Any memories of the negative energy at Rage Against the Machine's latenight set were soon erased on the third day of Lollapalooza 2008, which saw the Blakes and What Made Milwaukee Famous get things off to a solid, rockin' start. We briefly had the impression that The Blakes were Australian (maybe we were thinking "The Blokes"...) but the band is actually from Seattle. They make music that's more a little lighthearted than their grunge predecessors, offering straight-up guitar riffs without synth, keyboards, or other embellishments. The crowd was extremely engaged for this exciting early performance, creating an auspicious aura for the rest of the day.
While waiting for What Made Milwaukee Famous to tune up and come on stage, we caught some of Kid Sister's set. It was lighthearted, frothy, danceable electro-pop complemented by Chicago native Melissa Young's obvious enthusiasm to be on stage at a huge festival in her hometown. Melissa was on stage with pal Curt Cameruci, part of Flosstradamus (which also features Melissa's brother Josh Young), who she wished a happy birthday. Overall, her act was fun, upbeat, and—if a little cheesy—perfect for a sunny Sunday Lollapalooza afternoon.
Austin band What Made Milwaukee Famous (Schlitz, obvs.) trended more toward sweeping rock and roll than some of their previous poppier, more keyboard-heavy songs. The band did play favorites like "Hellodrama," but also brought out several tunes from new album, What Doesn't Kill Us, including "Self-Destruct" and "Sultan." The group gave a shout-out to former tour buddies The Whigs, playing on a neighboring stage, but—unlike surly Brand New—expressed sincere appreciation that fans were watching What Made Milwaukee Famous rather than another group. The band seemed genuinely happy to play, despite the sensational sweat that broke out on their backs (guitar strap sweat must be the worst!), and several members even took camera phone photos of the cheering crowd. It was refreshing to see a band genuinely happy to perform for fans.
Like Kid Sister, Brazilian Girls presented a fun, move-your-body group of songs to the crowd, but with more musicianship and less electronic assistance. Non-Brazilian frontwoman Savina Sciubba (she's actually German and Italian) wore a Bjorkishly odd white dress with tiny skirt and huge sleeves, which served to emphasize the band's general aesthetic: gorgeous and groovy, but a little off-kilter (in a good way). Brazilian Girls played classics including "Jique," "Don't Stop," and "All About Us," but also introduced new songs (like "Berlin") from upcoming album New York City (due out August 5). "Good Time," the new disc's first single, is a perfect festival song, and Sciubba invited audience members to sing the swirling chorus: "We just want to have a good time all the time." The Brazilian Girls' set was certainly a good—nay, excellent—time at Lollapalooza 2008.
After the Brazilian Girls' solid performance, much-hyped Black Kids were a bit of a letdown. The frenetic, fluffy pop with melodramatic nasal vocals and extensive keyboard emphasis didn't quite come off right, leading one audience member to declare the set a "bust." Despite the slightly disjointed feeling of the music, the band members were appropriately enthusiastic, and seemed happy to perform—but crowd dialogue like "How the fuck are you, motherfuckers?" fell a little bit flat.
Fortunately, we then moved on to see G. Love and Special Sauce. This may just be the perfect festival band: jammy, interactive, and laid back. No frenetic dance music to make you overheat, no dreary riffs to bring you down, just good ol' fashioned stoner rock complete with groovy guitar, clean keyboards, chummy vocals, and of course bluesy harmonica. The band's set was a welcome midpoint in a solid day of Lolla, made even more chill by the arrival of clouds in the Chicago sky. The clouds dampened the heat but didn't dampen the mood, and the slight temperature drop seemed to help perk everyone up a bit for the evening sets.
Love and Rockets, while a classic favorite, didn't quite rock Lollapalooza: the band's sound seemed a bit muddled, and the performance didn't have the kind of energy needed to keep a festival crowd on its feet. "No Big Deal," "It Could Be Sunshine" and "Haunted When the Minutes Drag" were solid Love and Rockets tunes, and the band wore dapper hats (complete with feather), but the set as a whole was somewhat of a letdown. Sometimes beloved bands from the past should stay in the past.
Fortunately, The National was on hand to spice things up. Though the band plays melancholy tunes and lead singer Matt Berninger has an impossibly dark baritone, the group is very enjoyable in a live setting, and its fans are wildly enthusiastic considering the music's dark side. Sticking mostly to newer tunes from Alligator and Boxer, The National's playlist included "Start A War," "Secret Meeting," and fan favorite "Mr. November." The band offered little in the way of banter, just solid guitar work, evocative bass, and of course that distinctive voice. The National certainly gave one of the standout performances of the festival.
Both Nine Inch Nails and Kanye West made up for Wilco's borderline-boring set and Rage Against the Machine's injury-laden gig with some strong work. NIN brought out old favorites like "Closer to God" and "Gave Up" to enhance their newer musical endeavors. The group's set was a dirty, dark electronic mash of emotion and virtuosity—just what you'd expect from NIN. Fans climbed up on speaker poles for a better view of the heavy, intense show, complete with angrily flashing red lights. The difference between NIN's set and Rage's seemed to be that the NIN fans were there for the music, while the Rage fans were there to, well, Rage.
There was a large "Kanye sucks" contingent at Lollapalooza 2008. They'd even gone so far as to make "Kanye sucks" shirts mocking the singer for, among other things, his sunglasses. The negative energy directed toward the artist was annoying and uncalled for but not overwhelming. Fortunately, Kanye didn't pull a Bonnaroo—he started on time, came out strong, and generally pulled off a sweet festival comeback. Calling out people from the different sides of Chicago and recognizing those from out of town, Kanye reminisced about his childhood on South Shore Drive and dedicated songs to his mother, a positive force in his life. Overall, Kanye's set served as a reminder of what music should be: a way to affirm who you are, where you've been, and where you're going—not a way to cut anyone down. We're pleased that Lollapalooza ended on such a positive note, and excited about seeing amazing performances again next year.