Cheeky’s Lolla Recap

Even though flip-flops were swapped for raincoats and we traded sunblock for umbrellas, Lollapalooza still delivered. Cheeky followed the fest’s every move – here are some of our highlights.

Thievery Corporation: DJ duo Rob Garza and Eric Hilton delivered an eclectic mix of Latin beats, Brazilian bossa nova, reggae and jazz to the Chicago 2016 Friday. Accompanied by supporting artists and singers, Thievery worked the audience, as its diverse singers charmed the crowd. Songs played included “Hare Krisna”, “The Forgotten People” and evident crowd favorite, “Lebanese Blonde.”

Depeche Mode: It was refreshing to see these New Wave pioneers still on top of their game. Battling Kings of Leon across the lot, Depeche Mode delivered a set of band classics, including “It’s No Good”, “I Feel You” and “Personal Jesus”, clearly respecting the Lolla crowd’s desire to hear some crowd-pleasers thrown into the mix. Sure, Dave Gahan and co. deliver a more “subdued” performance than they did in the 80s, but there was no question who the stars Friday evening were – after all, staying power is the true measurement of success.

Passion Pit: Electro-pop darlings of 2009, Passion Pit, invoked the most enthusiastic crowd reaction of Lollapalooza, as they played to their crowd at the Citi stage on Sunday, producing a fervent reaction of clapping, sing-alongs and crowd-surfing. Hits like “Sleepyhead”, “Moth’s Wings” and “The Reeling” were clear stand-outs, as singer Michael Angelako and his token feminine croon claimed the crowd’s attention.

Tool: The crowd gathered early, in preparation for Tool’s set Saturday evening. The stage lights were dark, icy and ominous, as Maynard and co. took the stage. Hiding behind his bandmates and opting for dimly-lit areas of the stage (which is apparently his M.O.), Maynard was tough to spot during the band’s hour-long set, which included “Jambi”, “Schism” and “Flood.”

Band of Horses: Alt-rockers Band of Horses brought the goods Sunday evening, as they delivered a steady stream of hits from their previous two records, including “No One’s Gonna Love You”, “The Great Salt Lake”, Is There a Ghost” and “Funeral.” In what proved to be the boldest (and most pompous) move of the weekend, the band ignored the fact they were already 20 minutes over their set time (Lou Reed finished late), and played over Jane’s Addiction’s opening songs. Discourteous as it may be, the BOH crowd seemed to eat it up – and neglected the fact that Janes’ frontman (and Lollapalooza founder) Perry Farrell, was the sole reason the band was playing in the first place.

Snoop Dogg: It’s probably safe to say Snoop Dogg takes the crown for having the “biggest entourage” at Lolla. Accompanied by train of sharply-dressed men, all clad in dark suits, Snoop (donned in an L.A. Lakers t-shirt), took the Chicago 2016 stage on Sunday evening, and began his entertaining hour-long set, which included nostalgic hits like “Gina and Juice” and “What’s My Name.” Kicking his set off with “The Next Episode”, Snoop continued to encourage the crowd to get high throughout his performance… we wouldn’t expect anything less from Snoop.

Also still reeling in our memories are The Decemberists, Vampire Weekend, Chairlift, Ben Folds, Santigold, Bat For Lashes and Cold War Kids.

Photos: Sarah Cochran