I wrote a lot already about Lollapalooza. First I had to semi-live blog it at ESDmusic, and then I had to write in-depth reviews of every act I saw at Bullz-Eye. I’m kind of Lollapaloozed out. So I’m going to keep this brief. My photos are in the process of uploading to Flickr right now, so if you want more Lolla goodness I suggest you check them out.

I don’t have much to say about the bands. Depeche Mode was AWESOME. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs made me lose my mind, The Killers were absolutely satisfactory. I don’t have much to add about that. However, everyone who comes to this site knows that my review of a concert doesn’t end with how I feel about the bands. No, I spend just as much time judging the audiences as I do the people that they are watching. In the past I have been…harsh on people. Crafting guides to concert etiquette not once, but twice. Concerts, especially large multi-day outdoor concerts are where I usually loose my faith in humanity thanks to drunken fratboys, socially inept hipsters and idiot teenybopper girls who think the world is their playground and treat everyone else like shit. Last year was especially bad, and I left with no hope for humanity as a whole.

This year, was another story entirely.

People were actually…nice. I know, it’s just as weird for me to say it as it is for you to read it, but I actually had a good time talking to interacting with the people around me this time. Sure, there were a few jers *cough*Tool fans*cough* who talked too much, wanted to start shit and tried to strong arm their way through the crowds, but for the most part everyone was cool. And if they weren’t cool they were usually nice when I called them out on it. Some dudes were chatting up a storm during Depeche Mode and I asked the to please be quiet or move…and they actually apologized and shut up! I’ve never seen that before! I guess if you’re going to be an idiot you can be a nice one.

I even had my faith in humanity restored a couple times near the end of the festival on Sunday. The first time came during Dan Deacon. I posted a video to this before and if you haven’t watched it I suggest you do so. It’s Deacon performing “Jack And Jill” while one of his bandmates was in a cleared circle in the audience, basically serving as a conductor telling the masses what to do (raise your hands, wave, clap, etc.) near the end of his bit he started throwing stuff up in the air. Frist only a few pieces of paper came up, then a decent-sized volley of water bottles were tossed, but then a freaking wave of water bottles filled the sky. It wasn’t a vindicitive maneuver intended to harm, but a celebratory statement by the crowd. It was beautfiul man. After the show I managed to find Deacon outside packing up. I ran upto him, shook his hand and said “Holy shit your show blew my fucking mind!” His reaction led me to believe he gets that a lot.

Later on I got my spot for The Killers. Next to me was a 14-year-old kid and his dad who bought day passeses because the kid loves The Killers. They’re not his favorite band however, that would be Nirvana. Little dude was even rocking a Nirvana t-shirt.

Okay, call me sentimental, overly sensitive or whatever, but seeing that kicked ass. After watching hundreds of emo kids with stupid hats and Hot Topic shoes walk by, finding one kid who still believed that Nirvana was the greatest fucking rock band in the world kind of gave me a little bit of hope for the future. I told the kid to pick up some Dinosaur Jr., Mudhoney and Pixies in order to increase his grunge knowledge. He seemed excited to find out about bands that influenced Kurt and company.

Go little dude go.

Depeche Mode
Corrupt (Efdemin Remix)
In Chains (Minilogue’s Earth Remix)
Little Soul (Thomas Fehlmann Flowing Ambient Mix)
Jezebel (SixToes Remix)
Perfect (Electronic Periodic’s Dark Drone Mix)

Oh, and this just in. DEPECHE MODE WAS FUCKING AWESOME. These are remixes from the bonus disc that came with the Super-Ultra-Omega Deluxe version of Sounds Of The Universe.