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LIVE REVIEW: INNERVIEW DOES LOLLAPALOOZA, SUNDAY 7/31

Despite the early hour and a clearly sluggish audience, Smino woke everyone from their stupor with a full band and backup dancers that helped him deliver a surprisingly high-octane set from start to finish. Sir the Baptist was the talk of the day as he turned heads by staging his own funeral with a church pew and a casket, at one point provocatively asking the crowd, “Would you care if it was me?” Lapsley was in a melancholy mood while D.R.A.M. was clearly here to party thanks to a set defined by nothing but ragers. At one point, FIDLAR referred to themselves as “four idiots with three chords a bunch of weed,” a description that seemed pretty apt thanks to a set packed with more drug references than a late-night screening of Ted 2. Local Natives delighted the crowd with a gentle set of bucolic art rock jams while HAIM looked every bit the part of festival headliners with their made-for-Gap-commercials look and sunny summery sound. Bloc Party uncorked a blistering version of their 2005 party anthem “Banquet” but, much like their career, it was all downhill from there as the rest of the set, while decent, was no match for the intensity of the band’s Silent Alarm thrillers. LCD Soundsystem capped the night with a set that, while basically a carbon copy of the sets they played at Metro the two nights before, nevertheless gave the crowd everything they could ask for following a long five-year wait since the band “retired” including the sardonic “Losing My Edge”, the raging “Tribulations”, a stirring rendition of “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”, and festival closer “All My Friends” that had everyone sweating and screaming “Where are your friends tonight?” before walking out of Grant Park all smiles arm in arm. BY JOHN KURNAT–PHOTO BY CHARLES REAGAN HACKLEMAN
Previous: Lollapalooza Saturday 7/30

LIVE REVIEW: INNERVIEW DOES LOLLAPALOOZA: SATURDAY 7/30

Lines were even longer on sunny Saturday, calling for more crowd control as sweaty bodies trickled onto Chicago streets. Tom Morello joined X Ambassadors on stage for a blazing collaboration, at one point playing with his teeth on a guitar with the words “Nobody for President” emblazoned on it. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats at Petrillo drew a big crowd of all ages, with lovers of the folk-blues band dancing hard in the sunshine. The crowd then seamlessly turned its attention to the Bud Light Stage to catch up-and-coming soul crooner Leon Bridges, who reflected on the song that changed his life in 2012 and had everyone singing along to “Coming Home” before uncorking a surprising, raunchy version of Ginuwine’s “Pony.” Mutemath, known for its love of creatively built homemade instruments, sent one of their creations into the crowd letting the audience contribute and during “Bloodpressure,” Paul Meany gracefully surfed the crowd on an LED covered mattress. The turnout for Jane’s Addiction left something to be desired, but Perry Farrell looked great in a full head-to-toe pink suit with Dave Navarro prancing around shirtless, per usual. Two Door Cinema Club kept the energy up; their black and white speeding light background was almost as mesmerizing as Alex Trimble’s denim and animal fur jacket. Grimes beat it out on her electric drums to the youngest crowd of the day, only stopping once to tie her shoe. Vic Mensa produced the most memorable set of the festival with a backdrop of dancers dressed like riot police in a set that was not afraid to tackle the heavy subjects of police shootings and race relations. Red Hot Chili Peppers rolled through hit after hit with surgical precision while the brothers of Disclosure closed out the night with an epic set (but a not so epic of a crowd) on a transparent lowered stage, closing Saturday night with guest appearances by Kwabs and Brandon Reilly. BY E.M. BRENNER–PHOTO BY ROGER HO
Next: Lollapalooza Sunday 7/31—Previous: Lollapalooza Friday 7/29

LIVE REVIEW: INNERVIEW DOES LOLLAPALOOZA: FRIDAY 7/29

Although threats of storms in the area created a slight delay in the opening of the gates, set times remained unchanged and good spirits held fast throughout the wet day. Eager festivalgoers began donning their ponchos early as they waited in crippling long bag check lines. Lettuce jammed their way through the rain, the crowd not even skipping a beat as they bobbed in unison to “Phyllis.” At the smaller BMI Stage, Lyndsey Gunnulfsen of PVRIS let her high-energy vocals rip through the crowd in a high-powered set. Rain can often expose who’s really having a good time or not, and the huge crowd who showed up to Cherub was definitely ready to dance. The quirky duo chugged beers on stage before wrapping up their set with hit “Doses and Mimosas.” It was hard to not get hit in the face with a plastic blow-up saxophone at Perry’s once Griz was up, but totally worth it. His silhouette paced the upper tier of the stage while footage of screaming fans played around him. Radiohead gathered a stagnant, seated crowd, appropriate for their slow opening and underwhelming set that ended with the crowd peacefully singing along to a lullaby-like rendition of “Karma Police.” Meanwhile, Major Lazer’s sparkle-ridden dancers stole the show, setting the tone for the long Friday night party ahead. Papa Emeritus III and the Nameless Ghouls of metal-loving Swedes Ghost ended the evening with their creepy masked theatrics, ending the day on a fittingly weird note. BY E.M. BRENNER–PHOTO BY SARH HESS
Next: Lollapalooza Saturday 7/30—Previous: Lollapalooza Thursday 7/28

LIVE REVIEW: INNERVIEW DOES LOLLAPALOOZA, THURSDAY 7/28

A light but steady rain got Lollapalooza 2016 off to a damp and slightly delayed start, with gates opening about 40 minutes late and an eager crowd rushing in to see acts like Tennyson perform an affable set of gentle electronic pop that got the fest off in an ambient mood. Frances bore her soul on the piano while Lucy Dacus’ self-deprecating numbers kept the crowd guessing and thoroughly entertained. Kehlani’s act was high-energy if redundant, not that the swarms of kids head-bobbing along while snapping selfies seemed to care all that much, with Melanie Martinez offering up a similarly forgettable pop-laden performance. Things got back on track with the freak psych vibes of Yeasayer and musings of singer Chris Keating, who declared his love of Michelle Obama in between mystical songs from outer space and quips on the presidential election. Wild Child’s set was most noteworthy for the time frontwoman Kelsey Wilson threw her panties into the crowd while Daughter’s performance was an early festival highlight punctuated by soul-wrenching songs enmeshed in a quiet, haunting beauty that clearly made an impact on those in attendance. Kurt Vile did not disappoint with a stoned-out set that fans could appreciate through the haze of smoke, paving the way for a flawless set by G-Eazy most notable for the irresistible song “Fuck Donald Trump.” A Bulls jersey-clad J. Cole drew a huge crowd with backup singers and a live drummer for a set that started out strong but tended to fizzle at the end, while Lana Del Rey proved she belonged on a headlining stage with a quintessentially disturbing but romantic set that had all eyes captivated on the white baby doll-dressed crooner. BY JOHN KURNAT–PHOTO BY SARAH HESS
Next: Lollapalooza Friday 7/29

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