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Dan Auerbach: Official Press Photo Lollapalooza 2009 Day 3, Playstation Stage Photo by: Dave Mead

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• Lollapalooza 2009: Day two
• Lollapalooza 2009: Day one
• Preparing for Lollapalooza 2009

Michell: Besides the minor TV on the Radio/Lykki Li debacle on Saturday, I had gone pretty much the entire festival without any major scheduling conflicts. Well, my luck was bound to run out some time, and that time was today. The Lollapalooza scheduling gods were very much not on my side this afternoon with Neko Case, Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit and Dan Auerbach of Black Keys notoriety all overlapping in some way. A happy Michell this did not make. That being said, I was lucky enough to close out Lollapalooza with one of my very favorite bands. I guess I can’t complain too much.

Maggie: It’s hard to believe that Friday and Sunday occurred in the same city given the drastic weather change. To be fair, the heat of today was much more reminiscent of Lolla’s past. As I had predicted, Day 3 was going to be the worst, if I’m even allowed to use that word given the fantastic time I still had. It was a very high energy, sweaty and smelly day, especially by the Vitamin Water stage where I luckily, and hilariously, overheard a man describe it as, “Butt crack. With a little bit of cheese on it.” He hit the nail on the head with that one.

Amanda: I can’t say I went into Sunday as enthusiastically as I could have, or should have, for that matter. I was burnt out (literally) and not terribly thrilled by any of the Sunday acts. Lollapalooza is a wonderful festival, but if I learned anything from the weekend it’s that I don’t think I’m a festival person. I missed the intimacy and thrill of seeing what I wanted to see and not “oh I’m just waiting to pick another act off of a list because there’s no one else playing at the time.” No disrespect to anything about the event, but I’ll continue to take 4 bands over 130.

With that dreariness out of the way, however, I did get a chance to check out a new act and continued on with the tried and true. On a prior recommendation, I headed to the Citi Stage for Cage the Elephant, a straight-up rock group out of Kentucky running strong on the single, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.” Though the group was definitely in the vein of the no-frills rock I enjoy, there was something overtly irritating about lead singer Matt Shultz’ need to catch his breath every 2 seconds. With that, the songs were raw, but rather half sung because only half of the lyrics actually came out. Nitpicky of a complaint as it is, I could still definitely see the act’s appeal.

I was excited by the prospect of hardly moving and quickly ran one stage over to immerse myself in Dan Deacon’s set. I was able to shuffle to a perfect spot in the middle, perfectly aware of how ridiculously hot it was about to get. I’m a huge proponent of Mr. Deacon for putting on an all-around enjoyable show, regardless of favorites and personal musical tastes. Joined by the appropriately named Dan Deacon Ensemble, the man/group seemed shocked by the impressively large crowd roped in with more than just playful antics. I have to put the set on my list of favorites from the weekend for the sheer amount of fun that I had losing myself in the crowd.

Maggie: Dan Deacon was the most interactive show I’ve seen at the festival. First off, I’d like to give it up to Dan Deacon fans who were probably the best audience of any show I’ve seen- and a very cooperative one. Despite the slow start of the show, once the instrument checks were done (and overdone), the party never stopped. At one point a huge dance tunnel was formed, followed by an interpretive dance led by one of Dan Deacon’s “people.” A huge empty circle was formed, the middle occupied by the dance leader, and the audience was to follow his every move. Those who could see it did so, and the effect was amazing. The same goes for when the audience began to throw garbage and plastic bottles in the air on cue. The crowd surfing, moshing and dancing were at an all time high, causing a rather large amount of people to be carried off by paramedics. I, and probably most people, left the show in a fantastic mood, with synthesized beats stuck in my head.

Michell: Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson yesterday as I tried to catch part of both Neko Case and Vampire Weekend. From the little I saw of Neko Case, her set was low-key, with people lazing in the grass and simply enjoying her mix of country/rock music. However, lazing was something I was not able to do. I had to trot to the other end of Grant Park to catch a few Vampire Weekend songs. Showing up late, I was so far back and tired from the sprint that I couldn’t really get a feel for how their set was going. So, take my advice kids. Bite the bullet; make a decision and just stick to one band for the full set. It’s better that way.

I then headed over to catch Passion Pit, who drew a huge crowd, one that nearly overpowered the small Citi Stage. I came expecting to hear upbeat, catchy synth-pop tunes and that’s exactly what I got. The set turned into one big, sweaty dance party with everyone jumping up and down to favorites “Sleepyhead” and “Little Secrets.” There was a lot of energy present, even with the extreme heat. However, though Passion Pit’s set was a lot of fun, I can’t say lead singer Michael Angelako’s voice translated very well to the live performance setting. It was rather weak at times, with Angelako seeming to struggle through some of the rangier songs like “I’ve Got Your Number.” That being said, I came to Passion Pit for a good time and that’s exactly what I got.

Amanda: Following the energy of Dan Deacon, I was definitely ready for something equally as upbeat, if not in an entirely different way. Again, moving but a mere stage over, I caught a solid set from Vampire Weekend. From the first number I was surprised by how quickly the group moved into playing their “hits,” (an act usually saved for last or second to last song) before I realized that every damn song on that album was a hit, so to speak. With Vampire Weekend, if you have heard their album or caught a music video, you know what you are getting into, and that is by no means a complaint. Throwing a quick dedication in to the recent passing of famed director John Hughes was all too appropriate for the atmosphere of the band.

Maggie: Still in a great mood from Dan Deacon, I headed over to Passion Pit, which I have recently become really passionate about. I feel as though Passion Pit is still one of those bands that people either have no idea about, and if they know them, they love them. It was pretty clear the audience was of the latter. Right as it started, it became another huge dance party, although it got pretty dangerous with the amount of crowd surfers. The end of that show was probably the sweatiest I have been all festival. My only complaint would be the awkward breaks between songs where no music was being played and there was no commentary or small talk from the band.

Michell: I caught the very end of Dan Auerbach’s set, and I’m really sad I didn’t get to see more. I’m a big Black Keys fan, so I was interested to see what singer/guitarist Auerbach would do as a solo artist. Not surprisingly, his work sounds very similar, if not identical, to the stuff of the Black Keys, which isn’t a complaint. Auerbach brought his hard rocking, garage-grunge sound to a smaller, yet energetic audience, one that was head banging right alongside with him. Oh how I wish I could have been there head-banged some more.

Maggie: I caught some of Snoop Dogg, but being incredibly hungry and off to the side, I have to say I didn’t have as much fun and I could have. I will vouch for everyone else though; it seemed as the majority of the audience was having a fantastic time jamming to a lot of “old school” tracks.

Amanda: Having no interest in either the Killers or Jane’s addiction, I closed out my Lollapalooza experience with one of my favorite bands, Band of Horses. Despite the efforts of Lou Reed, who played an entire 20 minutes longer than his designated set time, the concert was amazing. As I was at the very front of the stage, which is always full of die-hard fans, I really couldn’t tell how the crowd was responding to the music. However, if Ben Bridwell and crew’s reaction could be any judge, everyone was feeling the energy. Bridewell was bouncing around on stage, at one point almost diving in. He even looked confused and surprised by the crowd’s affection at times. Band of Horses thankfully extended their set to make up for the lost time, turning up their amps to overpower neighboring Jane’s Addiction’s antics. The set even included a sneak peak from their upcoming album. It was exactly the way I wanted to end my Lollapalooza experience. I couldn’t have been happier.

Maggie: Choosing the headliner was rather tough since I wasn’t invested in either. I decided to go to The Killers due to my mild obsession with their first album back in high school, although I haven’t listened their following albums at all. I still had a fun time. They put on a good show in general, although I wasn’t a fan of the overly dramatic monologs from the lead singer. They encored with some popular tracks, which is always a good idea at festivals.

All in all, the festival was a great and exhausting time. I can't wait to see what next year brings.