer they heard it today, as a wave of them began jumping and dancing in unison. The set is over as soon as it began, but we're no less appreciative.
I saw The Head and The Heart for the first time supporting Grouplove years ago and they struck me as a talented act. They've just developed on a great vocal harmony and acoustic vibe and have obviously grown a lot since then, and man, are they popular today. Made for large crowds and large venues, the Seattle band isn't daunted by the fact that the crowd of Outkast fans begin merging in a huge group over at the opposite stage. In fact, they're equally as pumped, it seems. I feel a bit of the atmosphere that is so good in club/theatre venues is lost, obviously, here...the build up is great but fizzles out over the large open area. However, the band is still as talented as I remember.
What I've loved about this festival so far (among other things) is the fact that all the sets for the most part, have been so prompt. We're waiting 10 minutes before Outkast emerge on the Samsung Galaxy Stage. Which is good, because I don't think the crowd was able to wait much longer. We're all crammed in and I'm not even in the immediate area of the crowd, which is saying something. Watching Andre 3000 and Big Boi together on stage is so entertaining; they're complete opposites in some ways, but they also fit together perfectly. Their show is incredibly well-oiled, with either member tapping out at various points to let the other take over.
'If you don't know us by now, you probably never will,' 3000 laughs early on, as everyone in the crowd recovers from "B.O.B". The banter between the two rappers and the crowd through the night is great and they don't miss a beat. 3000 wears a jacket with the question: "Across cultures, darker people suffer most. Why?" and it's a striking and a clever way to get the issue noticed. You're part of one of the world's biggest acts, what better way to raise questions then when the media spotlight is fully on you?
The hits are thrown down through the set, "Ms Jackson", "I Like the Way You Move", "ATLiens", "Roses" and "Ghettomusick" stood out immediately for their flow and delivery early on. The presence of Sleepy Brown was excellent and between the moves he and Big Boi threw down, everyone was getting seriously funked up. Bringing girls out on stage for "Hey Ya!", 3000 lapped up the female attention, lamenting the existence of panties and generally being a cheeky dude, admitting getting slightly distracted. Rounding it up with "So Fresh So Clean", an Underground Kingz cover of "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)" and "The Whole World", Outkast and Lollapalooza had one hell of a 20th anniversary celebration. As they pointed out various times, Chi-town turned up.
Leaving the site, I hear Cut/Copy dropping "Lights and Music" on a wild crowd for their last moments at the festival and cheers erupt as the party continues downtown. With one more day to go, I don't know how people are going to pull through but they've been doing incredibly well so far.
--
Day One Review HERE.,
Day One Gallery HERE.
