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• Lollapalooza: day one

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Amy Winehouse performs at Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago in this Aug. 5, 2007 file photo. (Brian Kersey, The Associated Press)

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I am no musician or music snob, nor am I a connoisseur of music festivals or concerts. I am just simply, a fan. I love what I love, I dislike what I dislike, and I’m always open to new sounds. With that in mind, Lollapalooza was incredible. However, like all things in life, it had a few minor drawbacks. But don’t worry; the incredible aspects heavily outweighed the rest. And after day one, I can confidently say I saw the best concert of my life.

From the very first moment (8:30 in the morning) it was on. The crowd was charged, ready, and loud. My friends and I, and everyone around us, had gotten there early so we could get in and run the half-mile stretch of band shells to the AT&T stage. Why, you may ask would we all be interested in doing such a thing? I got five words for you: Radiohead from ten feet away. As soon as they started scanning tickets and checking bags, the floodgates open, and it was not unlike some Olympic event. I was at the front of the crowd, and sprinted my little legs right off. I felt like some cross-country intercontinental track star. There were photographers all around taking pictures of the oncoming mob, and the Lolla speakers were blasting the infamous Star Wars theme song while all the staff and volunteers cheered us on. “Keep going”, they said, “you’re almost there!” I secured a spot along the fence, laying down a blanket to solidify my claim. And the day had surely begun.

Sweaty, thirsty, and ready for action, we were surprised to find out the first band of the day, Noah and the Whale, couldn’t get visas to the states and therefore couldn’t make it to Lolla. However, a band I had never heard of before came to the rescue and took their spot. The band’s name was Holy F*ck, and they were Holy F*cking awesome. They kept the crowd jumping and jiving from their first deep electronic beats, to their last. It was definitely an energetic, electronic, get up and dance your ass off start to the day.

The next band to come to the stage was Yeasayer, who was another first for me. Blend one part middle eastern/afro pop, one part neo folk, a heavy sprinkling of indie rock, and a nine-volt battery. Then add a thick crust of incredibly talented musicians, bake in a fiesta ware dish at 350, smoke a joint, and you’ll get Yeasayer. I promise you, if you ever get to see them live, you’ll understand what I am talking about.

Yeasayer paved the way for Gogol Bordello, whose gypsy punk music caused mosh-pits to erupt everywhere. This was my only complaint. Not the moshing necessarily, but people just being idiots. I can’t tell you how many shirtless drunken bro’s punched me in the kidneys while screaming out wrong lyrics to Gogol Bordellos songs. Sorry dude, I don’t want your junk rubbing on my elbow, so get the Holy F*ck off of me. Bloc Party was next. They were good, but not mind blowing. The crowd was getting into it though, but I feel only to bring Radiohead closer.

Then came the band we were all waiting for, Radiohead. To say it was the best show of my life would be an understatement. It was a mind blowing emotional rollercoaster of love, pain, and life. The incredible LED displays and light show complimented their performance, adding vibrant color to their songs that you could only imagine on record. Every moment, every note, every space between the notes was filled with a passion I had never seen in any band before. I was choking back tears at some songs, and letting my body go into convulsive dance explosions in others. Radiohead rocked the house. Thank you Radiohead, thank you Lollapalooza, thank you Russ, Mickey, and Charles for giving me one of the best days of my life.