Lollapalooza 2006 - Day 3
My final day at Lollapalooza 2006 kicked off in the Kidzapalooza area among the youngest festival fans. Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell performed a brief set with his former Porno for Pyros bandmate Peter DiStefano. It was followed by a true bonding across generations when legendary punk poetess Patti Smith took the stage with acoustic guitar in hand to perform for the kids. This brief sojourn in the extensive childrens' area of the festival helped set the stage for a day quieter than the extravaganza of Saturday but filled with moments of musical transcendence reaching across musical genres and generations.
Some of my favorite discoveries of the festival came on Sunday. Ireland's the Frames made the most of their hour of performance time in a trademark "whisper to a scream" style that was punctuated by an impromptu Beatle Bob interpretive dance performance. Nickel Creek were not new on my musical radar, but the trio's bluegrass-based virtuosity truly shines in concert. It's likely a safe bet that Nickel Creek's take on Britney Spears' "Toxic" was the only presence of Britney at Lollapalooza 2006. The riveting stage presence of lead vocalist Justin Warfield (top right) helped make the Joy Division-drenched style of She Wants Revenge memorable. Later in the day Canada's Broken Social Scene appeared truly inspired packing the stage with more than a dozen musicians insisting they "brought the whole band" for the event.
Headlining acts were also present and accounted for. The Jewish reggae of Matisyahu (top left) perfectly fit the mood of the sunshine-filled late afternoon in Chicago's Grant Park. Matisyahu's offering of a prayer for all of those involved in the events in Israel and Lebanon was one of frequent reminders during the weekend of an ongoing tragedy never far from the world's consciousness. Queens of the Stone Age (bottom left) powered their way through an hour-long set that proved to be a warmup for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the festival's grand finale, and the only band to perform without competition from one of the festival's 7 other stages. Flea (bottom right), Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith gave the crowd a rousing sendoff with their appropriately eclectic stew of musical styles from funk to pop, psychedelic rock, and almost everything in between.
After a grand weekend devoted to some of the world's greatest popular music, kudos must be given to the festival's organizers, Capital Sports and Entertainment, and to Perry Farrell for putting together such a stellar festival. Lollapalooza has risen again to take its place among the world's top musical events of the year.
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Photos © Kristin Vogel.
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