Steve Mitchell, Invision/AP
The usual hustle and bustle surrounding Chicago's historic Grant Park in early August manifested itself once again, as it does perennially. The eighth Lollapalooza festival based in Chicago and the 21st overall shut down roads and brought tens of thousands of weekend revelers armed with an insatiable appetite for live music.
Sunlight poured through the trees at the Google Play stage, where rising U.K. outfit Animal Kingdom embraced their first ever appearance in Chicago. From there it was a bounce over to the expansive fields of the Bud Light and Playstation stages for the perusing of the eclectic buffet of schedule selections. Boats of all shapes and sizes began stalling on the banks of Lake Michigan while folksters First Aid Kit and Brazilian reggae-rap party starters O Rappa welcomed the still trickling in crowds.
On the opposite side of the park were the nearly symmetrical stages underneath Sony and Red Bull sponsorship, respectively. All this without making mention of the never-ending vibrations emanating from the designated outdoor dance arena Perry's, named for Lolla founder and legendary Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell. Yellow Ostrich took the Sony stage while Orlando Higginbottom, aka Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, brought the daytime house mix dressed in his signature neck-dress.
Pennsylvanian psych-rockers Dr. Dog went up against the Black Angels, and as the former ran through an energetic set with pitch-perfect croons from Toby Leaman and Scott McKicken, the latter created a mystic ambiance with swirling guitars and a featured sitar. From there, it was singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten up against space rockers Tame Impala, who had heads swaying
