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• Lollapalooza 2009 brings rain, heat & 130 bands to Chicago

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• Lollapalooza 2009: Day one
• Lollapalooza 2009: Day two
• Lollapalooza 2009: Day three
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Despite initial reports of an underwhelming line-up and three-days of less than pleasant weather, Lollapalooza 2009 turned out to be quite the successful weekend of music. Taking place in the massive expanse that is Chicago’s Grant Park, the loaded event impressed crowds by keeping true to its roots and focusing on the key element of any positive festival experience — the music itself.

Initially, Friday afternoon set itself up to be miserable. For the opening day of such an event, a steady, multi-hour rain does not always send positive vibes. However, an impressive grounds crew and eager crowd would not allow something like precipitation to foil efforts at a solid day of music (and with ticket prices as they are, I can’t blame anyone for that). From the mid-morning pleasantries of indie rockers Manchester Orchestra and the Springsteen-turned-punk vocals of Jersey’s Gaslight Anthem, rock fans could find little room for complaint. On the other end of the spectrum, rain seemingly enhanced electrified DJ sets from the likes of The Bloody Beetroots and Simian Mobile Disco, supplying a soaking crowd with the means to let loose. Closing out the opening day, headliners Kings of Leon and Depeche Mode proved a positive choice at either end of the mile-long park, appeasing the all-ages crowd with rock influenced by two very different decades.

After the wet, wet fiasco that was Friday, Mother Nature spent Saturday soaking Grant Park in heat, heat and more heat, bringing one of the hottest days of a previously subdued summer. For this fan, the day was a celebration of female-fronted rock and tried-and-true favorites including Coheed and Cambria and Rise Against. Norwegian Ida Maria spewed gritty vocals over pop-tinged rock, taking full command of the Citi Stage, while the duel-sex vocals of Los Campesinos! were frenetic and energetic. Championing the “girls rock” movement, however, was a set from last-minute headliners Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Despite briefly forgetting the words to fan favorite “Maps,” frontwoman Karen O. was a presence on the main stage, creating an intimate experience out of an event that is anything but small.

Following in Saturday’s footsteps, Sunday continued to bring the heat, this time with an alarming humidity and the stench of tens of thousands of bodies in one park finally catching up to Grant Park. What is best about events like Lollapalooza is that whereas fans may begin to lose steam by the third full day of music, the bands continue to bring fresh, energetic sets that awaken any possibility of tiring. In one of the best examples of musician/crowd interaction, Dan Deacon relieved stresses, snaked an entire audience through half of Grant Park and brought an impressively large crowd to freely sweat away their cares. Scheduling conflicts proved most difficult on Sunday as fans were forced to choose between such pairings as Silversun Pickups and Band of Horses, and Neko Case and Vampire Weekend; the one letdown to the event being the near impossibility of successfully catching two acts in one time slot.

As quickly as it began, the weekend drew to a close with sets from Jane’s Addiction and The Killers, either choice a worthy ending to three fulfilling days of music in the park. Meanwhile, fans can begin planning for 2010 already, as the future festival dates have been announced for August 6-8, once again in Chicago’s Grant Park.