Lollapolooza 2008

It's our second time to Lollapolooza, and it's a memorable experience. The memorable part is not just about the music, but the whole experience.

We got there at around 2:30 p.m., and it was a humid, sunny, 85-degree day in Chicago summer. Jeff, my husband made sure that we drank a lot of water to prevent heat stroke. As always, my cautious husband complements my carelessness.

It was a lot fun the first few hours after our arrival....Beers and good (but not extraordinary) music -- Electric Touch, Louis XIV, The Kills. I was looking forward to my first experience of The Black Keys, but to our disappointment, the speakers were not functioning well, and they sounded interrupted and partly delayed.

Certainly, majority of the people attended the first day of the Lollapolooza is to see Radiohead. We put our blankets down to save some spots for John, Prow, Matt, etc. But it did not work....almost 75,000 people start cramping in front of the AT&T stage, where Radiohead performs. During the whole time, I was thinking about leaving our spot and go somewhere less crowded and meet up with everyone at the end of the show. Everyone's sweaty body touches each other...humid...no air coming in...at one point, it felt like everyone around me was smoking (pot or cigarettes). An hour feels like 10 years....I was convinced I was eaten by weird fishes and slowly dying. When I can hear Radiohead's live performance of Weird Fishes?

Fortunately our friends did find us! But when Jeff went to get us dinner, he had not returned for almost 1 hour. Just 5 minutes before the show started, I had to clime on Prow's shoulder to find Jeff....I used a borrowed rainbow umbrella as a "landmark" and hoping he would see me. While impatient and sweating audience started throwing things at the umbrella wanted me to get down, I saw Jeff. What a relieve....I didn't want to see the show without my husband. I almost had a panic attack.

After the music came on....15 minutes as the starter. I yelled out, "It was all worth it!!!" And come on, it's Radiohead. I probably would do this only for them.