Its probably best to start off with a disclaimer: One man will never beat 130 bands. Last weekend, tens of thousands of people descended upon Chicagos Grant Park for
Lollapalooza. 3 Days. 11 hours each day. Nine stages. Each day must be planned with the tactical strategies of a Navy Seal and, no matter how many bands you get to see, the days are as much defined by who you missed as who you saw. Still, the sheer number of interesting bands at this years festival made it a wonderful problem to have.
Unlike other festivals that focus on up-and-coming bands (South by Southwest), attract diehards for selected groups (Coachella) or lean towards the 24-hour festival experience (Bonnaroo), Lollapalooza has re-emerged as a sort of Rock 101 Festival. Sure, Pearl Jam got some devoted fans to Chicago, but the majority of acts were seen by people more curious than enthusiastic. Maybe its an age thing. With an average age in the teens and early 20s, many festival attendees were in prime discovery mode.
So let it not be said that we cant winnow 130 bands into easily-digestible lists. Baeble presents the Best and Worst of this years festival.
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Jason Newman