Five For Friday: Lollapalooza Edition No.1

So here we are, one week away from Lollapalooza and the excitement is building.  So many great bands and musicians over three wild and crazy filled days in Chicago!  As Grant Park gets ready to be invaded by 100,000 people, I’m running down a small little guide if you find yourself attending and for those who plan to watch the YouTube stream.

1. Let’s get it out of the way, headliners.  Night One: pits Black Sabbath vs. The Black Keys – only US date for Black Sabbath, Night Two: Avicii vs. Red Hot Chili Peppers – RHCP dominated Bonnaroo with a fiery set, Night Three: Justice vs. Jack White – what I’m most interested in is how the crowd sways, when Childish Gambino and Kaskade play at the same time.
2. Some afternoon delights for you.  Bands like First Aid Kit, The Growlers, Michael Kiwanuka, The War On Drugs, Milo Greene, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Kopecky Family Band, Chancellor Warhol, Moon Taxi, GIVERS, Bombay Bicycle Club, Outasight, Hey Rosetta!, Oberhofer and more pull early time slots but I promise will be worth arriving for.  These bands are awesome and this is some new music you should really be checking out.
3. Time Conflicts.  A tip of the hat to the schedulers for finding the easiest way to pull a crowd a part as there are many times over the three days that will have festivalgoers torn.  For instance, on Saturday at the same time you’ll have to decide between Alabama Shakes, The Temper Trap, The Dunwells, B.o.B and fun.  Good luck!
4. When the sun goes down, the action heats up.  Late night Lollapalooza brings forth some amazing late night shows and some of the best memories of the weekend.  Tickets are sold out to the advertised shows but make a few friends and you’ll find out where the rocking parties are. (Last year I caught CULTS, The Black Lips, Crystal Castles, Skylar Grey)
5. Who I’m excited for.  Well I’ve been fortunate enough to see so many of these acts live before that I’m mostly craving the opportunity to see many for the first time like Of Monsters and Men, The Gaslight Anthem, The Dunwells, Miike Snow, M83, The Weeknd, Twin Shadow, Amadou & Mariam, Dum Dum Girls, The Devil Makes Three, First Aid Kit, Milo Greene, DEV, Dry The River and Moon Taxi.  Plus after finally seeing Alabama Shakes live at Bonnaroo, I can’t wait to see them again, simply amazing live.

Tags: Amadou & Mariam, Avicii, Black Sabbath, Bonnaroo, Childish Gambino, Dev, Dry the River, Dum Dum Girls, Festival, First Aid Kit, Jack White, Justice, Kaskade, Lollapalooza, M83, Miike Snow, Milo Greene, Moon Taxi, Of Monsters And Men, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Devil Makes Three, The Dunwells, The Gaslight Anthem, The Weeknd, Twin Shadow