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This Week in Great Music: 12/5 – 12/11

Sarah — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:54:52 +0000

It’s been quiet around here. Sorry for that. I’ve got a Best of 2011 guest post coming up from Mike at Land of Absurdity. It’ll be list-y.

Monday, December 5
Avey Tare, Eric Copeland; Schubas. 7 pm, $15

Tuesday, December 6
The National, Local Natives, Wye Oak; the Aragon. 7 pm, $35
Harper Blynn; SPACE. 8 pm, $10-12

Wednesday, December 7
The War on Drugs, Still Corners, Arc in Round; Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $14

Thursday, December 8
Erin McKeown; Schubas. 8 pm, $12
Jeffrey David, Vintage Blue, DBP; Metro. 8:30 pm, $9-11
Save the Clocktower, Windbreaker, Vapor Eyes; Empty Bottle. 9:30 pm, $8

Friday, December 9
Bon Iver; UIC Pavilion. 7:30 pm, $40
Peter Bradley Adams; Schubas. 7:30 pm, $8-10
Shemekia Copeland, Bill Brickey; Old Town School of Folk Music. 8 pm, $21-25

Saturday, December 10
Over the Rhine; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm and 10 pm, $24-28
Tori Amos; Chicago Theatre. 8 pm, $39.50-59.50

Sunday, December 11
Winterbloom, ft. Antje Duvekot, Anne Heaton, Meg Hutchinson and Natalia Zukerman; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm, $18-22
Ryan Adams, Jessica Lea Mayfield; Cadillac Palace Theatre. 7:30 pm, $45

CHIRP Playlist: Friday, November 18, 2011

Sarah — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 16:50:28 +0000

I’ll be occupying the Friday 8-10 pm Central slot through the end of the year, so you can hear me on a regular basis on CHIRP Radio. It’ll be great.

9:58 PM Rainer Maria Long Knives from Long Knives Drawn (Polyvinyl)
9:54 PM The Unsettlers Red to Black from The Unsettlers (self-released)
9:50 PM Los Campesinos! Hello Sadness from Hello Sadness (Arts & Crafts)
9:46 PM M. Ward Sweethearts On Parade from Transistor Radio (Merge)
9:42 PM The Decemberists Foregone from Long Live the King EP (Capitol)
9:37 PM Andrew Bird Opposite Day from Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs (Righteous Babe)
9:33 PM Ani DiFranco Swim from Educated Guess (Righteous Babe)
9:28 PM Kathleen Edwards Chameleon Comedian from Voyageur (MapleMusic)
9:24 PM A.A. Bondy American Hearts from American Hearts (Fat Possum)
9:19 PM Aterciopelados Gozo Poderoso from Gozo Poderoso (RCA)
9:13 PM The Lijadu Sisters Danger from Danger (Knitting Factory)
9:08 PM Bon Iver Skinny Love from For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
9:01 PM Thomas Comerford Gravity from Archive + Spiral (Spacesuit)
8:57 PM The Hold Steady Party Pit from Boys and Girls In America (Vagrant)
8:53 PM Breakers Broken Last Man on the Planet from Reset (self-released)
8:50 PM Mayer Hawthorne Stick Around from How Do You Do (Universal)
8:46 PM Sensation Junkies Olalla from Once for the Money (Sarathan Records)
8:41 PM Owen The Armoire from Ghost Town (Polyvinyl)
8:36 PM Okkervil River The War Criminal Rises and Speaks from Down The River Of Golden Dreams
8:32 PM Sarah Jarosz Run Away from Follow Me Down (Sugar Hill)
8:28 PM Darren Johnston’s Gone to Chicago Love Call from The Big Lift (Porto Franco)
8:21 PM Angie Aparo Wonderland from The American (Melisma)
8:17 PM Crooked Fingers The Counterfeiter from Breaks in the Armor (Merge)
8:13 PM The New Pornographers Myriad Harbour from Challengers (Matador)
8:08 PM Cass McCombs Love Thine Enemy from Humor Risk (Domino)
8:05 PM Brandi Carlile Follow from Brandi Carlile (Red Ink Records)

CHIRP Playlist: Saturday, October 22, 2011

Sarah — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:12:56 +0000

Who would have guessed that an empty radio studio in a manufacturing building would be creepy at midnight when you’re there all by yourself? Crazy, isn’t it? Made a couple of good musical discoveries, though, of artists I’d never heard before randomly selecting them to play. That’s always a plus.

Here’s what I played to close out Saturday night. Your next chance to hear me is on Saturday, November 5th, from noon to 2 pm (Central).

11:55 PM DeVotchKa The Enemy Guns from How It Ends (Cicero)
11:53 PM Sarah Siskind Say It Louder from Say It Louder (Request Records)
11:50 PM Mike and the Censations Don’t Sell Your Soul from Don’t Sell Your Soul (Ubiquity)
11:45 PM Regina Spektor Samson from Begin to Hope (Sire)
11:42 PM St. Vincent Champagne Year from Strange Mercy (4AD)
11:37 PM Andrew Bird Night Sky from Norman (Mom+Pop)
11:34 PM Neko Case I’m An Animal from Middle Cyclone (ANTI-)
11:30 PM Guster Either Way from Lost and Gone Forever (Sire)
11:26 PM Mates of State Sway from Mountaintops (Barsuk)
11:22 PM Rachael Cantu I Threw It All Away from Paupers, Peasants, Princes & Kings: The Songs of Bob Dylan (Doghouse Records)
11:18 PM Feist Comfort Me from Metals (Cherrytree)
11:13 PM Helen Money Too Heavy from In Tune (Table of the Elements)
11:10 PM Vashti Bunyan Come Wind Come Rain from Just Another Diamond Day (Dicristina Stair)
11:04 PM Bon Iver Re: Stacks from For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
11:02 PM Kate and Anna McGarrigle Schooldays from The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)
10:58 PM The David Mayfield Parade I Just Might Pray from The David Mayfield Parade (Ninth Grade Records)
10:53 PM Joe Firstman Now You’re Gorgeous, Now You’re Gone from The War of Women (Atlantic)
10:51 PM Twin Sister Spain from In Heaven (Domino)
10:47 PM Sharon Van Etten For You from Because I Was In Love (Language of Stone)
10:41 PM Johnny Flynn Been Listening from Been Listening (Transgressive Records)
10:38 PM Laura Marling The Muse from A Creature I Don’t Know (Ribbon)
10:34 PM Mar Caribe Django Tango from Songs From Under the Flight Path (self-released)
10:29 PM The Acorn Blankets from Blankets! EP (Kelp)
10:25 PM Azita Stars or Fish from Disturbing the Air (Drag City)
10:20 PM Over the Rhine The Laugh of Recognition from The Long Surrender (Great Speckled Dog Records)
10:14 PM Bonnie “Prince” Billy No Match from Wolfroy Goes to Town (Drag City)
10:10 PM Ryan Adams Chains of Love from Ashes & Fire (PAX-AM/Capitol)
10:07 PM Pinetop Seven His Aging Miss Idaho from The Night’s Bloom (Empyrean)
10:02 PM The Traveling Wilburys Not Alone Any More from The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 (Wilbury Records)
9:57 PM The Mountain Goats The Young Thousands from We Shall All Be Healed (4AD)
9:54 PM My Brightest Diamond Escape Routes from All Things Will Unwind (Asthmatic Kitty)
9:51 PM The Cell Phones Husband from Hospital Spaceship EP (Self-released)
9:46 PM JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Awake from Want More (Bloodshot)
9:42 PM Melissa Ferrick Burn This Guitar from Listen Hard (Right On Records)
9:39 PM Thea Gilmore This Girl Is Taking Bets from Rules for Jokers (Compass)
9:33 PM Neil Young Alabama from Harvest (Reprise)
9:29 PM Deer Tick Let’s All Go To The Bar from Divine Providence (Partisan)
9:26 PM Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies Morning Cigarettes from Bluebird (Breakout)
9:21 PM A.C. Newman Drink To Me, Babe, Then from The Slow Wonder (Matador)
9:17 PM We Were Promised Jetpacks Hard to Remember from In the Pit of the Stomach (FatCat)
9:14 PM Chin Up Chin Up We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers (Stephen Snydacker Mix) from Chin Up Chin Up (Flameshovel)
9:08 PM Dan Mangan Robots from Nice Nice Very Nice (Arts & Crafts)
9:05 PM Malajube Radiologie from La Caverne (MB3)
9:02 PM Tegan and Sara Monday Monday Monday from If It Was You (Vapor Records)

This Week in Great Music: 7/18 – 7/24

Sarah — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:26:11 +0000

I’ll be at Lincoln Hall to catch the Old 97′s tonight. They’re one of those bands who I always seem to miss when they come into town. No more!

And while I probably won’t be able to make it, everyone else should go to the Timber Timbre/Marissa Nadler show on Thursday. I don’t know much about Timber Timbre, but I like what I’ve heard, and Marissa Nadler’s new album is beautiful.

Monday, July 18
Blonde Redhead, My Gold Mask; Millennium Park. 6:30 pm, free
Robbie Fulks, Beau Sample, Robbie Gjersoe; Hideout. 7 pm, $10 suggested donation
Old 97s, Robert Ellis; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $25

Tuesday, July 19
Steve Earle and the Dukes, Allison Moorer; the Vic. 7:30 pm, $32-35
Uncommon Ground Employee Talent Night, ft. Algebro, Steve Leaf, The Drummond Bros., Rachele Eve and Chris Tobias; Uncommon Ground on Clark. 7:30 pm, $5 suggested donation
Old 97s, Robert Ellis; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $25
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins, Briar Rabbit; Schubas. 8 pm, $12-14

Wednesday, July 20
Balkan Beat Box, Black Bear Combo, DJ RomaSoul; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $20
Justin Jones and the Driving Rain, Derek Nelson and the Musicians; SPACE. 8 pm, $12-18

Thursday, July 21
Yemen Blues, Etran Finatawa; Millennium Park. 6:30 pm, free
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones; the Vic. 8 pm, $35-40
Mana; Allstate Arena. 8 pm, $38-95
Timber Timbre, Marissa Nadler, Faces on Film; Schubas. 9 pm, $14

Friday, July 22
Gillian Welch; the Vic. 7:30 pm, $30
Sia, Oh Land, Ximena Sarinana; Metro. 8 pm, $25
Mana; Allstate Arena. 8 pm, $38-95
Other Lives, Thomas Dybdahl; Schubas. 10 pm, $10
Wild Flag, Mickey, Radar Eyes; Subterranean. 10:30 pm, sold out

Saturday, July 23
Las Guitarras de Espana, Chiara Mangiameli; Mayne Stage. 7:30 pm, $25

Sunday, July 24
Bon Iver, The Rosebuds; Chicago Theatre. 7:30 pm, sold out

Wow, That’s a Good Song: Justin Vernon with the Eau Claire Memorial Jazz Band, “For Emma”

Sarah — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:25:35 +0000

Here’s a peek into my music nerd past: once upon a time, I was in my high school’s jazz band. While we did our fair share of standards, we mixed it up with some songs of the moment — I was in high school when the whole swing revival was happening, after all. (Okay, well, our director also threw in a lot of random songs that were neither jazz nor ’90′s swing revival, but that is a different story for a different time.) Anyhow, while I often questioned a jazz band playing current pop favorites, I would have been all about this set of music.

Justin Vernon, better known as Bon Iver, is an alum of Eau Claire Memorial High School, and returned to do a set with their jazz band last April, covering both Bon Iver tunes and jazz standards. Guys, this just makes the band nerd in me so happy, you have no idea. Also, these kids sound way better than my high school band did.

Go find another lover;
To bring a… to string along!
With all your lies,
You’re still very lovable.

Bon Iver: Official Website | MySpace | Store

The performance is now available for download through iTunes or wherever else you choose to buy your digital music. The physical CD is available for sale only in Eau Claire, WI. Proceeds go to support the school’s music programs.

Wow, That’s a Good Song: Ellie Goulding, “The Wolves (Act I and II)”

Sarah — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:45:40 +0000

While the rest of the world is working off the greatness that was NYE, here’s an awesome, soothing song.

Yes, it’s a Bon Iver cover. Yes, it’s beautiful. Goulding’s vocals have an ethereal quality all of their own. It doesn’t quite match the eerie heartbreak of Justin Vernon’s original, but her rendition is stellar nonetheless.

Someday my pain, someday my pain
Will mark you
Harness your blame, harness your blame
And walk through

With the wild wolves around you
In the morning, I’ll call you
Send it farther on

Concert Review: Lollapalooza, Day 1

howsmyliving — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:31:27 +0000

Lollapalooza Friday review, in bite-sized updates.

The Line: I felt like I might as well have just walked out of my apartment and gone a few blocks east to the lake to find the end of the line, we were that far north. Alright, it wasn’t that long, but it seemed like forever. A+ to the friendly Bonnaroo-going hippies in line in front of me, F- to the clump of assholes who wanted to try to cut in line. Don’t think so, kids. Other amusing things about the line: the disclaimer stating that entering the premises allows C3 to use your image in perpetuity, across the universe, forever and ever. Also, awesome to get to see the back of the modern wing of the art museum – I never have reason to go back in that direction, so I haven’t had the opportunity to check out the new addition.

The Security Check: lulz. I think my expectations were too high. Security dude barely even peered into my bag. (Somehow, I had been expecting much more intense security. Whenever I went to Grant Park for Obama’s Election Day rally, there were metal detectors and x-ray machines and everything. Sure, Security of the President-Elect trumps Security of Drunken Fratboy Festival-goers, but, you know, whatever.

The Weather: Can it be both a fail and a win at the same time? One thing that’s kept me away from Lolla in the past has been my lack of desire to stand outside in upper-90s temperatures, so it was a nice surprise to not feel like I was going to instantly die of heatstroke. However, being soaked to the bone (despite the umbrella) and shivering on an August day got to be a little bit ridiculous after a while.

Behind the jump: Reviews of the actual music! April Smith, Hockey, Manchester Orchestra, Gringo Star, The Knux, The Gaslight Anthem, Bon Iver, Ben Folds, Fleet Foxes, The Decemberists, Andrew Bird, and Kings of Leon.

April Smith: Unsigned artist from Brooklyn. I wasn’t able to catch all of her set, mostly just bits and pieces as we wandered around the area of the BMI stage, but I was incredibly impressed with what I heard. She’s got a very strong voice and some catchy songs. For being the first artist to take the stage on the northern end of the festival, her music was very commanding of attention. I hope to hear more from her in the future. Her music is available on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby, for those of you who, like myself, still prefer to be able to hold a CD in hand.

Hockey

Hockey: New-wave quintet from Portland. Way, way better than I had expected from anything described as new-wave, as I usually shy away from that genre. They had a great energy, and managed to persevere through some initial technical difficulties. While I had never heard of their music, before, I enjoyed myself immensely… until the power went out a few songs into their set. The drummer filled the space with an extended drum solo… but still no power. The band members ended up tossing free beer from backstage out into the crowd while waiting. The power came back up for another song and a half or so, and then, fzzt, out again. Technology fail. I was definitely impressed by their music, though, and would probably consider going to see them again, hopefully at a show not marred by loss of power.

Manchester Orchestra: Too much screaming, not enough to keep my attention. Maybe they’re better on CD, I don’t know. I ended up wandering off in search of food and merchandising and things that didn’t involve listening to Manchester Orchestra.

Gringo Star: What I expected: Spanish-language covers of Beatles songs. What I got: Alt-country-poppy tunes. Pretty good, wish I had stuck around to see more. Will definitely be checking them out.

The Knux: The Knux are a pair of brothers originally from New Orleans, displaced after Hurricane Katrina. They’ve got a great energy, pulling fans up onto the stage to dance with them and everything. I’m not a huge rap fan, but these guys certainly kept me, and the whole crowd, entertained and engaged.

The Gaslight Anthem

The Gaslight Anthem: A very pleasant surprise for me. I’ve heard of this New Jersey rock band, but I don’t think I ever bothered listening to their music before. They put on an incredibly enjoyable show – only slightly dampened (pun vaguely intended) by the rain that kept pouring down throughout their set. The energy and enthusiasm from the crowd was apparent even despite the rain and the fact that we were way in the back of the field. The dude next to us kept singing and playing air guitar along with the songs, it was that kind of exciting. This was their first big outdoor festival, and the singer/guitarist noted how fabulous they thought Chicago and the festival in general was. I wound up picking up their CD later on that day – trust me, that’s high praise coming from me.

Bon Iver: I still stand by my assessment that Bon Iver just doesn’t work at a huge outdoor festival like Lollapalooza. Maybe Pitchfork or Hideout’s block party or something, a festival that’s a little more niche-oriented. But not Lollapalooza. While I enjoyed the music, and while I think it would have been more enjoyable up front in the crowd instead of on the back fringes, between the Playstation and Budweiser stages, it’s hard to get into it when everyone else around you is talking/drinking/not paying attention. Regardless, Bon Iver’s music is just downright beautiful, and somehow made even more poignant by the falling rain. I would love to see him in an intimate little club or something, where his work is going to be more generally appreciated.

Ben Folds: A solid set, as usual. The rain and relative lack of enthusiasm of the crowd around me put a bit of a damper on the show. I would have loved to have been closer to the stage for this one, in the midst of the crowd. He opened with the leak version of Bitch Went Nutz — something tells me that the songs from the fake/leaked version of Way to Normal are more popular than the ones from the album itself. There was a good mix of new songs and old favorites, including “Army” and “Narcolepsy”. I always enjoy Ben’s shows and his enthusiasm and his crazy, crazy piano playing, and all things considered, this was no exception.

Fleet Foxes: I only stayed for the first few songs of their set, as I was cold and hungry and needed to use the bathroom, and I knew I would be seeing them the next night at Metro anyway. Their harmonies are absolutely divine, though, and the crowd was way excited to see them. (Their show on Friday at Metro, by the way, was fantastic. There were drawbacks, of course: everything started late and it was about a million degrees inside Metro, but definitely a quality show.)

The Decemberists

The Decemberists: Performed the whole of The Hazards of Love. A+++ so glad they did. It might be a bit blasphemous, but I think I prefer Hazards to a lot of their other material. Shara Worden pretty much rocks my world. One review I read mentioned that they didn’t think that she had much of a stage presence — I don’t know what show that reviewer was watching, because Worden was all over the stage, dancing and jumping and generally kicking ass at conveying the character of the Queen. All of the band members played their parts well, since Hazards really is a story more than anything else, with each member having a role to play. I left the area after “The Rake’s Song” so I could make my way through the crowd to get to Andrew Bird’s set, but I could still hear the rest of the Decemberists set from across the field, and it was as amazing as I would have expected it to be. I’m sad that I missed seeing “The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing”, because it sounded amazing from where I was, but thankfully Youtube has allowed me to play along at home.

Andrew Bird: If I had it my way, I pretty much would have camped out in front of the Playstation stage all day in order to be right up front for this set. The desire to do so was lessened by the fact that I managed to be within arm’s length of Andrew Bird when I saw him at Schubas on Thursday. Besides, I don’t know how I would have dealt with going to the bathroom or eating, so maybe it’s for the best that I didn’t enact my plan.

Andrew Bird

Anyhow, Bird, as usual, is a complete maniac on stage. The way in which he wholeheartedly throws himself into his show is always amazing to watch. He ripped through a set of new and old songs, the first half comprised largely of songs off of Noble Beast, and the latter with old favorites. (Setlist, for the curious: Fiery Crash / Masterswarm / Opposite Day / Fitz and the Dizzyspells / Oh No / Effigy / Not a Robot, But a Ghost / Anonanimal / Imitosis / Scythian Empires / Tables and Chairs / Fake Palindromes.) The addition of “Not a Robot, But a Ghost” was met with much enthusiasm from the crowd; as I’ll mention in my Schubas review, he said that he rarely performs it live, but after the reaction he’s been getting, hopefully it will make more appearances in the future. The last four songs were absolutely epic in intensity and excitement. While I love the more sedate environment you get from other venues, there’s definitely something to be said for jumping up and down and shouting out Bird’s esoteric lyrics with thousands and thousands of other fans. (As an aside, there were sign language interpreters on stage for Bird’s set: I really, really want to know how in the world they interpreted things like radiolarians and troglobytes.) Bird promised that there would be snacks (a reference to a lyric in “Tables and Chairs”) and he provided them in great multitudes.

Kings of Leon: While I missed a good deal of their set, what I heard was very strong. I’d never paid a whole lot of attention to them in the past; for some reason their music never really resonated with me, but I’ve been enjoying their new album, and their live show definitely had the crowd pumped. After hearing their show, though, it’s got me motivated to check out more of their music.

There’s not much I can say about them, though, as I spent a majority of their set waiting in line at the FYE autograph tent to meet Andrew Bird. Yes, I did, in fact, buy a CD I already own just so I could get a spot in that line. Anyhow, it was a little difficult to focus on Kings of Leon when I was busy running over and over in my mind what, exactly, I wanted to say. Eventually, after waiting forever, I finally got to the front of the line and managed not to trip over my words and turn into a blubbering idiot. I told him simply that I feel like it’s a privilege to see him perform, every single time. It’s the honest truth, really, and I was rewarded with a sincere grin and a thank you, which was worth more to me than an autograph or anything else.

Overall verdict on Lollapalooza: much better than anticipated, with plenty of nice surprises for me. Will I go next year? Maybe. I’d need an incredibly strong lineup (like Friday’s) to get me to go out again, let alone go out for all three days. But despite the rain and the fact that my legs still sort of hurt from all of that standing, there were enough priceless moments during my Lollapalooza day that I don’t have any real complaints.

Lollapalooza-palooza.

Sarah — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:09:28 +0000

After three+ years of living in Chicago, and three+ years of avoiding the gigantic festival that takes over Grant Park for a weekend, I’m finally caving in and going this year. Only one day, though! Friday’s lineup pretty much bowled me over, but given that I’m not interested in any of the actual headliners, and that the other days didn’t have that same wow factor as Friday, I decided to skip them. I’ll introduce myself to Lolla and its gajillions of sweaty drunken people slowly.

I’ve realized that I’m essentially going to be living at the Budweiser and Playstation stages, which is okay with me — at least I know I won’t have to do the “sprint across Grant Park in order to get to the next set you want to see” thing that I was sort of afraid of. The morning of Lolla is kind of free space for me, though, so I’ll be cramming all of my eating/exploring/going to the bathroom time in there. And then I’ll just hope I don’t need to do any of the above from 3:oo on. (Okay, yes, I’m a smarter festival goer than that; I promise I won’t avoid eating/refreshing/etc. for the next 7 or so hours.)

And, of course, the aftershows. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth over the fact that the Andrew Bird at Schuba’s show sold out in just about thirty seconds (thirty seconds!! okay, I’m still a little bitter, not going to lie), I’ve managed to content myself with the other shows I did manage to score tickets to: The Decemberists on Thursday night and Fleet Foxes on Saturday. There’s also a non-Lolla-related show from Brian Wright and Joe Firstman on Friday night at Martyr’s which I keep trying to tell myself that I’m going to check out, but I’m not too optimistic about being able to manage it. And some genius decided to schedule the Lincoln Park Arts & Music Festival for the same weekend, which means that while I’d love to rest my exhausted self on Sunday, I’ll instead be trekking out to see Over the Rhine play.

So, my Lolla!lineup, or something like it:

April Smith, BMI Stage, 11:15 — I’ve never heard of her, but I was listening to her music on her artist page on the Lolla site and was pretty impressed. I want to swing by her set to see what she sounds like live.
Bon Iver, Playstation Stage, 3:00 — Never seen him perform live, so I don’t know what to expect. I’m not sure how his relatively low-key, ambient music is going to translate to a huge, open-air festival setting.
Ben Folds, Budweiser Stage, 4:00 – Ben always puts on a fabulous show, I’m sure this will be no exception. I haven’t had the chance to see him since 2005, so I’m looking forward to seeing the new music.
Fleet Foxes, Playstation Stage, 5:00 — I will probably get to this one late and check out early, as I’ll be seeing them them on Saturday night.
The Decemberists, Budweiser Stage, 6:00 — While I’m seeing them on Thursday, the rumor is that the Thursday show is an all request show, which leads me to believe that their Lollapalooza set might just be the whole of The Hazards of Love. The album is just under an hour long, so it’s possible. Regardless, I might skip out towards the end to head over to the other stage for…
Andrew Bird, Playstation Stage, 7:00 – my pretend musician boyfriend. I’ll put it out there right now, it’s going to take something epically spectactular to eclipse this as the highlight of my day.

In fact, the only thing that might eclipse what is sure to be an amazing Andrew Bird set will be managing to get through the autograph line at the FYE tent to get my 30 seconds of security-approved face time with the man. (In those thirty seconds, I would ideally like to convince him that we should totally be BFFs who can together be socially awkward and uncomfortable with interacting with people.)

We’ll see. All I know is that by the end of the weekend, I’m going to need about a dozen good, long showers.

What about you? Are you Lollapalooza-ing? What acts are you most looking forward to?