…And Justice For All
Justice Reigns Supreme Over a Sold-Out Lolla Crowd – The Wise Choice Over Jack White
The French really know how to make electronic music. Daft Punk. Air. M83. Les Rythmes Digitales. And then of course Justice – one of two headliners Sunday night at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
The Paris-based duo brought their booming bass, fist-pumping beats and acidy keyboard sounds to an otherwise lackluster day at Lolla. It wasn’t rock, but it did indeed rock – a performance that was absolutely sick. It felt like a gigantic rave circa 1999.
Completely refreshing after a day saturated by rock ‘n’ roll, Justice knocked it out of Grant Park. I could’ve watched Jack White’s solo show – and if it were the White Stripes, I maybe would’ve considered it – but Justice was definitely the wise choice.
After I was blown away by Daft Punk in 2007, I opted for Justice, knowing that a huge electronic dance party was the better bet for a festival crowd. This wasn’t quite as good as Daft Punk’s set five years ago, but it was close.
The Walkmen
The Walkmen delivered a afternoon set of indie rock hits that rivaled any rock band of the whole weekend I’m guessing – I only went to Lolla on Sunday because I couldn’t get a 3-day pass and Friday and Saturday were sold out.
The Gaslight Anthem reminded me of my punk days in high school. Except this was a different kind of punk, which I will call punk-for-grownups. Huge singalongs.
But the best rock band of the day was At the Drive-In – a group that is the epitome of post-hardcore. The ground surrounding the Red Bull stage was caked in mud and I was praying that a moshpit wouldn’t break out. It did so I quickly moved out of the way but I still managed to get my feet all muddy since I was wearing sandals.
This was the first Chicago reunion show for the post-punk boys from El Paso, TX. I saw them 12 years ago when I was in college. They opened for Fugazi at the Safari Club in Des Moines, Iowa. Now they’ve reached legendary status. And they’ve still got it.
I use to live in Chicago and I have been to Lollapalooza multiple times. I was not able to make it this year but I heard it was a fun event. I wish I was there, maybe next time.