So this is a half-assed review and recap of Lollapalooza 2009, but quite honestly this festival is so big with so much to do and see yet there is still so much I missed, words just aren’t really adequate. I will say this for starters, Sunday was the most fun I’ve ever had at any concert. Ever. Not necessarily the “best” show or even legendary show I’ve seen; it was 150% pure joy and adrenaline. I’ve never experienced anything quite like how happy Jane’s Addiction made me.

Other highlights: sitting next to Tom Gray from Gomez at Breakfast. Seeing Kings of Leon at the Pub Friday night. A fat guy passed out but still managing to roll in the mud and his own vomit. White Lies. No Security. Good friends. Old friends. New friends. Cheap food. Free Water. Friendly people. Yeah Yeah Yeahs playing just a brief bit of “What ya Want” by The Beastie Boys. Museum of Contemporary Art. New Belt Buckle (pictured below). Striking a good deal with the art dealer. Trees.

So here’s a recap of my personal weekend mostly told through images and photos that I managed to shoot while partying my ass off…

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All Points West Festival got a bit muddy on Saturday and Sunday. But that didn’t stop Coldplay from going on and rocking an incredibly long set with two encores. That’s right, I like Coldplay – a lot actually. But here is some footage of some unconventional (though given recent circumstances, apropos) covers. Probably would’ve been more impressive to see these in person, but hey. For what it’s worth YouTube gives us the heads up…

full setlist show

this week only!

Well, okay I can live with this. Afterall, I have seen the Beastie Boys twice previously and when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were in town a few weeks ago I got sick and couldn’t make the show. So while I’m pretty bummed about not being able to see the B-Boys and even more bummed about the news we all received yesterday that one of the members of the only rap group/artist that I really REALLY like get cancer (get better soon Adam!), I have to admit this newest addition to the Lolla ’09 lineup has got me pretty damn excited. Sorry Tool, I’ll be seeing Karen, Brian and Nick rock your socks off.

Pitchfork:TV is showcasing this little mini-trilogy of shorts. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Barney Clay went to Texas with a camera and came back with this neat little short to help promote for the new album “It’s Blitz.” One commenter says that Snakesweat is like “Simon of the Desert meets Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill via Jodorowsky and Bob Rafelson.” Well said sir! Check out this seven minute short below. Apparently this will only be available for this week. So see it now.

The damn thing insists on auto-playing, so I’ve stuck it under the cut. Enjoy.
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Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” gets a video remix. Dean Martin style.

Video footage from The Wrecking Crew. Thanks Switchblade Comb! You guys keep me rocking every day.

Last year’s Lollapalooza Music Festival in Chicago was certainly a highlight of the year – maybe THE highlight of the year. The logistics of how the entire thing was pulled off was nothing short of spectacular. If you missed it, never miss is again!

The official Lolla web site is pretty intuitive and as the concert(s) scheduled date approaches ever closer, the site will become even more interactive with band bios and streaming listening posts. Added this year is the social networking tool with which you can share your lineup and schedule with friends, post everything to your Facebook profile, get editable mobile schedule and of course a Twitter feed.

And now for the good news: today the full lineup was announced. Umm… holy shit?

Depeche Mode, Beastie Boys, Jane’s Addiction (a band I would cut off my pinky finger to see), Band of Horses, Neko Case, Kings of Leon, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, SNOOP DOGG!, Gomez, Silversun Pickups, TV on the Radio, Santigold, Crystal Castles, Of Montreal, Raveonettes, Portugal. The Man, Thievery Corp, Atmosphere, The Killers and Lou fuckin Reed along with a shit ton more.

See the full lineup over at the official web site. Barring death, I’ll see you in Chicago on August 7th!

In Friday’s edition of the Chicago Tribune, it was reported that three of the headliners for this summer’s annual Lollapalooza festival had been chosen. Reps for the festival wouldn’t confirm, but journalist Greg Kot claims that Jane’s Addiction, Depeche Mode and The Beastie Boys will be three of the major acts performing. These actually sound like plausible choices and I guess we’ll see if Kot’s connections serve him well when the official lineup is announced on April 21.

I was one of the lucky thousands who made it to Chicago last year for the big show and I’ve got to say I will be there again this Aug (7th-9th) even if it kills me (and the heat almost did last year). To be honest, the headliners aren’t the most exciting part of the show to me. I much prefer the smaller and smaller smaller acts much more (The Ting Tings, The National, Nicole Atkins, Explosions in the Sky, MGMT, Black Keys and on and on and on…). So I super look forward to seeing who is on the bill of hundreds of bands for this year’s fest.

Still, Jane’s Addiction (if it’s the original crew – and that’s a big IF) would be a dream come true to see. They’ve been one of my favorite bands for nearly 15 years now. Depeche Mode would be quite the blast frm the past – a little shoegazing meets 80′s pop never hurt anyone. And though I’ve seen The Beasties once or twice already and I’ve sort of lost touch with them over the past few years, I’m sure they still put on a hell of a show.

Long story short. I’m going to see Jane’s Addiction this summer! That’s worth the hundred bucks right there.