Rob Janicke's Lollapalooza--Day 1

By Rob Janicke

Alright, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Lollapalooza 2007 is here and so am I. Chicago is a hot city in August but also a friendly and extremely clean one. I’m impressed! Ok, on to the subject at hand…the festival!

I’m going to have a lot to report on as the weekend moves along so I’ll try and break down each day followed by a larger, more in depth report on the entire festival. I’ll do that of course once I’ve absorbed it all and come down from this whirlwind that is Lollapalooza.

Day 1 of this massive three day party started for me when I arrived at the myspace stage to catch The Fratellis. This three-piece from Scotland has come across the pond with some pretty intense fanfare. Last year NME proclaimed the trio “the best new band in Britain”. This writer is ready to proclaim them one of the best new bands ANYWHERE! Their garage, glam style adds up to a mixture of Gomez meets the White Stripes with a bit of Ziggy Stardust just for good measure. They hit the stage at 11:45 am but after it was all said and done, Lollapalooza was awake. They ripped through their set with a melodic aggression that won over the surprisingly large crowd and garnered loud applause and plenty of new fans…including me! Songs like “Whistle for the Choir”, “Ole Black n Blue Eyes” and “Chelsea Dagger” will be indie rock standards for a long time to come. Buy their studio debut “Costello Music” and tell me I’m wrong…I dare you!

At around 12:30 pm I made my way over to the AT&T stage to check out Austin’s Ghostland Observatory. I must admit, I didn’t know too much about them but I was curious and had heard some pretty good things. As the music was less than 15 seconds old I witnessed a girl throwing her guts up at the right side of the stage. It was only 12:30 in the afternoon…could she be that drunk already or was it the electronic nonsense coming from Ghostland Observatory? It was anyone’s guess. As I quickly put distance between myself and Mrs. Upchuck I noticed that I started enjoying the music more. Sure, I was further away from the vomit and that will make any situation better, but I was listening more intently to the sounds coming from the stage. Hard driving, heavy riffs with a trance like rhythm. This is starting to grow on me. As it turned out they became less electronic as the set went on and I began to like them better. All in all, it was a pretty cool experience (Mrs. Upchuck not withstanding of course).

Next stage! It was around 2:15 pm and I was enjoying my second $7 beer on the way to catch Viva Voce. Once again, I didn’t know much about this two-piece originally from Alabama (currently residing in Portland) but I sure learned a lot after their set. In a White Stripes-esque move, this band employs a drummer and guitar player (Kevin and Anita Robinson respectively) with no other musicians to speak of. In this case, however, the drummer is male and the guitarist/singer is female. The drummer actually shares much of the vocal duties but you get the point. Their music is a bit dark and somewhat heavy but tempered with delicate vocals by both singers. They rocked pretty hard for a two-piece and really seemed to enjoy themselves on stage. Portland always seems to produce some unique and interesting music and they continue the tradition here.

It’s now about 4:30 and I’ve made my way back to the main stage to check out the popular jam band moe. They were playing to the largest crowd that I witnessed up until that point. They were a perfect fit for this type of atmosphere. Their jam rock feel goes over very well in this setting. With a band like this, however, the crowd seems to lack the passion and enthusiasm of the other bands at the festival. Most people took this opportunity to mellow out, relax on blankets and enjoy the sounds. This isn’t my favorite style of music so I made my way to my next destination a bit early.

At 5 pm I was getting pretty excited to watch the set by The Silversun Pickups. The crowd was pretty large and I wasn’t able to get anywhere near the front of the stage. I was okay with being stuck in the middle because I was ready for the show to rock! Umm, it didn’t. I’m not sure if it was the heat or what but this band out of Los Angeles just did not display any energy whatsoever. They seemed bored and disinterested and because of it, so did the crowd. Now I was pissed that I was stuck in the middle! I knew it was time to get to the next stage and hope for something better.

As the trio known as Blonde Redhead took the stage around 5:30 pm I knew I was in for a treat. It certainly helps that they’re from my hometown of NYC but it was the music that was special here. With their Sonic Youth-like sound, they put the large crowd gathered in front of the myspace stage in a trance we didn’t particularly want to come out of. The atmospheric sounds and the Janis Joplin-like voice of lead singer/guitarist Kazu Makino were more than enough to satisfy! There were a few mistakes and missed notes during the set but that was a small price to pay for a very talented band giving us an hour of their time.

As most of us know, Perry Farrell (formerly of Jane’s Addiction, currently fronting Satelite Party) was the brains behind the Lollapalooza concept back in 1991 and still plays a huge role in its current incarnation. That being said, I was a little skeptical getting ready for Satelite Party’s set at 6:30. I don’t know why but I wasn’t really expecting much. Damn, was I wrong! Opening the set was the Jane’s classic “Stop” and it was on from that point forward! I think I had forgotten what a pure, perfectly made for the stage, front man Farrell was and still is. His command of the crowd and his band is remarkable. He’s funny, engaging, political, intriguing and, oh yeah, he sings he ass off! This set portrayed the most energy from any band thus far. The sound was loud, aggressive and in your face. The hour they were on stage flew by in what seemed like five minutes. Digging into his Jane’s Addiction catalog certainly didn’t hurt. In addition to the opening “Stop” they played “Mountain Song”, “Been Caught Stealing” and closed the set with the fan favorite “Jane Says”…keep on rocking Perry. Keep on rocking!

Now we are getting to the part of the day that I was looking forward to the most – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. I had to walk to the opposite side of the park from where I had just seen Satelite Party (and it took a good 30 minutes to do that, mind you), but I was determined to get a prime spot for what I anticipated as being the highlight of the day. As I made my way to the front of the sound board (the absolute best place to listen to live music), I was on the lookout for puking girls and passed out frat guys as to avoid being bothered by them during Harpers set. Thankfully I was able to avoid those distractions and I settled into a two-foot patch of grass which I declared mine.

At just about 8:30 the stage lights went down and Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals emerged. The crowd of what seemed like 50,000 people (faces and bodies and far as the eye could see) screamed in unison making a noise not unlike a jet fighter plane blasting past your window at 600 miles per hour…folks, it was loud! Throughout their hour-and-a-half-long set Harper and Co. proved my suspicions right…this was the highlight of the day. The talent that resides in that band is almost frightening and Ben Harper sings every song with more passion and truth than just about any human being ever. His dedication to his craft and his outright love for his audience fuel what can only be described as musical heaven! Note after note and song after song this band displays such beautiful music that it does no justice to talk about, let alone critique songs on an individual basis. It would be wrong.

The one song I will single out however is Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War”. The reason I bring this up is because Harper's very close friend (and lead singer of the festival's overall closing act, Pearl Jam) Eddie Vedder came out on stage, acoustic guitar in hand, and dug into this duet with all the passion that Harper displayed throughout the night. This was truly a magical moment. The perfect end to Day 1 of this incredible festival.

Day 1 Standouts – The Fratellis, Satelite Party, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals.