I've heard it said that you never forget your first love. Well I'll never forget my first Lollapalooza, or the 17.4 miles of trudging up and down Grant Park I had to do to cover it.
The party started with a 5:30 a.m. flight from Tampa to Hotlanta, then on to the Windy City itself. When I arrived in Chicago, it was a balmy 72 degrees, with just a hint of breeze coming off Lake Michigan. My first stop: the Michigan Avenue Apple Store for a pre-Lollapalooza concert with Wild Beasts and The Boxer Rebellion. I spent the next few days catching some excellent music and photographing the bands and crowd. From B.o.B to Arcade Fire, it was all good. Even the Sunday morning rain shower couldn't slow down the Lollapalooza Juggernaut. [Click here to see my pics from the fest and to read Andrew's wrap-up.]
But the real stars of the show were the nightly after parties.
The Hard Rock Chicago hosted Saturday night's Warner Bros. Records after party, and it was good — I mean really, really good.
We kicked off with a set by Danny Masterson (AKA DJ Mom Jeans), which was exactly what the crowd needed to get it all started.
And hot off their Friday afternoon set at Lollapalooza, Nashville's very own American Bang [pitured above] brought the rock-n-roll to the party. Neon Hitch (yes, that's really her name) was resplendent in her leopard spots and wielded a fur-lined megaphone, turning the Warner Records after party into the Warner Records dance-your-ass-off-party. For anyone in the crowd that missed Lady GaGa's Friday night set, Neon Hitch went a long way in easing their pain.