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| Lorde at Lollapalooza | Photo by Jason Gonulsen |
I promise you this: My Lollapalooza was different than your Lollapalooza. And that’s the way it’s supposed to be. So whether you camped out at Perry’s stage all weekend, or were just in Chicago for Eminem, I hope you’ll find my Top 20 Moments of Lollapalooza a worthy read. See you next year.
20. GROUPLOVE during “I’m With You.” If you want a lotta bit of crazy, then GROUPLOVE is the band for you. There really isn’t a moment that goes by when something interesting isn’t happening, and when Christian Zucconi throws himself into the crowd as he did at Lollapalooza, all bets are off.
19. Cage the Elephant during “Spiderhead.” Taken from 2013’s Melphobia, it’s a perfect opener for the biggest stage at one of the biggest music festivals in the world. Of course, it started raining during their set, but that didn’t stop Matt and Brad Shultz from venturing into the crowd whenever they felt necessary.
18. London Grammar during “Hey Now” and “Wasting My Young Years.” The former was memorable because it was our first dose of Hannah Reid’s voice, my favorite of the Lollapalooza. The latter was even better as the crowd shrieked and sang along.
17. Meg Myers during “Go.” When she really gets behind something, like screaming, “GO,” she really lets loose with supreme confidence. Dynamic performer, highly, highly recommended.
16. Smallpools during “Mason Jar.” The only thing missing were beach balls. Wait, there were beach balls. Okay, the only thing missing was a beach.
15. Jenny Lewis during “Just One of The Guys.” And totally cracking up during the line, “I’m just another lady without a baby.” Jenny Lewis for President and other offices.
14. Typhoon during “Artificial Light.” “And I never wake before you, but this time I caught you sleeping there,” sang Kyle Morton. And all was perfectly blissful at The Grove stage.
13. Courtney Barnett during “Lance Jr.” Holy holy shit. I thought she was overrated, but shame on me. She is amazing, and I won’t soon forget it.
12. Lucius during “Tempest.” There’s a reason why I keep writing about Lucius and that’s because they deliver every single time. And I do not take that for granted.
11. Warpaint during “Keep It Healthy.” I popped my Warpaint cherry. T-shirts should be made and bumper stickers should be issued. For serious.
10. Lykke Li during “Sadness Is a Blessing.” She was singing “Sadness is my boyfriend,” and it was cool. Only Lykke Li could pull this off while dancing.
9. Phantogram during “Nothing But Trouble.” While everyone else was at Eminem, we were at Phantogram, and it was a freaking hair-swinging party. You got that right, Sarah Barthel.
8. NONONO during “Pumpin’ Blood.” There’s a reason why a young man was holding a “Stina Will You Marry Me??” sign. This Swedish threesome should be big and soon.
7. Blood Orange during “You’re Not Good Enough.” There really isn’t much Devonté Hynes can’t do, so he kneels down with his guitar and wails whenever he wants. As he should.
6. Arctic Monkeys during “Do I Wanna Know?” They showed they were worthy of the main stage, and they wasted no time proving it every second. Should be a perfect headliner for LouFest in a few weeks.
5. The Head and the Heart during “Cats and Dogs.” The band from Seattle BROUGHT IT to the Lake Shore Stage. For any talk of this band going stale, do not listen to these claims. They are on top of their game.
4. Lorde during “Tennis Court.” There wasn’t a moment she wasn’t moving. And oh, that hair. She was in control. There should be a rule: No drinking under 21 unless you’re Lorde.
3. OutKast during “B.O.B.” Much was made about their shaky Coachella performance, but they have it together now, so see them at LouFest if you can.
2. Royal Blood during “Out Of The Black.” They will explode soon. Promise.
1. Glen Hansard during “When Your Mind’s Made Up.” Sometimes things happen at festivals that make you believe the moment was for you. I won’t get personal on you, but when Glen Hansard jumped into the photo pit to soak up a bit of the rain — after he told the crowd to do the same — I felt connected to one of my favorite songwriters. It was beautiful, and it made my Lollapalooza.