Recoil – Lollapalooza Coverage 2010

Only one day into Lollapalooza 2010, revenge ripped through the reunions as the major theme of this year’s festival. A rite of passage for any artist, the mainstage headlining slot by Lady Gaga on Friday night had the feel of pure vindication as Gaga gave her ‘Monster Ball’ mantra of ‘Be free and believe in yourself’ an extra dose of vengeful vitriol.
During one of her many melodramatic moments of dialogue with her crowd of ‘Little Monsters,’ she railed against her 2007 afternoon slot on Lollapalooza’s tiny BMI Stage, and chastised the haters who had called that performance a trainwreck. The dance-pop diva then rose to the occassion — hyped to heights as high as the Chicago skyline that surrounded her by T-shirts emblazened with ‘Gaga-palooza,’ and fiercely loyal fans decked out in costume — by reveling in a mix of dance party debauchery, breathless ballads, and art house-gone-fetish freak visuals. The sheer spectacle, supported by the massive size of the crowd in front of it, overshadowed the night’s other headliner, The Strokes, whose “reunion” tour set simply couldn’t compare in providing as many unforgettable moments.
Leading up to both headliners, Lolla’s North/South split seperated the majority of its indie-oriented artists from its more mainstream/jam-friendly acts, and the vibe on either side of Grant Park throughout the day reflected that aesthetic. Dancing dominated the larger South side, where breakout Atlanta rapper B.o.B brought out the masses early and Balkan Beat Box instantly amped up the energy later continued by surprisingly jammy, ‘freestyle’ sets from neo-soul standout Raphael Saadiq and English live-electronica outfit Hot Chip. Meanwhile, more intent listening filled the tightly-packed North end, where folded arms and humor helped ease the slightly squeezed-in feel that part of the park had due to the fact the two stages were to face one another. The New Pornographers made delightful light of the the circumstance, while enduring a blazing, blinding sun for most of their set, joking at how all festivalgoers had to do in order to enjoy the following performance by The Dirty Projectors was turn around.
But by the end of the day it literally, as much as figuratively, came back to Gaga. The controversy and divisiveness surrounding her as an artist defined the open but obvious divide between sides, and even in between the laughs and the wonderfully sunny tunes, even The New Pornographers and the many hipster fans on the North end had to admit her presence filled the whole festival.