I woke up Friday, August 3rd with all the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. I immediately shot out of bed, got ready, and headed over to Grant Park to meet Rich Sandrok to pick up my 3 day pass. When he handed it to me I swear it was glowing. It was a wonderful sky blue with gold sparkly thread that spelled out “ALL ACCESS”. I had to rub my eyes because for a second I thought he handed me a 50 pound gold key that opened the door to my wildest dreams.

As we walked over to the entrance, I could hear music coming from all different directions. My heart was racing. I wanted to take off running, but the voice in my head saying, “Dude… deep breath,” acted as my invisible leash. It’s a good thing too because Rich gave me a tour of the park. He showed me where the stages were and all the places I was allowed to go. His quick rundown of things was a lifesaver… without it I would have been completely lost.

After Rich left I met up with two friends and from that point on the weekend went by in a flash. We started by going to see The White Panda at Perry’s stage and at that moment the presence of the Sun hit me. HOLY MOLY. It was like having your own personal fire breathing dragon following you around all day. How thoughtful of you Mother Nature. But it was going to take a lot more than that to stop me from having a good time!

Once The White Panda ended we headed over to see Dr. Dog and they were AWESOME. Definitely worth frying in the Sun for the hour they played. But after they finished, it was time for some much needed water and down time. We entered the Artist Lounge area and stayed there for a while. I even ran into Cory Lorentz and we sat down with him and his family for a bit.

Finally 5 o’clock rolled around and it was time to go see The Head & the Heart. I had been waiting all day to see them so I made sure to get there early and I was the first one to be on the side stage. They put on a phenomenal performance. The best part was that they were just a few feet away while they played. It was unreal. I got a great video of them playing “Down In The Valley”. No I take that back… it was great until I sat down to watch it. You see, I was unaware you could hear me singing (terrrribly) along with them. So there goes that.

THEN IT CAME. 8:30 p.m. What’s so special about this time you ask? Three words… The. Black. Keys. They played for an hour and a half and what a marvelous hour and a half it was. I had my arms in the air the entire time and didn’t stop belting out every word to their songs once. Yes, I was THAT person. When they played “Your Touch” I squeezed my friend’s arm so tight she had a bruise the next day. Whooops… But besides my bad singing and bruising my friend, the first day was a success. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night.

Day 2. The day Mother Nature successfully stopped people from ‘Paloozin for a good chunk of time. The park closed down from 3:30-6 p.m. because of severe thunderstorms and a tornado warning. My hopes of seeing Alabama Shakes were crushed by the 70 mph winds. But they were quickly raised back up because we showed up to the Red Bull Soundstage 2 hours before the Red Hot Chili Peppers went on and got PRIME spots for the show. I could see Anthony Kiedis and Flea perfectly. It was epic. When they played “Around The World” and “Can’t Stop” I’m almost 100% sure I transformed into a wildebeest because I went NUTS. And so did the crowd. I don’t think I’ve ever been tossed around so much in one night. By the time the concert was over my legs and shorts were coveredin mud, but it was completely worth it. There were only 2 ways the show could have been better… 1. If Anthony Kiedis still had long hair and 2. if it had rained while they were playing. Other than that it was a night for the books.

Sunday… the final day. First stop on my list was the Red Bull Soundstage to see Bombay Bicycle Club and of course, they didn’t disappoint. They started off playing “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep” and from that point on I felt weightless (although my feet would disagree). The fact that I was on the side balcony looking down at them probably helped, but hey, it was still a glorious feeling. Once they exited the stage I mentally switched genres and hurried over to see Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. To say I was “blown away” by his performance would be an understatement. I was more “exploded away” if that makes any sense. He was like the Energizer Bunny never slowing down once. After we escaped the crowd, we made our way to see Little Dragon at Perry’s stage and they had the most colorful audience I had seen yet.

From 6:15-7:30 p.m. my ears were held hostage by the sound of Florence Welch’svoice. I had high expectations for Florence + The Machine and they exceeded them in every way. I’m convinced Florence has magical powers. She somehow controlled the wind so that her red and black dress flowed perfectly on stage. Now if I could only figure out how to look that graceful when walking through a wind storm…..

I ended up staying at the Bud Light stage to see Justice even though I planned on seeing Jack White. I was able to get a spot dead center in the very front row and I was not about to give it up. It turned out to be a good decision though because Justice put on an amazing show. It was one BIG party and a perfect way to end the weekend.

Sooo… only 354 days until Lollapalooza 2013, but who’s counting?

Twin Shadow @ Logan Square Auditorium

NERO @ Perry’s Stage

Little Dragon @ Perry’s Stage

Little Dragon @ Perry’s Stage

Red Hot Chili Peppers @ Red Bull Soundstage

The Head & the Heart @ Sony Stage

My appointments were light in the early part of the day, so I got in about midway through Rival Schools at the PlayStation Stage.  It didn’t leave time to get to retro songstress Imelda May, whose set was just slightly ahead of RS and across the park; that was where I hoped to be.  No regrets though, as Rival Schools were new to me and I cannot report being put off by their sound.  Plus, afterward I was able to run from Rival Schools over to see Little Hurricane on the Google+ stage (after having caught just two tunes the day before).

From there I opted to once again head to Kidzapalooza where Tor Hyams was taking off his stage manager hat and giving his annual performance, playing keys along with guitarist Peter DiStefano, formerly of Porno for Pyros.  They were joined for a few songs by Keller Williams, who when off the stage patiently dealt with an overly enthusiastic, if not slightly stalker-ish fan.  Note to fans: if you get a chance to say “hello” and have to force conversation after that, take the hint.

As Peter DiStefano & Tor wrapped their set the backstage area began to get a bit crowded – it happens every year when it comes time for Perry Farrell to make his appearance.  As Perry made his way back to the artist tent to prepare, I ran in to endorser Ralph Covert (of Ralph’s World), who played Saturday and would be closing out the Kidz stage after Perry and Peter’s short 15-minute set.

Knowing that catching a ride on the Fest Express would be nigh impossible after Perry and Peter’s set, I got in line right as they went on.  I caught almost all of their show while a line piled up behind me.  About the fourteenth minute (not that I was counting) a cart with one opening finally stopped and I was on my way North to surprise my friend Aaron, FOH for long time endorsers Flogging Molly.

From the FOH position of the Bud Light main stage I tapped Aaron on the shoulder.  “Man, you know how hard it is to get in here without your help?” I asked, joking.

He had a surprised look on his face for a split-second and then replied, “Oh, yeah.  By the way I’m coming to Chicago!”

Moments later Flogging Molly took the stage and the crowd was rapt.  At one point Dave King pulled up his slacks to the knees and started dancing around the stage.  “I have no shame showing legs like this, I tell ya,” he bantered to the roaring crowd.  About that time I started to notice some threatening clouds bearing down on Grant Park.  Just as the band wrapped up their set I went over to let Aaron know he was probably going to want to work fast and pointed towards the approaching storm.   Behind us the PlayStation stage roared to life as endorsers Cage the Elephant launched in to their set.

During Cage’s raucous show the sky opened up and turned the most trodden parts of Lollapalooza’s 115 or so acres to ankle-deep mud.  Fortunately I had a seal-able plastic bag, in which went my phones, the Lolla schedule, and my notes from the weekend.  The rest of me was waterlogged in seconds.

My goal had been to finish out the evening with a few Deadmau5 songs and then hit the road for the annual post-Lolla deep dish pie.  However, while I would not say the rain dampened my spirits, it certainly put some punctuation on the story of the weekend.  Strolling past as Manchester Orchestra began their set, I wound my way out to Michigan Avenue in search of a dry cab and warm pizza.

We’ll see you in 2012, Lolla.  Thanks for the good time.

Richard

PS – Lolla Day 1 & Day 2

Maps & Atlases were decent; they drew a crowd that could broadly be described as jam band fans (in spite of the fact that they played songs rather than meandering solos over long stretches of background comping…you know, practice!).  The vocalist had an unusual timbre that was somehow familiar, yet I cannot recall of whom it reminds me.

After the show I was to split off and head to the Kidz stage again to see if I could catch Shure endorser Ralph’s World before his set.  In walking and talking with Ryan I somehow ended up in the South backstage area listening to another new Shure endorser, Fitz & the Tantrums.  The next thing I knew I was being introduced to Matt Pinfield of MTV’s newly resurrected legacy show, “120 Minutes”. We chatted briefly and then he and Ryan caught up while I picked the brain of one of the C3 production crew.

I had been curious as to whether Lollapalooza had a designated radio frequency (RF) coordinator.  With nearly 141 performing acts that may or may not have wireless mics, in-ear monitors, and hundreds of crew, security, 2-way radios, and 90,000 cell phones (give or take a couple thousand), not to mention the giant antennas topping Chicago’s tallest skyscrapers pumping out HDTV it would seem a necessity.  In spite of an ever-increasing need for a designated RF Coordinator, it’s a position that is seldom filled on most large tours these days.  I had heard that even Lolla had done without one in years past.  Whether or not that is true, I couldn’t say.  However, I was told that there was an over-watch on the wireless world on site this time around.  Good to hear.

After our unplanned stop, Ryan and I parted ways.  I jumped on a golf cart (the “Fest Express”) and got let off behind the Kidzapalooza stage to see the last few numbers by Ralph’s World.  I stayed after the set awaiting to see what the next act, billed as “Special Guest” on the schedule, would be.  Blues-rock duo Little Hurricane filled that role for a fifteen minute show for the kids and parents.  I caught two, then hoofed it Northward.

Behind the stage for Little Hurricane at Kidzapalooza

I wanted to catch a bit of Death From Above 1979 at the Bud Light main stage.  I was pretty taken with You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine when it came out, but did not go see them prior to their break-up.  On the way I was able to drop by the PlayStation Stage (which faced the Bud Light stage) where longtime Shure endorsers Deftones were due up next.  They had the same idea as I – watching DFA’79 from a slightly elevated, less crowded spot.  I stopped and caught up for a few minutes with Frank Delgado, the Deftones’ DJ and keyboardist.  We chatted briefly about gear, mostly about DFA and how they were a band that caught fire in the dance music category in an unusual way, sounding like they do.

I caught Deftones from the Front Of House position for the Bud Light stage for the same reasons we were watching DFA from the PlayStation stage.  Also, I was there to visit with one of my favorite FOH mixers in all the world, my friend Hutch.  Deftones tore it up as Hutch got ready to mix Ween.  Chino Moreno, one of the more unique singers on the planet, has got his mic technique down pat.  It may frustrate engineers to no end when an artist puts a fist over the mic grille: it’s classic bad mic technique.  But in Moreno’s hands it’s hard to argue with the results.  Chino gets his Beta 58s to do what he wants.  The band sounded tight; they even had me singing along for a few tunes.

Ween from FOH/lighting position (note: dude ? Hutch)

About two songs in to Ween’s stellar set Hutch turned around with a huge grin on his face.  “I’m mixing WEEN!”  It was finally something he could check off his to-do list.  That level of engagement absolutely shone through the show.  After their set Hutch went to close up shop and I went off to catch a few by another artist with good buzz, Lykke Li.  She put up some solid tunes and had quite the reception for it.  The crowd was larger than what I imagine the supposed capacity would have been.  Alas, some loud mouths in front of me ended up drowning her out after a while, so I departed.

Seeking refuge from the crowds, I closed out the evening at the park behind Eminem’s stage.

Richard

UPDATE: Day 1, Day 3

Day 1 – Friday, August 5, 2011

I entered the park through the main gate at about 12:30 and made my way to TAB the Band at the PlayStation stage.  Being a gear junkie (and this being a blog about microphones), I immediately spied a line of SM58® on UHF-R® across the stage.  It turned out that those were the house mics and they were used for almost every act at that spot.  After TAB the Band wrapped up I stopped for a few minutes to listen to Young the Giant at the Bud Light main stage.  I was quite a ways off, but could spy on the massive screen a Super 55 being used every so often.  Always nice to hear the updated classic in action.

After a few songs I made my way to the the Kidz stage.  Kidzapalooza is curated by one of the Shure family, endorsing producer and performer, Tor Hyams.  Before running backstage to say “hello” I stopped in stage’s bazaar to visit the Hip Hop Workshop.  This was a space where kids could come in and say a few lines in to a mic and, thanks to the talents of two DJs and an MC, end up on a real track made up on the fly.  They were using a few sets of our headphones, the SRH750DJs, and had some pretty high praise for them.  I have recently started using them myself around the office, and was happy to geek out with them over it.  I wound my way back stage to meet up with our endorser.

After a quick catch-up I made my way back to PlayStation to catch new endorsers, Smith Westerns.  I’d seen them earlier in the Spring at local venue, The Empty Bottle.  They were good then and much tighter still now.  We grabbed a quick word after their set and then it was off to explore the grounds.

Smith Westerns at the PlayStation stage

The most noticeable expansion from years past was at Perry’s, the area showcasing electronic music and DJ culture.  I ran past it several times over the weekend and each time it was either packed or really packed.  The festival organizers have stated that this is where they see the most growth happening for Lollapalooza in the foreseeable future.  Like it or not (and I do), electronic music is here to stay.

After an exploratory walk-about I ran backstage to see who I could see.  Lolla draws a crowd from anywhere and everywhere.  Back in the artist lounge I ran in to several touring guys and girls whom I’ve come to know in my years at this job.  It is a great place to catch up and see who has been up to what.  Some were working, some were just there to hang out.  The latter is something I find fascinating about Lolla – you probably have a good festival if you’re getting people that eat, live, and breathe the music industry every day to go and just hang out in their off-time.

I ended my evening with Muse, which is never disappointing.  After they tore it up it was time to head out for some late-night dining with some industry friends.  Nothing too crazy – there were two more days to go!

Richard

UPDATE: Day 2, Day 3

Since it adopted its current format in 2005 the festival has undergone some expansion and refinement.  This year broke out of the mold.  More ground was annexed, upping the space from about 80 acres to around 110.  Attendance, which started in 2005 around 65,000/day, also jumped up to around 240,000 for the weekend.  That’s a record for those keeping score at home.

We here at Shure have also refined our format as it comes to making sure our artists playing this giant festival are happy lads and lasses.  Back in 2005 I would load up a Rock’n'Roller and beg and plead at any and every entrance to give me five minutes to off-load our gear before hitting a parking lot and walking all the way back down to that stage.  That could be in excess of a mile, depending on the lot and the stage.  Nowadays we make sure to get things done early and get the right shipping info.  Let the cross-load trucks do the work, I say!

Our festival actually started the day before the gates opened.  Shure played host to a recording session in our Performance and Listening Center (which if the fancy name for “the studio”…but when you’ve got a room like we’ve got you can’t do it justice just calling it a studio).  Local organization The Happiness Club joined up with Ralph Covert (Ralph’s World), ex-Porno for Pyros guitarist Peter DiStefano and members of Recess Monkey and The Verve Pipe.  The session was managed under the watchful eye of skillful producer, Tor Hyams, with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working for a few years now.  Shure employees Dean Giavaras and John Born ran the audio.  We wrapped the session before too late and all went our separate ways to get rested up before the fest.

The Black Keys show off from their new album, Brothers.

The festival itself opened up on Friday.  That’s the easy day to get around, mostly because it is still a weekday.  The backstage hasn’t filled up to its insane capacity.  The first day involved a lot of running around, getting familiar with our newer, larger, yet slightly more crowded surroundings.  To the wonderful sounds of Devo I jumped on a large golf cart (known as the “Fest Express”) up to the Kidzapalooza stage, where Tor was running the show.  Recess Monkey was up and playing.  After a quick “hello” I shot up North to the Budweiser stage, one of the two main stages.  I got in a chat with Patrick Carney from The Black Keys before they went up on stage and showed why they deserved to be on that big stage.  I was whisked up to the side of the stage and got to catch most of their set from there.  I got a brief snippet of video and some pics.  As soon as we get the video figured on this site out I’ll put up clips.

After they were done it was to the North Lolla Lounge to catch up with a few industry contacts.  There I stayed until it was time for The Strokes.  It had been a few years, but they put on the show much like I remembered.

Day Two I hopped the train down to Grant Park again.  Thanks to some slightly less than fun delays I didn’t get down there until most of Blues Traveler’s set had been done.  Ah, well.  Some things you can control, others you cannot.  And I did get to catch up with the crew for a bit.  After some chill time on their bus…and I mean “chill time” as in it was air conditioned…I wandered out to hear a bit of Against Me! on the adidas MEGA stage.  (Man, who names these things?).  As I was making my way on the hoof across the field Gogol Bordello started up.  An interesting act, that.  I first caught them about three years ago at a club.  Now they were on the South main stage pouring it out to the sun-soaked crowd.

I arrived back at the Kidzapalooza stage to see who was about.  You never quite know who will be showing up in addition to the scheduled talent.  The Happiness Club had already wrapped up and Dan Zanes was up on the stage with members of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra.  The backstage was packed though, everyone clamoring to catch that special vantage point of the next act up: Chrissie Hynde.  I was able to grab a song from the front.

I went back North to hear a bit of Metric and then Spoon from the backstage lounge area, but it was an early day for me.  I had to get back up to my place to get cleaned up for the night’s big aftershow: The Black Keys and The Morning Benders at the legendary Metro.

After getting showered and grabbing a bite we headed down to the Metro and in as The Morning Benders were wrapping their set.  Our access stickers afforded us a seat belly-up to the balcony on the stage right side, so we planted ourselves there and let the Keys do their thing.  Afterward we ran to the backstage to say hello to our friends and meet new ones.  Before you knew it, we were at 3 AM.  Time to head back…still one more day to go.

Sunday was rough.  By then most people who could figure out how to get backstage did, so the lounges were packed full of band members that had played over the weekend, industry insiders, and friends of friends who belonged somewhere between those categories.  I ran in to more people I knew on Sunday than the other two days, combined.

Again I went up to the kids stage and was rewarded with a special treat.  Perry Farrell and Peter DiStefano, backed by Thenewno2 played through “Pets” and Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane”.  That little surprise made the day.  Following that, we grabbed some eats and made our way to the expanded West end of the fest to see what Perry’s was all about.  This area had a great stage, lights and speakers artfully arranged for those that wanted to get away from the bands and go dance to the wide array of DJs.

I caught a few minutes of JFK from MSTRKFT and then tried to walk through the crowd to see some Mutemath.  As Sunday was seemingly the most crowded day, I was caught in a sea of humanity and missed that opportunity.  I went to the North lounge again and from there got to hear some MGMT.  I was not long there, though, for it was getting to be time to meet up with some friends and figure out where we wanted to be for what I really wanted to catch over the weekend: the return of Soundgarden!

I caught that set mostly from behind the stage, which did not have the best audio, but there were decent screens set up in the lounge area.  The audio quality at that spot did get to me though, so I went out to the field for a bit.  I went and stood with tens of thousands of others as they went through a set list that those who had waited so long for a reunion would be happy to hear.

Before the end of their set I wound my way back to hang out with many friends and colleagues throughout my years in this wacky business at the Lolla afterparty.  After a brief relocation to allow for set-up, we were back at the lounge and dancing to the beats of Felix da Housecat.  It was close to two in the morning when we finally called it quits.  Another epic festival in the can.  I’m sure Lollapalooza 2011 is now in the works.

The Lolla jewelry. The last thing I do after the fest is cut it all off.

Sandrok