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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One of the newer bands that I have little experience with prior to this weekend is White Lies. Like M83, this band is capitalizing on the distinct, retro sound of the mid-1980′s. I’ve been listening to their latest album “To Lose My Life” almost non-stop this week and gotta say I’m digging it more and more each time I listen through. They’re sort of a cross between The Killers and Depeche Mode; except, ya know… suicidal.

The native U.K. band will be playing on Friday afternoon over at the Budweiser stage (my favorite stage of the big ones). If the below videos from late night TV show performances are any indication, should be a sweaty, dancin’ good time. See you there?

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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.