Lollapalooza is finally over and Chicago is getting back to normal…dammit. IMO, this year’s collective Lolla experience was not as standout as last year’s, but there were some moments to speak of. Friday’s memorable performance for me was from Louis XIV, though of course Radiohead was exceptional as well. There were complaints that Radiohead’s performance was overly mellow (such a contrast from last year’s headliner show of Daft Punk) which I could certainly see, though I don’t think anyone was expecting a thrash reprise of Fake Plastic Trees.

Day 2 proved to have some unexpected twists. My set was at noon on Perry’s stage, and I rushed to arrive early (hoping that maybe, I could start ten or fifteen minutes early). When I arrived, I spotted a familiar face already up on stage - Perry Farrell was doing a sound check, score (photo op)! I was very happy with the way I played that day and had a packed tent by the time I was done, impressive given that I was opening the tent that day and had a crowd of…no one when I started. The big hits of the day, no surprise here, were the Pilotpriest remix of M.I.A.’s “Boyz” and the Crookers remix of Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘N’ Nite.” Afterwards we caught MGMT (not as good as expected), Booka Shade (better than expected), and then headed back to the DJ stage to catch Perry’s set with the rumored special guest in tow. After a quick hi to Clayton Hauck and DJ Alena, we found out the special guest was none other than Slash. What a f***ing performance. To make the moment even more surreal, I turned around and found Mark Ronson, Samantha Ronson and Lindsay Lohan walking towards me. Samantha popped on stage for a surprise guest set which was frankly the worst thing I had heard since the last wedding I went to. I heard her set at the afterparty that night was better, but what she played at Lolla was mixed poorly, had no flow and was utterly unoriginal.

The pickup for me that evening was surprisingly, DJ AM. I have truly never seen another DJ perform as quickly, flawlessly and creatively as he did, and, no less, with tracks from the likes of Laidback Luke and Soulwax. I interviewed him afterwards for URB.com (interview up in a few days), and he couldn’t have been nicer. We chatted about the scenes overseas, his favorite artists and the discrepancy between what he has to play versus what he loves to play. I encourage you to visit URB.com this week to check it out.

Day 3 was another mess of great bands, from Nicole Atkins & the Sea to the Black Kids, and oh my god, Chromeo. Kanye’s set was expected, full of smoke, stage effects and an ego-ridden Kanye waxing philosophical about how he was comparable to legends such as Jimi Hendrix and oh, by the way, make sure to tell your unborn children about your amazing Kanye West concert experience. Gag me. No wonder NIN fans yelled “fuck Kanye” as we made our way over to the stage.

After all the excitement, sunburns and greasy food, I am exhausted. I am also spoiled, since my artist wristband pretty much let me go and do whatever the hell I wanted to on the Lolla grounds all weekend. I leave you with Biancardi’s very appropriate remix of “Killing In The Name” by Lollapalooza 2008 headliner Rage Against The Machine. (UPDATED WITH 320 VERSION).

Rage Against The Machine: Killing In The Name (Biancardi Mix)
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