Lollapalooza Day 1, August 3rd

The stages of Lollapalooza returned to Chicago’s Grant park for an all you can eat buffet of musical legends, trendsetters, and newcomers alike.

First off was Ghostland Observatory, completely unknown to me. This Austin, Texas duo consisted of a pigtailed vocalist/guitarist and a dracula-caped synth player. Their music was souful electro-rock or as they describe it, “a robot making love to a tree.

The sun was hot (seems to be the trend of the summer) so we took refuge in the shade to catch the end of Charlie Musselwhite, the talented bluesman. Nice to see an elder statesman of music mixing it up with the young folks, catching his show is a good way to beef up on your music history.

Electric Six rocked hard and hilarious. Dick Valentine strutted the stage, taking time to due situps during guitar solos and “get political,” telling the crowd that all the ladies were to meet him at the Sears tower where the band had built a giant microwave to send them thirty years into the future to impregnate themselves with the dying George W’s last seed. sign me up for that revolution. “Synthesizer” and “Dance Commander” were highlights.

Drifting to the Bud Light stage, M.I.A was beginning her set. Her chunky beats rocked the throngs as she ran through cuts from Arular as well as new material from the upcoming KALA, including the single “Boyz.”

Perry Farrell was wiry and virile as ever, spewing champage like a fountain and leaping through a rampant set with his new outfit, Satellite Party. The encore of “Jane Says” was a statement to the staying power of the iconic celebration of the alternative musical world.

As Daft Punk prepared to close out the night, the lights of Chicago provided an astounding backdrop for the duo.

Two Parisian robots peered out from their pyramid and the crowd erupted with excitement. The lights and music thumped nonstop for the entire set, the stage show took their musical genius to another level, mixing up to three of their tested house classics at one time into a single flowing mix that rocked the crowd into an undulating mass of dance denizens. The encore brought a costume change that had them shrouded in darkness only outlined in vibrant red LED. The stage show was the final encompassing element to the creative genius of the mysterious duo.

While we’re in the mood: Daft Punk – Human After All (Justice Remix)