Lollapalooza, my how you've grown! 20 years after the first Lollapalooza brought concert goers a new idea in merging music, art, social consciousness and eco-awareness, Lolla has become nothing less than an epic event. If you missed tickets to this sold out weekend, have to work, or have a family and wimped out on taking the kids through the crowds, the weather and the late nights, then follow along on ChiIL Mama's daily recaps. On YouTube, the event is streaming live all weekend, and we saw our press friends over at Fuse, Spin Magazine, ParentSphere, The Local Tourist, and The News-Mexico City, among others, who are out covering the fest in force.
Here are our top Saturday picks and highlights from Friday. Remember, as always, kids 10 and under are free with paying adults.
Saturday
Once again, there are so many great bands playing simultaneously that it's hard to go wrong. Sometimes serendipity is best and you just wander up on something magical going down. The energy is amazing! That said, we do have some "must sees". At 11:30 we'll be at the kidz stage checkin' out Northbrook Garage. These Chi-Town kids rock!
Here's the rest of the Saturday Kidz Stage Lineup:
Northbrook Garage
Special Guest
We plan to see:
Northbrook Garage-Kidz Stage-11:30
The Happiness Club-Kidz Stage-12:30
The Happiness Club-Kidz Stage-12:30
Big Bang Boom-Kidz Stage-1:30
Big Audio Dynamite-Music Unlimited Stage
Deftones-Playstation
Ween-Bud Light
My Morning Jacket
If you're lucky enough to have 10 and unders with you, swing by the Kidz Area where all activities are FREE and our old favs from past years like punk hair coloring, spray on tats and Paul Frank silk screened tote bags are all back again. We also highly recommend all 10 and unders enter the free lottery. **Note: You must be present at the Kidz Stage to win, around 5pm each day. The prizes make it well worth stickin' around or swinging back by! Kids can win a host of instruments including a super cool wooden Loog Guitar. These instruments are so sweet and we were beyond stoked that Du-Jay won one yesterday! Just about all the kids who stay for the lottery walk away with at least a Kidzapalooza harmonica.
When all the Lolla fun is over and we have a chance to really play with our Loog Guitar, we'll have a full review and feature up. For now, I'm in love with the eco-friendly consideration and excellent craftsmenship that's gone into this cool 3 string guitar. It's a pretty genius concept that makes picking up guitar for the first time less intimidating. Check out their web site HERE for details on how to play. We also dig that they're designed to grow with kids, with a longer, replaceable neck available. What started as a NYU Masters Thesis and launched in March of this year has become so hot, they can hardly manufacture them fast enough!
We were also happy to see Thermos/Threadless representing in the press lounge. We have had a seemingly endless quest for leak proof, kid friendly, non-toxic, funky fun water bottles. It's been one drippy disaster and poor design after another. Then we bought a couple of Thermos bottles with Threadless designs and they rock! We'll have a full review up this month. We picked up 3 new designs at Lolla, but here's our fav.
ShopThermos.com
$14.99
Best of Friday Lolla/Kidza Recap:
ChiIL Mama's top choices for the day
Ruby Jane-BMI Stage
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals-Bud Light Stage
Smith Westerns-Playstation Stage
Kids These Days-BMI
The Kills-Bud Light
OK Go
Muse
Between all the excellent bands, we managed to pick up 2 recycle bags full of bottles and cans to earn bamboo Lollapalooza tees, ride a bike for 3 minutes to earn a snocone at the Toyota Tent, and grab some excellent brats, hot dogs, fries and good beer at the Lederhosen's Biergarten!
Our Lolladay was off to a great start. Ruby Jane opened the day with an early set on the BMI Stage at noon. If you missed ChiIL Mama's original interview with the sweet 16 year old singer/song writer who rocks the violin in an acoustic solo for us, check it out HERE.
Ruby and her mom, JoBelle, are the nicest, most genuine, down to earth people and we enjoyed getting to know them better. It was refreshing to see a super talented kid who is not only a serious talent but a tomboy with a sense of humor and a love of running around and wrestling outside, and climbing trees. She truly is one to watch in the coming years. Check out her website and her full length live album, Live at Roadhouse Rags in Austin, Texas. ChiIL Mama will have a review up later this month.
www.rubyjane.org
www.therubyjaneshow.com
Grace Potter was absolutely amazing. Check out her set on YouTube. If you missed it before, check out ChiIL Mama's photo filled Grace Potter feature from Chicago Bluegrass and Blue Fest HERE. Oola la Lollapalooza indeed!
Grace Potter was absolutely amazing. Check out her set on YouTube. If you missed it before, check out ChiIL Mama's photo filled Grace Potter feature from Chicago Bluegrass and Blue Fest HERE. Oola la Lollapalooza indeed!
We had to hustle back to the Kidz Area to catch her set, and I'm infinitely glad we did. This 2 piece was amazing. Elizaveta just bloomed from her flower clad sandals to her hair bouquet. We love discovering excellent new musicians.
Here's how Elizaveta describes herself:
I am a Flower Alchemist with a minor in music.
Born in New York City, raised in Motherland Russia, spent teenage years sequestered in an Italian monastery.
Following a prophecy, arrived in the U.S. incognito and studied opera. The rest is history.
I seek to sing in a manner which would create within your chest a safe, magical, truthful place of power beyond the slow burn of stars.
Muse ended the evening with a bang--a big fireworks show, bang. One down, two to go. See you out there.
Muse ended the evening with a bang--a big fireworks show, bang. One down, two to go. See you out there.
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