It's been a long weekend at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago and it's taken a decent amount of rumination to come up with a list of the "bests" (and one "worst") from the crowded lineup. Without too much ado, we give you Music Times Lollapalooza Superlatives:
BEST FRIDAY ACT: Blood Orange
Friday had the biggest selection of headliners for concertgoers to consider but the biggest sound came from The Grove, one of the festival's smallest stages. Dev Hynes has the potential to be a one-man show, what with the way he spun out blistering solos when he wasn't crooning the crowd into a trance with his smooth vocals. Girlfriend Samantha Urbani helped bolster the superb vocal set during excellent singles such as "You're Not Good Enough." What pushed Blood Orange from good to great was the space filled by Hynes' backing band, with special kudos going to saxophonist Jason Arce. Unfortunately this superb set is marred with the allegations that hired security manhandled Hynes and Urbani following the set. It would be a shame that future Lollapalooza crowds may not get to see the performer again.
BEST FRIDAY SONG: "Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem with Rihanna
Music Times predicted that Rihanna might make an appearance during Eminem's set but it was still oh so sweet when it came to fruition. The duo were together for three songs but their first single ultimately trumped "Monster" from Eminem's most recent album. The emcee rapped through the entirety of the track, versus selecting verses as he did with other old singles. Even the weather seemed to be in on the act. A slight breeze blew off Lake Michigan and pushed Rihanna's bangs gently, creating a ethereal vision on the Jumbotron that was almost reminiscent of Herzog. Tabloids constantly theorize about a Jay Z / Rihanna tryst, but her best chemistry is with Eminem to be sure.
BEST SATURDAY ACT: Kate Nash
The last time we caught Nash, she was going full-out riot grrrlll at a small gig at Webster Hall in New York City. Since then she seems to have realized that she can incorporate tracks from her first two albums without watering down her strong-woman persona. "Why aren't more of us," she said, gesticulating at her female band members. "Doing more of this?" in reference to playing the festival. "Merry Happy" has all the lyrical necessity to be a downer of a single, but Nash and her band turned it into one last rocking number. The headliner took a line of fans in a hand-holding, high-fiving tour of the camera pit before returning to the stage and hammering on her piano, finally taking off her shoes, getting on the instrument and dancing on the keys. She and her new friends took a bow in unison.
BEST SATURDAY SONG: "N.Y. State of Mind" by Nas
Nas opting to perform a set strongly dedicated to the 20th anniversary of seminal hip-hop album Illmatic wasn't difficult to foresee, but again was just as pleasing when it came to be. Every fan gathered around the Palladia stage knew what was coming when "The Genesis" played over the stage speakers and the years began counting down from 2014 to 1994 on an onstage screen. "N.Y. State of Mind" rang just as true in Chicago as it does in Queens and the fans loudly proclaimed the song's key line that "sleep is the cousin of death." Seeing this track live is special in any instance, but in the grand scheme of Saturday's performance it took on a special significance.
BEST SUNDAY ACT: The Avett Brothers
The weather may have biased Grant Park to The Avett Brothers' advantage but they took full advantage of it. Rain fell at its hardest during a day full of rain, and the resulting mud and muck made a perfect companion for carefree concertgoers looking to celebrate life with the gladsome folk rockers. It's easy for a band such as the Avetts to select a setlist and it's easy to deliver a performance full of hits. Elevating a live show from satisfactory to superb is turning thos hits up to 11, even if you deal primarily in acoustic instruments. "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" reached encore-type levels three songs into the set but the band continued to bolster its hits, extending the bridge to "Slight Figure of Speech" and Seth Avett dropped a triumphant solo on the end of "Kick Drum Heart." The band came to demonstrate that live shouldn't sound dead..
BEST SUNDAY SONG: "Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise" by The Avett Brothers
See above.
BEST ACT OF THE FESTIVAL: The Avett Brothers
BEST SONG OF THE FESTIVAL: "Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem with Rihanna
WORST ACT OF THE FESTIVAL: Rich Homie Quan
Normally when Beyoncé, Iggy Azalea and Migos turn up during your set, you've got a rousing success on your hands. Not when it's DJ Fresh spinning records as an "opening act" for a 45-minute set however. The DJ remained unfazed as time ticked by and Quan himself appeared 17 minutes into his set, then leaving the stage seven minutes before it technically ended, totaling just 21 minutes of performance time. It's tough that every fan only knows him from the smash "Some Kind Of Way," but a premier festival spot is a chance to showcase the rest of your arsenal, not bust out the guest verses you record for other rapper's hit songs (such as YG and Yo Gotti). Perry Farrell would do well cut a check much lower than what Quan was promised and make sure not to draft the "emcee" for future renditions of the festival.
BEST FOOD: The Smoke Daddy
It's tough to go wrong with a pulled-pork sandwich. There were many great pulled-pork sandwiches to be had around the Lollapalooza grounds. No, what sets The Smoke Daddy apart was the homemade BBQ chips. Thick cut and deliciously spiced, the side took an already good entree and elevated the Smoke Daddy into a delicious meal. And affordable as well, by Lolla standards. $9 got you both products, while other vendors wanted $10 for the sandwich alone.
BEST T-SHIRT: "Don't Trip"
There were plenty of great shirts in the running for this year's best pseudo-fashion statement, but one concertgoer really cracked us up. The white shirt featured a Great White shark posed in a typically terrifying manner. The caption read "don't trip," a hilarious irony considering the fish's aquatic lifestyle. A lion with the same phrase wouldn't be remotely funny. It may or may not be a throwback to the classic Saturday Night Live "Land Shark" skit. Kudos to you sir for your excellent taste in tees.
BEST PLOY FOR SINGLE GUYS: Bring an umbrella. Mud surfing can be good fun but not when you're lugging around an expensive camera. To our surprise, literally a dozen women requested a spot under the umbrella throughout the day (occasionally accompanied by dudes, but guys aren't as comfortable asking to share cramped spaces with other men). Not single? Still hidden benefits: Temporary occupants are gracious with the alcohol they've smuggled in. Everyone wins.
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