Live from Chicago: Lollapalooza!

Sue and I got my mother-in-law to come in a watch the four kids, and off we went for a day of Lollapalooza, a terrific 3-day band-fest in Grant Park on the lakefront in Chicago. After a long and ill-starred history, Lollapalooza seems to be settling in for a great ride in Chicago, and this was a first-class presentation of music by Chicago — well done!

After a great Saturday night concert by Kanye West, Sunday held high hopes for us as we settled in to hear Matisyahu, Poi Dog Pondering, Blues Traveller, Red Hot Chili Peppers and our favorite (because Jeff Tweedy is our neighbor) Wilco.

The day was perfect, with temperatures in the low 80′s and the crowds were great. We had an awesome time and loved all the bands and the new material played by Wilco.

I also noticed that Lollapalooza has also embraced technology in a big way for this generation. While bands kept the nine stages at the Lollapalooza music festival rocking, a nearby air-conditioned tent was packed with people checking their e-mail, updating their blogs and charging their cell phones. Some waited for a laptop with wireless Internet access to free up. Others plopped down on couches and watched satellite television — or a live feed of Cursive, performing just outside.

Festival guests can download the festival schedule and band photos and audio clips to their iPods; create a digital wish list of the bands they plan to see, then share it with friends via e-mail; use their cell phones to play a 21st century scavenger hunt; or follow instructions displayed on the festival’s jumbo screens to send politically minded text messages. I-Tunes was there to give away free 20-pack download cards to get the songs from bands playing at Lollapalooza. Realizing that the plugged-in generation of festival-goers are not about to leave their cell phones, cameras and MP3 players at home, Lollapalooza immersed itself in the digital age.