The Nth Degree

            Lollapalooza is arguably the best festival that a music lover can attend. Besides being run like clockwork, the three-day outdoor show makes concertgoers top priority and celebrates not only music, but the city of Chicago and the environment as well. This year boasts a saturated lineup of the biggest names in music, including Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails and Chi-town’s own Wilco and Kanye West. The bill is almost surreal. On top of that, Lupe Fiasco, Mark Ronson and G. Love and Special Sauce round out the lineup along with buzzmakers like Duffy and The Ting Tings.
            Last year was my first trek to the festival in the Windy City. I was amazed by the beauty of Grant Park, the friendliness of the staff that was employed to help patrons and the way the city opened its arms to the event. Scheduling more than 130 bands to play during the course of three steamy hot days in August is no minor feat, but the folks at Lollapalooza know how to do it right.
            The show is spread across a long stretch of the park alternating between concrete, grass and baseball fields. You can bring your own blankets, cooler and water bottles and no one will give you flack. And forget festival food standards like messy burritos, sugary smoothies and $12 chicken finger combos—Lollapalooza has full blown eating areas dubbed “Chowtown,” which feature local cuisine from area restaurants. You’ll have a variety of ethnic and vegetarian options to choose from, so don’t worry about going hungry for the weekend.
            Perry Farrell, the founder and face of the festival, has been vocal about his Earth-saving endeavors when it comes to Lollapalooza. A great effort to provide recycling stations on the grounds has been made in the past, and corn syrup cups and utensils are available for biodegradability. Carbon emissions from the show will be offset and the simple act of everyone “pitching in” with the readily available waste bins keeps the site nearly immaculate (unheard of at such a massive event).
            All of this helps make the festival a pleasant experience, but at the end of the day, the bands are really what drive the fun factor of Lollapalooza. Radiohead will be headlining the first night, the first of three big summer festivals the U.K. band is playing in August. Then you’ve got Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against the Machine, both returning to the festival after playing it in its very first years. Kanye West, Wilco and Lupe Fiasco are the hometown heroes of the event, repping strong for Chicago on the second and third days. The lineup is further bolstered by the Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party and Cat Power, just to give you an idea of the caliber of musicians who will be gracing Lolla’s seven stages.
            Basically, if you could only pick one festival to travel for, Lollapalooza is it. You’ll get your fill of the show during the day, and then hit area nightclubs that will host a multitude of after parties where you can see your favorite bands again in a more intimate setting. There are tons of things to do during the day if you’ve got downtime, and there’s no doubt that the locals are warm and welcoming to the weekend’s tourists. If you weren’t lucky enough to make it this time, there’s always next year, so start planning!