Time Out Chicago

Lollapalooza ’08

Lollapalooza schedule: Check out our favorite picks

A storied event: TOC staff and readers recount their most memorable Lollapalooza moments.

Clause for alarm?: Go to Lolla if you want to catch the major summer acts—thanks to the megafest’s contract, you won’t see these bands again for a while.

Post-Lolla? Holla!: Lolla's hippest acts are appearing in official after-shows in intimate club settings. Find out where.

Joy of division: Minimize the mystery behind some of Lolla’s lesser-known acts with our handy equations.

Band camp: Securing a sweet spot for Radiohead calls for an extended stay on a tiny patch of grass. Make sure you’re prepared for rain, shine—and bladder issues.

Four play: Hanging out all day Friday at the AT&T stage till the Radiohead show? Here’s what’s in store, fanboy.

Front-row cheats: Never mind camping out for front-row seats—use these sneaky ploys to get close to the action when it’s convenient for you.

Fields of dream?: Lolla’s DJ stage is the closest we’ll get to an outdoor dance fest this summer.

Lolla after-parties: Check out these shindigs for where to head after the Grant Park closes

Follow our updates from Lolla all weekend on the TOC blog and the TOC Twitter stream. Send your pics and random texts to lollatoc@timeoutchicago.com and we'll post them to our Tumblr blog at timeoutchicago.tumblr.com.

Lollapalooza schedule

Check out our favorite picks in red

* Stages listed as they sit in Grant Park from north to south

Bud light

Black Lips

Friday

Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Saturday

Nine Inch Nails

Sunday

Playstation 3

Cat Power

Friday

Saturday


The National

Sunday

Perry’s

Friday


Saturday


Sunday


BMI

The Cool Kids

Friday


Saturday


Ha Ha Tonka

Sunday

Kidzapalooza

Friday


Saturday


Sunday


Citi

Friday


Spank Rock

Saturday

Girl Talk

Sunday

MySpace

Friday


Jamie Lidell

Saturday


Chromeo

Sunday


AT&T

Yeasayer

Friday


Saturday


Kid Sister

Sunday


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A storied event

TOC staff and readers recount their most memorable Lollapalooza moments—from glimpsing Amy Winehouse’s blemished butt to being mistaken for a toilet.

John Dugan, TOC Clubs editor
I was walking briskly to get in position for Daft Punk as the sun was setting. Out of nowhere, a human body came flying through the air. It was some dude chasing after a Frisbee, and he hit me right in the face—with his forehead. Luckily, I didn’t lose any teeth. I held a bandana full of ice against my face during Daft Punk’s entire set. The worst part was making my debut on the CBS2 Morning News the next morning, talking about Lolla on TV with a big fat lip.

Sarah C., TOC reader
For Lolla 2005, I got a photo pass and was in the press area for the Billy Idol press conference. After he spoke, I went up to get my photo taken with him. He put his arm around me, grabbed my ass—almost lifting me off the ground—and said, “I bet you’ve never had your arse grabbed by a 50-year-old man before.”

Garin Pirnia, TOC contributor
I desperately wanted to go to Lolla last year but lacked the cash. Walking by the festival entrance, I noticed pieces of wristbands strewn on the sidewalk; folks were tearing the uncomfortable, protruding end-piece from their bands and dropping them. I picked up all the pieces, bought superglue and crafted an almost-convincing wristband from scraps. Risking incarceration, I flashed my Frankenband at the security checkpoint and rocked out for the next two days.

Martha Williams, TOC associate photo editor
I had a photo pass for last year’s Lolla and was able to get backstage for the MIA set. Apparently, Amy Winehouse is an MIA fan, too. I caught sight of her walking up the stairs to the side-stage balcony, just in time to look straight up her black miniskirt at her skinny, pimply ass. After nearly choking on my drink, I realized it was my best celebrity sighting all weekend. I spent the rest of the fest in shorts.

Laura Baginski, TOC Features editor
The heat, beer and cocktail of B.O. mixed with shit at Lolla can make people do crazy things, but nothing could have prepared me for my role as human porta-potty during the Kanye West show in 2006. The preppy young guys close behind us appeared to be both on loan from the Beta house and drunk as balls, but they seemed fairly harmless. That is, until I heard what I thought was a steady stream of beer splashing on the ground, then felt it dripping down my bare leg. As I turned around to yell at these chooches, I noticed that one of them, so drunk he was swaying back and forth with his eyes closed, had dropped trou and was pissing on the ground/me. My stomach threatening to revolt, I pushed my way to the first-aid station, where a nurse lamented the manners of “men these days” and wiped me down with antibacterial soap.

Duke Shin, TOC reader
The highlight of Brian Jonestown Massacre’s set was lead singer Anton Newcombe’s mercurial temper, which flared up in the heat as his tender, acoustic moments were drowned out by the sound from Dashboard Confessional’s stage. At one point, Anton stopped playing and started asking if they could turn it down across the field, then telling Dashboard to “go fuck themselves.” Milking the drama, he told the audience jokes, said something about using the band’s photo as birth control, and then apologized, saying he would start playing again “as soon as Jon Bon Jovi shuts the fuck up.”

Brent DiCrescenzo, TOC Music editor
I was in high school in Atlanta during the first Lollapalooza in 1991, and was a big fan of Ice-T and the “Glamour Boys” of Living Colour. Turned out both acts were playing together at some goofily named festival out by the airport, but I failed to get a ticket in time. Back then, Atlanta had yet to be paved over with sprawl, and raw woods backed up to just about every suburban clearing. A buddy and I went black ops, crept up to the grounds and hopped the fence. We climbed another wall and ended up in the back of the field. The next year, Eddie Vedder made his appearance the same way as Pearl Jam kicked off its set. Copycat.

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Clause for alarm?

Go to Lolla if you want to catch any major acts this summer—thanks to a stipulation in the megafest’s contract, you won’t see these bands again in the Midwest for a while.

By Matthew Lurie

Most bands touring Chicago know the drill: If you land a gig at the Hideout, Metro or Empty Bottle, you don’t book another show in the area near that date. Doing so cuts the audience in half, disappointing both venues that’ve booked you, and perhaps cutting your own financial take and reputation (assuming you’re one of those bands that likes money). Sounds simple enough, right? But Lollapalooza, like many other large festivals across the country, makes this unwritten code official with its blackout period—or “radius clause,” in legalese—that, while understandable to some, is causing unease in others around town.

Here’s the deal: For 60 days before and 30 days after their Lollapalooza appearance, Lolla performers are prohibited from booking a show within 250 miles of Chicago (which includes Madison, Milwaukee, Champaign, Indianapolis, Ann Arbor and Iowa City). Does this mean Lolla is decimating the Chicago—or even the Midwest—music scene every summer, taking precious opportunities from small bands and the small venues that employ them? Or is Lolla helping more than it hurts, giving bands much-needed exposure? We caught up with musicians, club owners and others in the business to get their takes.

If a local band still wants to play in the area, are there ways around the clause?
Charles Attal, partner at Lolla parent company C3, and talent buyer for Lollapalooza We’ve made some exceptions in the past for some of the local bands that play earlier in the day at the festival.
Jeremy Bolen, frontman for Chin Up Chin Up, who played Lolla ’07 For us, and some other bands, too, [C3 was] pretty cool about the radius clause. We booked two shows [Ribfest Chicago and Schubas] within the window of the fest. [The clause] is more for the really big acts, like Radiohead.

Why do you think bands agree to the clause?
Tim Tuten, co-owner of the Hideout It’s simple. There’s gonna be hundreds of thousands of people there to see your band at Lolla. I don’t fault the bands.
JB C3 is a powerful company because they book Austin City Limits and other fests. You want to be on their good side.
Matt Mentele, booking agent for Lolla ’08 artist Ha Ha Tonka The Wilcos of the world can pick and choose their fests. But for us, even if the contract is somewhat demanding, this is a huge gig. C3 also hooked us up with the SoCo [Southern Comfort] Music Experience in Madison in September. And from my experience, most festival buyers are lenient and will listen to you in regards to the clause.

Are radius clauses really necessary?
CA We have to make sure that we at least make Lolla a special event. We figure keeping that three-month window in there is safe. Ninety-nine percent of the touring bands wouldn’t want to come back [to play Chicago] in two months anyway. In fact, some bands that would only hit Chicago once a year play Lolla and then are able to hit Chicago again in the fall [because of their resulting increase in exposure]. This is a massive destination festival, and we just have to make sure that nothing steps on top of us a month later. The bands don’t complain, to me, of wanting to play and not being able to.
JB The clause makes sense. They want to make sure their fest goes well. Look at Chicago: Any night, you can see a band that’s pretty good, so there needs to be a way to ensure people will want to come out to the fest.
Bruce Finkleman, owner of the Empty Bottle When we booked the Do Division Festival, we got a feeling for why a radius clause makes sense. We’re expecting our artists to draw a certain amount of people, and when [those bands] book a show the previous weekend in town and not many people show up to our festival, you notice. We ask for a $5 donation; I can only imagine what it’s like [to lose out on potential customers] on Lolla’s scale.

How does Lolla’s radius clause impact your own bookings?
BF As a club owner, it really takes down the talent pool. There’s a lot of dates we’ll have difficulty filling. There’s no other way to put it.
TT We have the Hideout Block Party every year, and we’ve now moved it to the last weekend of summer, September 20 and 21. And we had to move it because of complications from the Lolla festival. Every year, we can only find out which artists we’re going to be able to book after Lolla picks their artists, because they won’t let bands do both. So the bands we do get at the Block Party often have to proactively choose our Block Party. But Lollapalooza gobbles up nearly 120 bands, and how many bands tour in a summer? Five hundred? Maybe 300? One hundred and twenty is a big chunk of the pie.

How does the nationwide boom of music festivals—including Lolla—affect which acts you book?
BF The festival scene has gotten huge over the last five to six years. Now, there’s only a finite number of quality bands to go around.
TT Each of these new fests has their radius clauses. There’s a reason why we keep seeing Mr. Blotto at every street fair; touring bands are not allowed to play anywhere near these festivals.

Is Chicago as a whole benefitting or losing out by hosting Lollapalooza?
TT I love having Chicago on the map internationally—don’t get me wrong. But the model of Lollapalooza is: These guys fly in from [C3’s Austin, Texas, headquarters] and say, “Don’t play anywhere in the Great Lakes. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, don’t mess with us.” They put up some fences around one of our parks, charge $200 and say you can’t play anywhere else. It’s a very weird spaceship that lands. Then they donate some money to the parks, but for what? To fix up the park they just ruined? Also, I’m not sure a lot of these tourists that come in ever get out into the city. The only part of Chicago I see Lolla benefitting is downtown.
Nan Warshaw, Bloodshot Records I think Chicago’s local clubs are the real losers here. Not the huge venues, but all the 200 to 300 [capacity] venues have been negatively impacted. Lolla is trying to make nice with the local community [with the after-shows; see “Post-Lolla? Holla!,” below], and I give them credit for that. And it’s better than the alternative: doing nothing.

Read comments on this story on the TOC blog. 

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Post-Lolla? Holla!

Lolla is now offering more chances to catch its hippest acts in more intimate club settings—too bad most shows are already sold out. But hey, isn’t that what Craigslist and scalpers are for?

Battles

Thursday 31
SOLD OUT The Black Keys + Magic Wands Metro. 10pm, $29.50.

Friday 1
Black Lips + the Yolks + Bird Talk Empty Bottle. 10pm, $15.
SOLD OUT Brand New + Manchester Orchestra House of Blues. 9:30pm, $24. 17 and older.
Gogol Bordello + VHS or Beta (DJ set) Metro. 11pm, $22.50–$25. 18 and older.
SOLD OUT Mates of State + MGMT Double Door. 11pm.
SOLD OUT Rogue Wave + Dr. Dog Schubas. 10:30pm, $15.
The Whigs + the Blakes House of Blues Back Porch. 10:15pm, $10.

Saturday 2
SOLD OUT Battles + Foals + Magic Wands Double Door. 10:30pm, $15.
SOLD OUT Bloc Party + CSS + Does It Offend You, Yeah? House of Blues. 9:30pm, $40.
SOLD OUT Broken Social Scene + Yeasayer Metro. 11pm, $25. 18 and older.
Flogging Molly + Smoking Popes + Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears Congress Theater. 9pm, $25. 18 and older.
Margot & The Nuclear So and So's + White Lies Empty Bottle. 10pm, $12–$14.
SOLD OUT Okkervil River + the Octopus Project Schuba. 10:30pm, $15.
SOLD OUT Butch Walker + Serena Ryder Cubby Bear. 10pm.

For more late-breaking after-parties, read the TOC blog.

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Joy of division

Minimize the mystery behind some of Lolla’s lesser-known acts by bringing your favorite bands into the equation.

By Brent DiCrescenzo, Areif Sless-Kitain, John Dugan and Matt Lurie

Late Flaming Lips + early David Bowie + (DeBarge x 0.5) = MGMT

Late Flaming Lips + early David Bowie + (DeBarge x 0.5) = MGMT

In a nutshell Neo-glam Brooklyn electro-rock with more memorable songs than original beats up its sleeve. It wouldn’t be an insult to call the act a digital remix of the Flaming Lips formula—its tunes are built on psychedelically decadent lyrics and spacey synth lines.
Download “Time to Pretend,” “Electric Feel”

The Afghan Whigs + the Screaming Trees / grunge + Nick Cave = the Gutter Twins

In a nutshell They aren’t technically kin, but who’s gonna argue with the singers of the Afghan Whigs and the Screaming Trees? Prepare for a brooding update to Seattle’s heyday on behalf of these seasoned vets.
Download “The Body,” “The Stations”

Fireworks – eyeballs + Mogwai + Sigur Rós = Explosions in the Sky

In a nutshell Don’t be confused if you find yourself flashing back to episodes of Friday Night Lights amid this instrumental act’s atmospheric bliss. These guys handle more licensing than the DMV.
Download “First Breath After Coma,” “Catastrophe and the Cure”

Moby – elevators + Chemical Brothers / the ’90s + Kraftwerk = Booka Shade

In a nutshell Electro house might seem to be exclusively a DJ or laptopper game, but Germany’s Booka Shade has made a go of it as a live band—with live percussion that makes for an interesting show. With no Daft Punk in sight, this might be your real chance to dance in the park.
Download “Charlotte,” “Body Language”

Radiohead – computers + barns x Gogol Bordello + Gypsy Kings = DeVotchKa

In a nutshell This Denver quartet plays like a night sitting around the fireplace passing the bottle with some Russian intellectuals. Despite scoring the hit movie Little Miss Sunshine, the multi-instrumental (including sousaphone and bouzouki!) quartet hasn’t gotten the accolades it deserves.
Download “Venus in Furs,” “The Clockwise Witness”

The Beatles / $$$ + Spoon / $$$ + Guided By Voices x $$$ = Dr. Dog

In a nutshell Sixties fetishists filter Brit-invasion melodies through ’90s lo-fi indie.
Download “The Girl,” “The Old Days”

Merle Haggard + Keith Urban / NASCAR + Springsteen = Dierks Bentley

In a nutshell Country! Lolla opens its mind (a bit) by including this Nashville singer-songwriter. Bentley makes up for modest pipes with lovelorn lyrics and chugging, rockcentric tunage.
Download “Every Mile a Memory,” “Trying to Stop Your Leaving”

Neko Case + Arcade Fire / Canada + Roy Orbison = Nicole Atkins & the Sea

In a nutshell Fashionable New Jersey diva invokes the David Lynch ’50s with outsized emo vocals, bubblegum chords and some punk ’tude thrown in for good measure.
Download “Maybe Tonight,” “The Way It Is”

Oasis2 + the Jam2 / the Beatles = the Enemy UK

In a nutshell British teens hate their fookin’ jobs and mums, start a band. Anthemic choruses reach for the soccer-stadium cheap seats, while guitars go hard for the shins.
Download “Away From Here,” “We’ll Live and Die in These Towns”

The Cure<sup>2</sup> / mascara + the Go! Team = Black Kids

The Cure2 / mascara + the Go! Team = Black Kids

In a nutshell Wan, heartbroken vocals over jangly, jumpy ’80s sock-hop rock
Download “Hurricane Jane,” “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You”

Tortoise – Yanni x Rush = Battles

In a nutshell The original drummer of Helmet steers this polyrhythmic powerhouse. Bonus: vocals so tweaked through effects they’d have T-Pain buying the whole band a round of dranks.
Download “Atlas,” “Tonto”

Jack WhiteJack White + Black Crowes = Parlor Mob

In a nutshell Straight-up classic rock. Imagine if Jack White joined forces with Jack White to merge the White Stripes and the Raconteurs. Call it the Raconstripes. The White conteurs? Foghat?
Download “Everything You’re Breathing For,” “Angry Young Girl”

Interpol + the Killers / mustaches + the Verve = White Lies

In a nutshell Massive, slow-burning epics burst into triumphant climaxes against a steel-gray sky. White Lies’ output may be miniscule, but it has major-label scouts salivating. Like Coldplay, if they read books and drank.
Download “Unfinished Business,” “Death”

Queen + Sparks + Barenaked Ladies = Tally Hall

In a nutshell Geeky young men from Ann Arbor, Michigan, weave ornate prog-ariffic pop.
Download “Good Day,” “The Bidding”

Cold War Kids + Bright Eyes / emo + Three Dog Night / 3 = Ha Ha Tonka

In a nutshell Hootin’ and hollerin’ indie-rock spirituals from the Ozarks fill up the band’s 2007 debut, Buckle in the Bible Belt, like low-grade hooch.
Download “Up Nights,” “Bully in the Pulpit”

Amy Winehouse / crack rock + Otis Redding = Eli “Paperboy” Reed

In a nutshell The great ’60s soul powerhouse Stax Records won’t get any royalties from the young Reed, but in a just world, it would. The Boston-based, Mississippi Delta–raised, blue-eyed testifier makes his own mark on the soul revival over blues-drenched ballads and horn-popping belters.
Download “Am I Wasting My Time,” “I’ll Roll With You”

My Morning JacketR+ Pearl JamE + Foo FightersM = the Whigs

In a nutshell Beer-fueled frat rock with a Southern twang, punched up into a power-trio
Download “Right Hand on My Heart,” “Like a Vibration”

Of Montreal + the Shins / vocals + Stereolab– French = the Octopus Project

In a nutshell Don’t let the name fool you—it isn’t a jam band. Instead, expect synthed-out electro-pop from these Texan tricksters.
Download “Wet Gold,” “I Saw the Bright Shinies”

Debbie Gibson x Missy Elliott + Samantha Ronson / Lindsay Lohan = Uffie

In a nutshell On her warm and fuzzy single “First Love,” vocoderized girly pop augments her sexy party attitude. In packed, sweaty clubs, she can hold her own on the microphone—and break a few hearts in the process.
Download “Brand New Car,” “Hot Chick”

>Pink Floyd – astronomy – acid + Arcade Fire x Ambien = Grizzly Bear

Pink Floyd – astronomy – acid + Arcade Fire x Ambien = Grizzly Bear

In a nutshell This eclectic Brooklyn neo-folk outfit is a refreshing antidote to the borough’s beloved antihero, Animal Collective. It’s no surprise the Bear was chosen to open the current leg of Radiohead’s tour.
Download “Knife,” “On a Neck, On a Spit”

Read the TOC blog all weekend for reviews and photos from Lolla at timeoutchicago.com/blog. Submit your own pics, texts and overheards to lollatoc@timeoutchicago.com. We’ll post them to our Tumblr blog at timeoutchicago.tumblr.com.

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Band camp

Securing a sweet spot for Radiohead calls for an extended stay on a tiny patch of grass. Make sure you’re prepared for rain, shine—and bladder issues.

By Areif Sless-Kitain
Photographs by Martha Williams

man camping out with all the suggested items

First off, bring a buddy. If you’re camping out in front of the AT&T stage from the time the gates open (11am) till Radiohead’s show (8pm), you’ll need someone to hold your spot when nature (or the beer tent) calls. Along with the basics (comfortable shoes, sunglasses), here’s an essential guide to help you through your nine-hour stakeout:

1 When Thom Yorke beckons the elements to “rain down” during “Paranoid Android,” show your solidarity by slipping on a Magellan’s Waterproof Poncho. It folds up to fit inside an attached pouch, so you don’t have to tie it around your waist like a dork. $34 at Magellan’s (800-962-4943).

2 If your buddy bails, strap on the Stadium Pal, essentially a concertgoer’s catheter, so you don’t lose your sweet spot while stuck in line for the loo. It’s as easy as putting on a condom, if you can, er, wrap your head around that. For comfort’s sake, we suggest forgoing those skin-tight jeans in favor of looser-fitting trousers. Perhaps a pair of Zubaz? Ladies, fear not—the Stadium Gal will slip right under that summer dress without a trace. $29.95–$35.95 (877-782-3675, biorelief.com).

earplugs

3 Rock out without losing your hearing. Foam and wax earplugs only cut out the sharpest frequencies, leaving you with a bass-heavy mix that sounds like mud. Sensaphonics ER-20 earplugs are perfect for outdoor festivals, ensuring you’ll enjoy high-quality audio and your ears won’t be ringing the next day. $10 at Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation Inc. (660 N Milwaukee Ave, 877-848-1714).

4 Perhaps the most uninviting aspect of this all-day affair is how sore your feet are by the end. However, thanks to the gods of polyester, we have a solution: the Camp Chair! You can’t bring standard aluminum-framed chairs into the fest, but this model sidesteps those restrictions brilliantly. $19.99 at Uncle Dan’s (various Chicago locations, 888-246-4453).

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Four play

Hanging out all day Friday at the AT&T stage till the Radiohead show? Here’s what’s in store, fanboy.

By Areif Sless-Kitain
Photograph by Steve Mitchell

Radiohead

Holy Fuck
12:15–1:15pm
Like Kraftwerk picking up a six-pack and covering Black Flag, this Toronto quintet tears through “live electronica” with two drummers, two keyboardists and a bassist. It’s a good bet Yorke will be watching alongside you.
Radiohead compatibility
6

Yeasayer
2:15–3:15pm
Of all the bands gracing the AT&T stage this afternoon, none emulate Radiohead’s postmodern aesthetic better than this brilliant four-piece. That’s not to say they sound alike—these Brooklynites rely more on folk and Middle Eastern influences, with a sly nod to ’80s new wave smoothing out any rough edges.
Radiohead compatibility
5

Gogol Bordello
4:15–5:15pm
If we’ve learned anything from the fall of the Iron Curtain, it’s that no one can prevent the fusion of accordions and electric guitar. Happily, gypsy punk and alternative art rock turn out to be a fine mash-up. Besides, even Radiohead fans are likely to find frontman Eugene Hütz’s overblown stage antics entertaining enough to pass the time. Imagine Borat fronting a Balkan Pogues.
Radiohead compatibility
2

Bloc Party
6:15–7:15pm
The London quartet shares many of Radiohead’s influences—Magazine, the Pixies, Joy Division—but with far more caffeinated, punky results. Kele Okereke’s arch, melancholic lyrics and feints toward electronica smack of Radiohead aping, but when it sticks to anthemic choruses, as on “I Still Remember,” Bloc Party evokes the Radiohead of yore, circa 1995.
Radiohead compatibility
4

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Front-row cheats

Never mind camping out for front-row seats—use these sneaky ploys to get close to the action when it’s convenient for you.

By Maude Standish

Manufacture a crowd-repelling one-day-only affliction by purchasing blood capsules at Chicago Costumes (1120 W Fullerton Ave, 773-528-1264; $2.50). When no one is looking, burst one inside your nose and lurch hooting and hollering toward the stage.

Have a very understanding girlfriend? Get a wheelchair cheap on eBay (we found some for as low as $30) and have your lady push you through the crowd. There are no designated wheelchair areas, though, so you’ll just have to rely on the crowds to be considerate.

If you’re going for looks of pity rather than horror, try hobbling pathetically toward the stage on crutches bought at AB4U Medical Supply Store (5325 N Sheridan Rd, 773-271-5325; $40).

Play on people’s vanity and pretend to be the host of a radio show. Get basic recording gear at Radio Shack (locations citywide; $40), and “interview” concertgoers as you push your way forward.

A pregnancy pouch can be your passport to the front row. Chicago Costumes rents fake bellies ($15 without the oversized boobs), but be prepared for the “You’ll be a mother soon” lecture and contemptuous looks from fellow concertgoers if you so much as try to take a sip of your overpriced Bud Light.

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Fields of dream?

Lolla’s DJ stage is the closest we’ll get to an outdoor dance fest this summer.

By John Dugan

Festgoers got down to Spank Rock at Biz 3’s tent in 2006.

There must be a conspiracy behind it. How else to explain a city with strong dance-music history, which has every stripe of large music festival, that lacks an electronic-dance weekender? We’ve tried, of course. Move!, an old school–oriented house festival, was less than a hit in 2006. PureNation, a one-day festival in 2005, appears to have been a one-off. The city’s SummerDance electronic night has been quashed due to security issues. Chicago street fests have modest dance stages—DJ-oriented bar Lava has one at West Fest August 9–10. The monthly House in Park series in Jackson Park is more like a laid-back BBQ. The Pitchfork festival’s Biz 3 tent—as cramped, sticky and second-class as it felt—made for some fond memories of 2006. This summer, the best hope for outdoor raving lies with the big shebang in Grant Park.

Enter dance-music fan Perry Farrell, founder and face of Lollapalooza. Farrell has made electronica and dance music (Thievery Corporation and Daft Punk, for example) a major aspect of the recent fests and booked DJs for a rave session in the Mindfield. A late addition to the fest, Perry’s venue will be the closest Chicago will get to dancing under a big top this summer. “We didn’t have a dance tent. There was no place to see premier dance culture in the right environment,” Farrell says. “When word got out about an after-party I was doing, people said, Why don’t you bring that vibe to the grounds?” The bar will be upgraded to a band shell in a space—outfitted with venue-worthy lights and, he hopes, Funktion One sound— that can hold more than 2,000 dancing fools.

From local hip-hop and bass enthusiasts Zebo and Willy Joy to electro lover Dani Deahl, house stalwart James Curd and Le Passage residents Matt Roan and E-Six, there’s a local tilt to Perry’s lineup—though some dubstep, northern soul or techno would have painted a more diverse picture. “Hipster” generation DJs Franki Chan and Flosstradamus get Sunday to lay down the new beat. Los Angeles celeb-circuit favorites DJ AM and Momjeans play Saturday—not such a big deal since both hit River North regularly. We’re curious to see what Does It Offend You, Yeah? can do in a DJ set on Saturday at 5pm—a follow-up to the electro-rock group’s presumably stadium-rattling set at the ungodly hour of 12:30pm earlier the same day.

Looking to Lolla’s bigger stages, some dance light breaks through the rock clouds. Electro-house act Booka Shade and dirty-minded club rap act Spank Rock have back-to-back sets on Saturday at the Citi stage. No one takes ’80s-obsessed, vocoder-loving boogie boys Chromeo too seriously, including themselves, but their set on Sunday at 3:15pm on the MySpace stage will have us silly on the dance floor.

Farrell envisions a growing dance presence at Lolla, but it’ still a long way from rivaling giant U.K. dance fests like Creamfields and this weekend’s Big Chill—both dominated by DJs, some of whom, Ron Trent for instance, hail from these parts. Maybe next year?

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Lolla after-parties

By John Dugan

Ed Banger’s party got wet.

Birthday celebration
Liar’s Club, Fri 1
Tonight, the monthly Smash & Crunch blows out a lone candle on a cupcake as it celebrates one year of blog house sweat-downs. Get ready for a litany of sponsors as Custom Vibes and Urb magazine, in association with Chicago Suicide Club, present a dance party with Does It Offend You, Yeah? (DJ set), Bukkake Battle Kru, Capcom, ChipsNsalsA and Goldar. Upstairs, Heaven Malone, mikeymAsonic, DJ Demchuk & Eric Labrat and Select Inverse & Avisic spin. Phew.

Trilling for the kids
Abbey Pub, Fri 1–Sat 2
Young, trendy and ready to go buckwild? Party throwers Avant Trill have your well-being in mind. For two nights, they’ve got a lock on postfest partying for the under-21 set. Bass crazy Drop the Lime headlines on Friday. Saturday, Spank Rock’s DJs Devlin and Darko rock the house with the sensational indie-electro act Hearts Revolution.

In the Moby to dance
Vision, Sat 2
The same DJ who built electronica into a kind of monstrosity dove back into producing proper dance music a few years back. Moby’s recent, the moody electro-influenced Last Night, isn’t bad at all. But in a DJ set, the Atlantic Coast raver likes to get back to his high-bpm roots and bang some hard and fast beats.

Where’s the party at?
Undisclosed location, TBA
Perry Farrell’s crew is throwing a mammoth shindig with video walls, DJs, live electro and all sorts of zaniness…somewhere in the city. Unfortunately, for the average Lolla- goer, it’s a no-go. Never fear, we’ll get someone on the inside. Check the TOC blog for details on who was there and what went down.

For more late-breaking after parties check out the TOC blog.

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