Lollapalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

As discussed, Lollapalooza 2013 is set to take place from August 2-4 in Chicago's Grant Park. The festival have now revealed their full schedule with set times, and there aren't as many direct conflicts as you might think. Though you might have to leave some sets after just a few songs if you want to see everything, the one major head-to-head happens on Friday, August 2, and is New Order at one end of the fest and Queens of the Stone Age all the way at the other, both at 6:15PM. Check out the full 2013 schedule HERE.

The Orwells @ BV-SXSW 2013 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

The Orwells have announced that they'll be releasing a new EP, called Other Voices, on June 25 via East End/Canvasback. Other Voices' title track was produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, and you can stream it at the bottom of this post. They've been playing the song live for quite a while now, and it's nice to hear them continue to churn out great material.

The guys are currently touring throughout the East Coast, and then will head to the UK for a handful of shows next week. Their next upcoming Chicago show is a performance on Sunday (8/4) of Lollapalooza 2013.

All known Orwells tour dates and a stream of their new single are below...

Continue reading "take a listen to The Orwells' new single "Other Voices""

Guards @ NYC's the Slipper Room, November 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

NYC outfit Guards welcomed their super catchy, debut full-length LP, In Guards We Trust, earlier this year and did quite a bit of touring in support of it. After they play Coachella this weekend (and next), Guards will hit the road once again, with UK group Palma Violets. As discussed, that tour includes a performance at Schubas on May 1. Advance tickets for the Chicago show are still available. Both acts will also be back in Chicago on Sunday, August 4 to perform at Lollapalooza 2013.

All Guards dates and their brand new video for the LP track "Ready To Go" are below...

Continue reading "Guards opening for Palma Violets at Schubas (before they both play Lollapalooza)"

Cat Power (via)

Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) performed on British music program Later... with Jools Holland earlier this week. Backed by just a piano player, Chan debuted a new ballad called "Bully." Check out some footage of her performance at the bottom of this post, and you can also purchase the track via iTunes. Chan also just recently released a music video for Sun's "Manhattan," which can be found alongside the footage.

As discussed, Cat Power is one of the many acts who will head to Chicago to play Lollapalooza 2013. Set times haven't been revealed yet, but we do know that Chan and co. will take the stage on Sunday, August 4.

All Cat Power tour dates, that "Bully" footage from Later..., and the "Manhattan" video are below...

Continue reading "Cat Power performed a new song on 'Jools Holland,' coming to Chicago for Lollapalooza"

Nine Inch Nails fan @ Lollapalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

The official Lollapalooza 2013 lineup has been announced, even though you already got a good peek at it when it leaked in full last week. The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Queens of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, Phoenix, The National, Baroness, and MANY more are slated to perform in Grant Park from August 2-4.

Three-day passes are long gone, but single-day tickets go on sale this Wednesday (4/3) at 10AM CST.

Check out the full Lollapalooza 2013 lineups-by-day below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2013 lineup announced (The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Queens of the Stone Age & many more)"

EDM Chicago are pointing to what looks like an official lineup poster for Lollapalooza 2013. Though it's a tad bit blurry (there's a clearer image at the bottom of this post), it features The Cure, Mumford & Sons, The Killers, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, The Postal Service, Vampire Weekend, New Order, Queens of the Stone Age, The Lumineers, The National, Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear, Lana Del Rey, Azealia Banks, Local Natives, Beach House, Cat Power, Alt-J, Foals, Death Grips, Disclosure, Father John Misty, Baroness, Jessie Ware, and MANY more.

Aside from the poster looking extremely real, most of these artists have already been confirmed or were at least strong possibilities. The official lineup will arrive on April 9, which is also when single-day passes - all that's left at this point - will go on sale (at 10AM CST).

Head below for a clearer picture of the leaked lineup...

Continue reading "could this be the full Lollapalooza 2013 lineup?"

Tune-Yards @ Lollpalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

As discussed, Early Bird three-day passes ($200) for Lollapalooza 2013 will go on-sale TODAY (Tuesday, March 26) at 10AM CST. Once those sell out, regular three-day passes ($235) will be made available.

Good luck...

Lollapalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

As we warned you they would, a very limited amount of Lollapalooza 2013 Souvenir Passes (three days for $75) went on sale late this afternoon and were gone within the blink of an eye. Anybody able to purchase them? Early Bird tickets ($200) will go on sale on Tuesday, March 26 at 10AM CST. Once those sell out, regular passes ($235) will be immediately available.

You already know that Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, The Killers, and Mumford & Sons are confirmed for the festival, and that The National and The Postal Service are likely to be on the bill, but who else would you like to see on there? Let us know.

Vampire Weekend @ Pitchfork Festival 2012 (more by Chase Turner)

The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot reports that Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, The Killers, and Mumford & Sons are among the confirmed headliners for Lollapalooza 2013, which is set to take place from August 2-4 in Chicago's Grant Park. Kot also divulged that The National and The Postal Service have been "confirmed by multiple industry sources." The full lineup will be announced sometime in April.

As discussed, Early Bird three-day passes go on sale next Tuesday (3/26) at 10AM CST. There's also a very limited, secret sale happening sometime this week... keep your eyes peeled.

Who would you like to see on this year's lineup? Let us know.

Lollapalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

As discussed, Lollapalooza 2013 is set to take place from August 2-4 in Chicago's Grant Park. While no acts have been revealed yet, MANY are rumored. "Early Bird" three-day passes ($200) for the festival will go on sale next Tuesday (3/26) at 10AM CST. Once those sell out, regular three-day passes ($235) will be immediately available. And as they've done in the past, a secret ticket sale ($75 for a three-day pass!) will be happening sometime this week. We're not quite sure of the date // time of that sale, but last year they sold-out within minutes.

Stay tuned.

Earlier today came the news that Nine Inch Nails had plans to tour again. Billboard has since followed that up with word that "Sources tell Billboard that the group will also be performing at Lollapalooza." We hope so!

Meanwhile, you can catch Trent Renzor at the Vic in April.

This guy is pumped about the 2013 rumors. (more by James Richards IV)

Well, it's about that time of year when the Lollapalooza lineup rumors start to pour in. Fake Shore Drive points to a short list of rumored (or "leaked") acts for this year's festival, which is slated to take place from August 2nd - 4th in Grant Park, and includes The Cure, Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Blur, Skrillex, The Flaming Lips, Vampire Weekend, How To Destroy Angels, My Bloody Valentine(!), MGMT, Kendrick Lamar, Eels, Alabama Shakes, Lower Dens, Purity Ring, CHVRCHES, Alt-J, STRFKR, The Vaccines, and more. We can neither confirm nor deny the rumored acts, but it should be a good time if a few of them take the stage in Grant Park throughout the weekend. (Here's a reminder for you: in 2012, Lolla began to reveal its lineup via CTA ads.)

What do you think: is this list 100% bullshit or do some of these artists seem probable? Only time will tell. All ticketing information for the 2013 festival is forthcoming.

Check out the rumored lineup in list form below, and stay tuned for more details...

Continue reading "...and the Lollapalooza 2013 lineup rumors begin"

photos by James Richards IV

The Black Keys @ Lollapalooza on 8.03.2012

Friday night (8/3) of Lollapalooza 2012 finished off with headlining sets from Black Sabbath at the north end of Grant Park, Wale on the Google Play stage, Bassnectar at Perry's, and The Black Keys at the south end of the park. An unpublished set of pictures from The Keys' performance are in this post.

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, introduced by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, kicked off their headlining set with "Howlin' For You" and went on to play other fan-favorites including "Tighten Up," "Everlasting Light," and "Gold on the Ceiling." More pictures, their full festival setlist, and some videos are below. Check out the rest of our DAY ONE pictures, as well as DAY TWO and DAY THREE.

Continue reading "The Black Keys helped close out Friday of Lollapalooza 2012 (pics/setlist/video)"

At The Drive-In @ Lollapalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

You've seen FRIDAY and SATURDAY. Now check out our final set of (Sunday) Lollapalooza photos at BrooklynVegan.

by Parker Langvardt, photos by James Richards IV

I walked onto the south field of Grant Park on Saturday just in time to catch the last couple Doomtree songs. Within that time, all four emcees (Cecil Otter, Dessa, Mike Mictlan, P.O.S.) had a chance to display their lyrical prowess over the innovative beats produced by Paper Tiger and Lazerbeak, who did some live production.

Shortly after at the neighboring stage, Bear in Heaven's frosty synth tones helped combat the heat. I was disappointed to see Jon Philpot was triggering most, if not all, of the more complex synth parts, but it did allow him to focus on his vocals, which sounded strong and clear. He also played bass for a bit while Adam Wills played soft guitar parts.

Aloe Blacc made up for the dose of soul that I didn't have a chance to get from the grittier JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound earlier in the day. Blacc was backed by a six-piece band that provided smooth funk for his powerful vocals.

Neon Indian

Neon Indian had an array of keyboards on stage for their busy synth pop. The clouds rolled in, and shortly after singer Alan Palomo said their set was cut short due to approaching thunderstorms. He made the following public service announcement, "If this happens to be your first time on psychedelics, drink plenty of water and everything is going to be okay."

As soon as Neon Indian ended, Lollapalooza was evacuated in a lengthy process, putting many thousands of attendees out on the streets of downtown Chicago. After a downpour with lightning and high winds, the park was re-opened with a reworked schedule. A handful of performances were cancelled, including Alabama Shakes, B.O.B., Chairlift, and the Temper Trap (no refunds are being given).

Tune-yards were fortunately rescheduled for 6:30, and Merrill Garbus opened the show solo with the vocal-loop heavy "Party Can". Bassist Nate Brenner and saxophonists Matt Nelson and Noah Bernstein joined her toward the end of the song, following with the jazzy "You Yes You". The refreshed audience sang along to the siren-like vocals in the intro of the wonky hit "Gangsta". After the distorted ukulele jam "Powa", they rocked through the African pop inspired "Bizness".

Bloc Party

I arrived at the north end of the park just in time for Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out," admittedly their only song I'm familiar with. Despite my low expectations, they sounded extremely tight on that and the following song. Bloc Party felt a bit lacking in intimacy though. It wasn't really possibly to get close enough to hear the lower frequencies or what Kele Okereke was saying.

Red Hot Chili Peppers opened with "Monarchy of Roses" from their new 2011 album I'm With You, with Anthony Kiedis using a strange tremolo effect on his voice. The massive crowd cheered as the song ended and Flea launched into a messy distorted jazz solo to lead into the opening bass line of "Around the World" off Californication. Flea and Chad Smith comfortably improvised throughout the part of the set I watched, and Josh Klinghoffer joined in on many of their between song jams. Klinghoffer's tone is much more ambient and noisy than former RHCP guitarist John Frusicante's, making for indistinct but still powerful solos. He skillfully handled the busy clean guitar of "Snow", which Flea prefaced with the statement, "Be kind, be gentle, be nice. Fuck shit up." After another song from I'm With You, they played "Throw Away Your Television", in a rare moment of Kiedis' lyrics making much sense at all.

Flea

Frank Ocean captivated his smaller but substantial crowd with his impressive vocal range; he hit the high falsetto parts with as much power as his lower notes. Backed by a band, his set was a mix of channel ORANGE and Nostalgia, Ultra.

That was it for me for Saturday, but read about Friday if you haven't yet. Sunday review on the way.

More pictures from Saturday HERE. Pictures from Friday HERE.

The Afghan Whigs @ Lollapalooza 2012 Friday (more by James Richards IV)

The setlist from Lollapalooza

The setlist from Metro SAturday

More pictures from the reunited band's set in our Lollapalooza Day One Photos. Video from their Saturday night aftershow at Metro (setlist above), below...

Continue reading "the Afghan Whigs played Lollapalooza & Metro (setlist, video)"

by Parker Langvardt, photos by James Richards IV

The sun baked the lawns and wide streets of downtown Chicago's Grant Park as Lollapalooza 2012 started off on Friday with bands on all stages minus the two main stages at either end of the park. Aside from the stages, fences, booths, and some Lollapalooza signage, the park remained fairly untransformed for the festival.

I caught the very end of First Aid Kit's set, and at the time entirely forgot the duo's Swedish nationality due to the accent they sang with, closer to a mild Southern US drawl. The softness in their voices gave way to an excited and slightly jarring scream before one of the final choruses. I walked to the south end of the park for The Growlers. Vocalist Brooks Nielsen's nasally twang was the constant as they shifted through relaxed and eclectic styles of rock.

Chiptune quartet Anamanaguci played at the shaded Google Play stage, with a recorded keyboard backing their synthy guitars. Their instrumental electro-punk would make a great soundtrack for a pixelated arcade racing game.

Yellow Ostrich's upbeat indie rock was made slightly more diverse by drummer Michael Tapper's focus on clean drum sounds (no snare buzz) and rattling auxiliary percussion. Alex Schaaf began one song by creating a slightly off-putting guitar loop, which he managed to fit a pleasant vocal melody over before the instruments transitioned into their usual style.

Back at the north end of the park, The Black Angels vamped on heavy southern blues rock as vocalist Alex Maas shook a tambourine and sang with a slight Southern accent and a bit of vibrato. The guitars were dirty when loud, and psychedelic when soft or soloing. They touched on standard blues progressions with choppy, reverb-soaked guitar.

Tame Impala

Tame Impala's floating melodies are vaguely similar to a variety of classic rock and pop bands, but their choice of tone obscures it in a psychedelic haze. They performed their hard swinging new single "Elephant", which twists through strange transitions in what is definitely their most complex and heavy work yet, though it did not sound as thick as the recording. There were some minor technical difficulties - Kevin Parker's guitar seemed to short out and he mentioned that he thought one of his pedals was melting (presumably the electronics inside), though his tone remained similar to their recordings.

Perry's electronic stage, upgraded from it's previous tent status, was packed all day with mainstream electronic offerings. Considering the bass dropped every time I walked by, it was fitting that SBTRKT's set took place at the Google Play stage instead, with their chilled tones - largely created live on keyboards - and varied rhythms, which were often played on drums by producer Aaron Jerome. Sampha contributed vocals throughout the set.

Passion Pit

Though they cancelled a few shows, Passion Pit returned to Chicago to play a club show at House of Blues and a set at Lolla on Friday. Frontman Michael Angelakos appeared in good spirits as he greeted the crowd. They opened with the pulsing drums and bold synth of "Take a Walk," which sounded like a near-reproduction of the recording. I then traversed the festival grounds to catch The Shins, who were in fine form. They took some songs a slower pace than I anticipated. James Mercer embellished some of his vocals when he wasn't accompanied by lead guitarist Jessica Dobson's singing.

Five minutes prior to Black Sabbath's set, Ozzy Osbourne's laugh was heard over the PA, followed by sounds of rain. Unfortunately, what followed were only videos of the band and brief samples of their music. Ozzy was heard once again, and the curtain raised for three-fourths of the original Black Sabbath to play classic doom metal piece "Black Sabbath". It was slightly slower than Ozzy seemed to want to take it, hedging ahead at times. His cries of "Oh no, God, please help me" were convincing enough, though I'm not sure he could ever recreate the terror in his voice that was first heard over 40 years ago, especially in sobriety.

Ozzy played harmonica throughout "The Wizard", and urged the crowd to clap during the time-shifting "Behind the Wall of Sleep," saying, "Come on, you fuckers!" They wrapped up their Black Sabbath portion of the set with "NIB," beginning with Geezer Butler's wah'ed out bass. Tony Iommi played masterfully throughout, leading off the vaguely Latin sludge of "Into The Void" with precision. He used more modern sounding effects on "Electric Funeral", which were paired by Bill Ward replacement Tommy Clufetos' clicky drums. The former Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, and Rob Zombie drummer was given a drum solo prior to "Iron Man," which he blasted through on his two bass drums. I felt this was kind of a slight to Ward, and totally unnecessary as many drum solos are, but it did hype up the crowd, who weren't loud enough for Ozzy. "I can't fucking hear you!", he screamed more than once. And that was the end of the first of three long, hot days in Chicago.

Check out Black Sabbath's setlist HERE. Check out more pictures from Day One, The Afghan Whigs, Metric, and M83 included, HERE. Pictures from Day Two are HERE. More about the fest, and day three pictures, coming soon.

outside photos by Milos Markicevic

Jack White @ Reckless Records (photo by saspauld)

Line for Third Man Records Rolling Record Store

Jack White was well represented in Chicago this weekend with a headlining set at Lollapalooza Sunday night, after a surprise in-store at Reckless Records earlier in the day, which wasn't that much of a surprise considering that was the location his Third Man Records Rolling Store was parked. More pictures and video from inside and out, below...

Continue reading "Jack White played a surprise show @ Reckless Records; Third Man was parked outside (pics & video)"

Jack White @ Lolla 2012 (via BVChicago Instagram)

Jack White, who also played a secret show at Reckless Records on Sunday (his Third Man Records Rolling Record Store was parked outside), co-headlined Lollapalooza Sunday night with a 19 song setlist split into three sections.

In giving time to both his all-male and all-female backing bands (the latter tagged in about halfway through the set), White tapped into the dynamism that fueled his recent solo effort Blunderbuss and also reinvented some of his old classics as entirely new species (see the finger-pluckin' hoedown version of the White Stripes standard "Hotel Yorba" for just one example).

Though the men, Los Buzzardos, do possess an undeniable technical mastery, White was best served by the ladies, dubbed the Peacocks, on Sunday night, especially when singer Ruby Amanfu traded barbs with White on "Ball and Biscuit." "Love Interruption" has also evolved from the quiet-storm version on Blunderbuss into a more visceral, dangerous-feeling grind. As he tends to do, White closed out his show with the White Stripes' signature tune "Seven Nation Army," which allowed all those left in still-swampy Grant Park to sing along with that notorious descending bassline. [EW]

Continue reading "Jack White helped close out Lollapalooza 2012 (setlist)"

MUD! (by James Richards IV

Check out photos from DAY ONE and DAY TWO. And look at the BVChicago Instagram for a few more.

Pictures from Sunday coming soon!

Updated Lineup HERE.

SBTRKT fan, Friday, 8/3/2012 @ Lollapalooza (photo by James Richards IV)

Now that you're no longer in Grant Park, and a possibly a bit cooler (and wetter), you have time to check out our pictures of Lollapalooza Day One (up at BrooklynVegan now).

UPDATE: Lollapalooza reopens gates at 6pm

evacuation from above (photo by knnyfrsh)

1000s evacuating Lollapalooza (via BVChicago Instagram)

Thousands are flooding out the gates of Grant Park as we speak. C3 Says:

Due to an approaching storm and warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS), Lollapalooza organizers have suspended the festival until further notice. Festival-goers are being evacuated from Grant Park and are being directed by staff and the Chicago Police Department to pre-established underground evacuation and shelter sites along Michigan Avenue.

The three emergency evacuation shelters are the Grant Park North, Grant Park South and East Monroe Street Garages. All can be entered through vehicle entrances on Michigan Avenue.

Lollapalooza officials are continuing to coordinate with the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) to monitor weather conditions and determine when the park is safe for festival-goers to return.

"Our first priority is always the safety of our fans, staff and artists," said Shelby Meade, communications director for C3 Presents, the promoter behind Lollapalooza. "We regret having to suspend any show, but safety always comes first."

UPDATE: At 5:43, Greg Kot says "Possible reopen at 6 ish is latest word but still raining. A remote entrance gate open, apparently was never closed #lolla"

UPDATE: Lollapalooza reopens gates at 6pm

Check out our photos from day one.

Continue reading "Lollapalooza Suspended Due To Dangerous Weather"

Lollapalooza from 65 flights up (pic by Emily Wray)

"Year eight of Lollapalooza as a sit-down music festival in Chicago's Grant Park -- with at least 10 more on the horizon -- is the biggest ever. Last year's fest jumped up to 90,000 fans each day; this year, a sold-out crowd of 100,000 per day will stream through the gates." [Sun Times]

photos by Sara Pieper

Passion Pit @ the House of Blues on 8/02/2012

On Thursday night (8/2) Passion Pit played a Lollapalooza pre-show at the House of Blues with support from Givers and Kishi Bashi. Were you there? How was it?

Last night's gig was one of the few unaffected by a string of recently canceled tour dates, which were pulled in order to give frontman Michael Angelakos time to improve his mental health. The group play Lollapalooza tonight (8/3) at 6PM on the "Bud Light" stage and are scheduled to DJ at Spy Bar on Saturday night.

More pictures from the House of Blues show can be found at BrooklynVegan.

Continue reading "Passion Pit, Givers & Kishi Bashi played the HoB (pics)"