Lolla Lovin

Lollapalooza, like New Years,’ or Homecoming, or any big birthday, is an event surrounded by a lot of hype. And, in my experience, these types of things—which friends come in town for, that are looked forward to for weeks, and usually over planned—have a tendency towards mishap. That’s why I was so pleasantly surprised that my Lollapalooza weekend went off without a hitch, in spite of the extreme weather.

In fact, I’d say that the weather made it even better. Some concert-goers would probably disagree—after all, it was torrentially down pouring for most of Friday, and Sunday was sweltering—and not being a lover of extremes myself, it’s not surprising that many considered it less than ideal.

I admit, I had my moments on Friday when I seriously doubted that I could stick it out in the rain. Clad in a Walgreens poncho, with mud splattered calves and pruny fingers, I was hardly the model of concert-going chic. But as we grooved to Thievery Corporation and I look around at crowd—all as wet-ratty as me—I felt as though I had gotten about as close to the hippie alter-ego I’ve always believed was in me somewhere.

Sunday’s torturous heat also somehow seemed to complete my imaginary ideal of outdoor concert debauchery. Tied with Thievery as my favorite act of the weekend, Passion Pit performed at the height of the afternoon inferno. But fans crammed together despite the climbing temperatures, prompting crew and crowd members alike to shake any bottled liquid on hand, spraying the people around them in an act of neighborly love. Normally, I’m not all about getting showered with mystery liquids, but (and call me corny) there was something about the music, and the heat, and the crowd that made it all seem perfectly all right.