Lollapalooza Fri Aug 06 2010

Lollapalooza Stage Clash 2010 - Round 5

So we wrap it up in style. This is it. The final countdown. How will you spend your last few hours as the sun goes down on Lollapalooza this weekend? Choose your sets carefully, remember just how big it all is this year (bigger than ever before). Our suggestions to aid the toughest decisions follow. (Review all of our Lollapalooza picks from the week here.) We'll be reporting each day all we hear and see and smell from the grounds at Grant Park, so check back to read all about it.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 8TH: NIGHT

5-6:30pm Erykah Badu vs. Dirty South
The incomparable Erykah Badu, queen of neo-soul R&B, has made heads turn this year. Whether it was for the fact that she stripped nude in her video for "Window Seat" or for the fact that it was at the site of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas, she's been making news. The diva, once known for her traditional African hair wraps and bird-like voice, has started bearing all in recent years, with a magnificent afro and stripped down lyrics about sex and politics, not just heartache. She'll be at the adidas MEGA stage as the light starts getting mellow. By contrast, Dirty South, are Aussies with a devotion to House music. If you're one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of mini backpack-wearing dance trance fans who'll be in attendance at the festival, and are in search of a stage where you can crack your glowsticks a little early and get sweaty with your new best friends, Perry's stage across the street will be the place to be.
- Anne Holub

6-7:15pm Wolfmother vs. MGMT
This set will divide those who like those who want to rawk with those who, well, don't. On the latter tip is MGMT, whose sophomore album, Congratulations (released in early 2010), doesn't have the obvious dance singles that their first album, Oracular Spectacular, did. Instead, it's Oracular's poppier, tamer (and perhaps glammier) cousin. The tracks bounce around in different directions, often cultivating a huge, Wall of Sound atmosphere that might play well in an open festival setting.

Which brings us to the rocking. Aussie trio Wolfmother have been channeling Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and the like for some time. Despite the band's rhythm section leaving the group (Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, who went on to work on a project with turntablist Kid Koala called The Slew, singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale sallied forth, got new band mates, and put out 2009's Cosmic Egg. What can you expect from these fellas? Pretty much the same thing, actually: heavy, psychedelic rock that will have you pumping your fist.
- Kara Luger

7- 8:30pm Cypress Hill vs. The National
Okay, fine, The National are a fine band. Alligator and Boxer have been critically acclaimed all over the place, and High Violet isn't doing so bad in sales either. But put it on your headphones in your room and get all deeply into the beauty of it on your own time. This is the biggest festival the city has to offer, and Cypress Hill is going to be here, possibly with a giant inflatable skeleton on a throne. They're going to play songs you know all the lyrics to (consciously or not), the crowd's going to be swaying hard, and they've got a song about localized insanity that's pretty catchy. Use the festival to see a show, not just your favorite band live.
- Dan Morgridge

8-10pm Arcade Fire vs. Soundgarden
Finally, Lolla did something right in terms of scheduling by putting two bands that really aren't very similar on opposite ends of the park going roughly head to head (with the possibility of Soundgarden ending a touch earlier.) Both bands could be seen as aggressive, however Soundgarden is more heavy hitting whereas Arcade Fire projects an increasing urgency of believing in and getting their message across.

On the legendary scale, Soundgarden has Arcade Fire beat. The band has released five major full length albums and this reunion show may be a fan's only chance to witness the iconic Seattle grunge band in the flesh, especially if you were too young to see them/go to shows back when their last full length, Down on the Upside was released in 1996. The only question is...can the band still deliver the goods after not playing together regularly for so long? Purportedly, they also have a new track that will be coming out. Though it would be completely unexpected for Soundgarden to play mainly new material, perhaps their modern take on old tracks won't hold up like some die hard audience members would like.

Opposite to Soundgarden, The Arcade Fire has just released their third epic full length, The Suburbs. The album is a real grower with fantastic potential to demonstrate another apt criticism, this time of the suburbs specifically and the complications of so much sprawl. Arcade Fire has been known for their great live shows and have not come to Chicago in quite some time. It's possible that if we have to wait until their next release and tour, we could be waiting another 2-3 years to see them. In some ways, Arcade Fire seems more relevant today than Soundgarden. Though Soundgarden has won the test of time, seeing them might be more about nostalgia than of staying current with the pioneers of music.
- Kirstie Shanley