LOLLAPALOOZA 2011
The hubs outdid himself yet again when he sprang for the C3 passes at Lollapalooza this year. We were rolling VIP style at the 20th year of this amazing music festival. With access to lounges sprinkled throughout the park, we were able to sit down and relax between shows, rub shoulders with the likes of Vogue photographers, and even spotted a celebrity or two (Aaron Paul from 'Breaking Bad' and Danny Masterson from 'That 70's Show'), not to mention Perry Farrell himself! These magical passes gave way to secret passages and opened gates to mystical lands also known as backstage and side stage...on day one anyway.
Day One: The weather could not have been more perfect, it wasn't even sweltering hot this year which was marvelous. We made a mad dash to cash in on a side stage view for the hot new bands, Foster the People (emphasis on the HOT) and Two Door Cinema Club. They put on great shows, but none could compare to the phenomenon that was Crystal Castles! Of course, it didn't hurt that we were literally ON the stage for their show or that we met the drummer, Christopher (see top photo) or that lead singer, Alice Glass, crowd surfed. We wrapped up a long day of festivities swaying to the soothing sounds of Coldplay. Is there another rocker quite as sexy as Chris Martin? I am certainly hard pressed to think of one. They are old pros by now and their live show was as on point as you would imagine.
Day Two: We got a later start than usual, but we were still high on our C3 status and were sure to shake it stage side for Cee Lo. Oh how we would be mistaken! The line for such accommodations was irritatingly long and was only made more irritating by the number of small children (yes under the age of 10) in this same line. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but Cee Lo's most popular song to date goes by the title "F*** You" right, so why are parents dragging their young to sing along to this? I remain boggled! It was back to the field for these two and it was quite nice to be back in a squished mud covered crowd...until it became quite clear it was not Cee Lo's fans, but the early mob for Eminem and they were none too pleased with who was currently on stage. Oh well, we were wrapped in the safety of the artist's lounge until day two was lulled to an end by Pretty Lights.
Day Three: The weather was a little less than cooperative and definitely called for a pair of stylish
wellies. While the Lolla crew worked feverishly to fill in mud holes created by afternoon showers, our weary souls tried to beat the heat under the Pavilion at Perry's Stage for some Cool Kids action. Sadly, the hubs had to run to the office and like a good neighbor I went along. Fortunately, I decided not to stay for Arctic Monkeys (LOVE) because shortly after we left Lolla the bottom proceeded to completely fall out! We sought sanctuary at a close by rooftop bar until the storm passed and we trekked back to a soaked Grant Park.
Come hell, high water, or woodstockesque kids, we were not going to miss KiD CuDi. While the hubs' flip flop flanked feet sank 4 inches deep in mud, I was more than pleased that I put my wellies in syndication for a second day at the festival. As you may remember, I absolutely loathe wet, dirty, feet. YUCK! Exiting proved to be the most challenging of obstacles as 100,000 individuals were fleeing the scene at the exact same time. Aha, our magical passes regained their luster as we darted through the bands' exit and sat our muddy tails right into a taxi. Brilliant! Except for the tiny incident when a kid jumped the gate and it came crashing down on the hubs' head, but he made it out uninjured.
Yeah yeah, enough with the music, what about the FASHION! Well, the theme I picked up on this year was...Commitment. Festival goers seemed to dress for their music genre this year. From hippie to hip hop, from indie to pop, from headliners to undergrounders, I could map out one's entire schedule simply based on his/her attire. Ah, but therein lies the beauty of Lollapalooza, there is truly something for everyone!
With cooler temps prevailing it was possible to forfeit the usual casual comfort for one's true style. Unfortunately, unabashed rainfall has a tendency to dampen anyone's fashion sense and by Sunday everyone was a muddled mass of mud. My only rant this season was the high level of cleanliness. Being that I am most often disturbed by the lack of clothing covering sweaty body odor it's odd that my plea would be for
less cleanliness, but I am speaking more about the heart of music festivals. Even without buckets of precipitation and/or perspiration, festivals are dirty y'all. While I certainly enjoyed the perks of lounging between shows there is nothing quite like being right smack in the middle of a singing, dancing, hopping, swaying, jam packed crowd. I was rather disappointed by the number of VIP shoes that did not have one speck of dirt on them. Did people really spend the entire day swaddled in the comfort of the artist's lounges? The truth of that matter was quite disturbing.
The funky hair, the bright lips, and the all rock star black, this girl knocked it out of the park, Grant Park that is. One of my all time favorite Festival Fashion looks!
As we bid farewell to the Festival Fashion of 2011, I leave you with this simple, yet poignant reminder...
Toodles from this Festival Fashion loving Smalltownista!
