DBF Music Lollapalooza 2010 Guide/Preview
Posted August 6th, 2010 · Artists: Arcade Fire, Chromeo, Cut Copy, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Cypress Hill, Dawes, Dirty Projectors, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Empire of the Sun, Frightened Rabbit, Fuck Buttons, Gogol Bordello, Green Day, HEALTH, Hot Chip, MGMT, Mumford & Sons, Phoenix, Raphael Saadiq, Stars, The Black Keys, The Cribs, The Morning Benders, The National, The Strokes, The Walkmen, Yeasayer
By now, the gates are open and peeps are wandering through Grant Park, music and good times wafting through the air. I thought I would throw together a quick and dirty guide of some picks for the festival for those that will be there today or tomorrow or Sunday or all three. These are just some of the acts I would make sure to try to swing by throughout the 3 days of the fest. But first, here are a few survivor’s tips to enjoying the fest:
- Lots of water – Go easy on the beer early, it will pay off at the end of the day. You can bring a backpack with some waters I believe into the park, so take advantage of that and refill at water fountains.
- Plan way ahead I – Grant Park is huge, and it takes a long-ass time to walk from the south stages to the north stages, so basically treat it as two different festivals that take about 20 minutes to walk between, and don’t try to walk north/south across the park all day, you won’t last. So plan ahead to get from one side of the park to the other if there are bands you want to see. Build in at least 20 minutes travel time.
- Plan way ahead II – If you want a good spot for any act, you basically have to get to the stage BEFORE they start playing. If you wait for the music to start, you are too late and you will be stuck way in the back. Get to a stage ~10 mins before the starting time to secure a solid spot with a good view. For the headliners though, basically shoot for 45 mins~1 hour before (especially for Arcade Fire).
- Sun lotion – If you don’t put on something, you are likely to get fried at some point, so be weary of this.
- Pace yourself – This is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself each day so you hit the finish Sunday night.
And here are some of the bands that I would recommend looking out for:
Friday, August 6th, 2010:
Raphael Saadiq, 2:00-3:00 Parkways Stage - I think his new soul flavor will translate great to an outdoor arena and this should be a great early afternoon set.
Cymbals Eat Guitars, 3:30-4:30 Sony bloggie Stage - Lots of buzz around these guys still, they will be touring with The Thermals this fall, see if they live up to the hype.
Dirty Projectors, 5:00-6:00 Playstation Stage - Absolutely love these guys live, though I am not sure if their intricate arrangements will translate to the big outdoor stage, but I imagine they would do just fine. Great songs and great band.
Fuck Buttons, 5:00-6:00 Sony bloggie Stage - Same time as above, but if you want some fidgety electronic noise and some good beats, this is a good set to check out this band.
The Black Keys, 6:00-7:15 Budweiser Stage - Needless to say this band is tailor made for this kind of situation, and they will deliver.
Hot Chip, 6:00-7:00 Parkways Stage - These guys are great live and a total blast to see. Seeing them with a big, morphing and dancing crowd only makes it better.
Chromeo, 7:00-8:00 adidas MEGA Stage - See above description as well, a really fun, not serious at all but totally great beats and a perfect platform for some dancing.
The Strokes, 8:30-10:00 Budweiser Stage - You know you want to see them roll through their classic songs, and this should be a good one to see. I have to admit though, Gaga would be a decent alternative if only for the ‘see what this is all about’ factor. I would go Strokes though.
Saturday, August 7th, 2010:
The Morning Benders, 12:00-12:30 Sony bloggie Stage - These guys are starting to blow up with their latest album Big Echo so see them on a small and intimate stage early in the day here. A good alternative pick though is The Kissaway Trail if the Benders don’t work for you, they are a very solid live band with some good songs and some epic crescendos.
Stars, 2:15-3:15 Budweiser Stage - If you need your 80s influenced upbeat synth pop jams, this is the place to get them right here.
Dawes, 3:30-4:30 Sony bloggie Stage - While I know The xx is at the same time practically, I’m not sure they would translate to the big arena as well, and Dawes is primed to blow up. I heard their set from Newport Folk Festival and they delivered big time, and I imagine the same will happen here. Highly recommended.
Gogol Bordello, 3:45-4:45 Parkways Stage - If you happen to be on the south end of the park, don’t miss these guys. Pure gypsy punk mania, I imagine this would be a crowd-pleasing, rousing set.
Edwarde Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, 6:30-7:30 Sony bloggie Stage - While its understandable if you end up at Spoon instead of this, you know you have seen Spoon before and these guys are breaking big time. The energy and power of this band live is a great thing to see and I can guarantee they will have one of the top 5 most into-it crowds of the whole fest, probably the most into-it.
Cut Copy, 7:30-8:30 Playstation Stage - Memo to all of you: get ready to dance.
Phoenix/Green Day/Empire of the Sun, 7:45-10:00 Various - No clear pick here, Phoenix is great and you know them, but I would imagine they would be a little predictable live, and Green Day may actually be decent live or worth seeing a few songs, and Empire of the Sun has some serious hype and I think this is their first (or close to it) show in the States. I would go the first half of Phoenix then head to Empire of the Sun personally, but YMMV. Pick whatever floats your boat.
Sunday, August 8th, 2010:
HEALTH, 11:30-12:15 adidas MEGA Stage - For the early birds, wake up with some electronics.
The Cribs, 2:00-3:00 Parkways Stage - Really good live band when I saw them before, and there is a possibility Johnny Marr would be with them so I would pick this over Blitzen Trapper.
Mumford & Sons, 3:00-4:00 Playstation Stage - Must see, these guys are awesome live, and with a full stomping and clapping crowd this could be epic.
Yeasayer, 4:00-5:00 Budweiser Stage - Off beat but completely awesome. They have one of the best albums this year and their live shows are extremely high energy and extremely good. Seeing “2080″ live is worth it, and the rest of their set is equally as good.
Frightened Rabbit, 5:00-6:00 Sony bloggie Stage - F bombs are guaranteed, as well as a good, cynical and beligerent set by this Scottish band. Also have very good songs that would work in the festival setting.
MGMT/Cypress Hill, 6:00-8:00 Various - MGMT is worth seeing but may disappoint you, and Cypress Hill would be probably pretty crazy to see. Pick one or the other depending on whether you are doing Arcade Fire or Soundgarden at the end of the night.
The National, 7:15-8:30 Playstation Stage - Love these guys, and while their quieter songs don’t hit the festival stage as well as in a venue, the break out songs like “Mr. November” and “Terrible Love” will deliver.
Arcade Fire, 8:30-10:00 Budweiser Stage - As much as I would *love* to see Soundgarden, I can’t in good conscience recommend that anyone miss the Arcade Fire set. They are unreal live, and you really should not miss this, period. They have three amazing albums, they back it up with the best live show around, and this is going to floor everyone. So get set up early, get close, and enjoy.
Everyone have a blast out there, I will be there with you in spirit!
