Rain. Then scorching sweatbox. Then humid cloud cover. No doubt, Lollapalooza 2009 brought its notorious weekend of shitty weather to the Windy City.
That's the only thing the annual summer soundfest can't seem to get right.
Lineup-wise, 2009 was no 2008. But how the hell do you top a headliner core of Radiohead, RATM, NIN, Wilco and The Raconteurs? They came close this year, with the likes of Kings of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tool and Jane's Addiction at the top of the bill...not to mention an arguably stronger supporting roster strewn across eight stages over three long days in Grant Park.
Here's a taste, featuring clips from Andy Butler of Hercules & Love Affair (DJ set), Santigold, Diplo, Kings of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cold War Kids and MSTRKRFT (and an awkward intro from an awkward Perry Farrell and his awkward voice):
Cold War Kids
You'll notice I went a little heavy on the Cold War Kids footage. Two reasons: a) it was the best-quality video I was able to get; b) their set blew me away. Here's a full version of their opener, "Mexican Dogs":
Pleasant discovery: Portugal. The Man
Badass in the studio, and even more so on stage. These Alaskan indie freaks have a Zeppelin-like live sound that their records don't seem to capture.
P.TM's (relatively) poppy "Lay Me Back Down", from last year's Censored Colors, has made the rounds, but do yourself a favor and pick up 2007's Church Mouth.
Here's the title track.
Their latest, Satanic Satanist, is no Jimmie Vaughan either.
Also, their keyboardist is smoking. (Um, the female one).
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