The official lineup for Lollapalooza was released last week with the headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Black Sabbath and Jack White coinciding with the theme colors of red, black and white. Besides these main events, here are some shows I am anticipating the most.
Metric: I was most excited to see the Canadian rock band Metric on the lineup. Along with Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Maja Ivarsson of The Sounds, the frontwoman Emily Haines is very well-known for her eccentric stage persona. She jumps, she spins, she kicks and she never stops moving throughout the show. She varies her vocal tones freely, alluring the audience to the band’s new-wave melodies and beats. After two platinum Canadian albums, they are scheduled to release their fifth studio album, Synthetica. This year, we will get to see them perform a lot of their new songs.
Bloc Party: The British indie band Bloc Party has not played a gig together for two years after they released their third studio album, Intimacy, in 2008. With numerous anthemic hit singles like “So Here We Are,” “Banquet” and “Helicopter,” these four Londoners are very used to playing in front of festival crowds and bring a great amount of energy to the stage. The lead vocalist, Kele Okereke, does not shout or try to throw his guitar, but he has a certain soft charisma that attracted over 50,000 people’s attention at Glastonbury.
Franz Ferdinand: The Scottish indie band Franz Ferdinand is another band that has not released any new material in a while. These four men from Glasgow are never in T-shirts and jeans. The frontman, Alex Kapranos, is known for his stylish stage outfits because he is not afraid to wear different colors. While playing hits like “Take Me Out,” “Do You Want to” and “No You Girls,” Kapranos’ light and rhythmic foot stomping makes their show fun, enjoyable and danceable.
Madeon: Madeon is one of the DJs that will be playing a set at the Perry’s Stage. This 17 year old from Nantes, France has had much success after his viral video, “Pop Culture (live mashup)” last summer. He has recently started to play sets in big cities like New York, London and Paris, and this rather petite teenager with still a boyish face can make people dance all night. Primarily using Novation Launchpad during his sets, he constantly brings fresh new beats back by releasing his original tracks or remixes. Lollapalooza will be his second gig in Chicago.
–Jennifer Suh
