Weary festival goers clutched their Starbucks cups closely on the CTA. The enthusiasm for day 2 of Lollapalooza was there, but the energy was not. Friday had been hot and filled with a combination of lots of dancing and walking. The evening was packed with after shows and after parties, so passengers suavely tried to glance at the tangled wrist bands of others to see what Chicago venues they had ended up at or in some cases, were just now returning home from.
For those that thought Saturday would leave thoughts of Gaga in the dust, they were wrong. One of the first bands I saw that day paid her an early afternoon tribute. Over at the BMI Stage, I caught the pop rock act: Skybox. These guys are Chicago-based, but they also have a Kansas City (where I’m from) connection. So I already, felt a bit of a bond to these grandiose rockers. The band’s singer, Tim Ellis, quickly had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he bounced around the stage singing catchy hooks and amping the crowd up for the rest of the day. When it came time for their last number, he said they were dedicating it to Lady Gaga, and he disappeared. When Ellis re-emerged, he was wearing a sparkly bra with his striped pants. Once past the initial shock of his change, we went with it and started dancing and having fun. It was like a big party in front of the stage. Fantastic.
Wild Beasts were one of those surprise bands that I ended up loving and had just kind of stumbled into. I honestly, didn’t know a thing about these ethereal rockers, but from the sampling I saw, I’m recommending everyone check them out.
Dragonette continued the trend of the BMI stage featuring synth-heavy, up-and-coming rock bands that were great for dancing. Considering that Gaga was able to blow up after her hot mess of a set on the BMI Stage a few years ago, I wouldn’t be surprised if this tight performance launches Dragonette into even bigger stardom.
Speaking of hot messes, I was less of a fan of the poptart I saw at the Hard Rock Music Lounge: Kristine Elezaj. She wants to be the next Britney or something, but with her over the top performance for a bunch of already established music industry people was a bit much. Honestly, we don’t need to see some over produced act feeling herself up while we’re trying to enjoy lunch. Ugh. Disgusted, I hurried back to the festival for some guaranteed good music.
More from day 2 soon to follow!
