Lollapalooza?

[shaggyduck]

Lollapalooza
http://www.lollapalooza.com

Anyone going to Lollapalooza this year? I'm almost certain I'll be there.

Location: Grant Park, Chicago

Dates: August 1-3

Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine

Wilco, The Raconteurs, Kanye West

Love and Rockets, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, The Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, Flogging Molly, Mark Ronson, Cat Power, Lupe Fiasco, The National, G. Love & Special Sauce, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Explosions in the Sky, Brand New, Gogol Bordello, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Perry Farrell, Dierks Bentley, Okkervil River, Amadou & Mariam, Blues Traveler, The John Butler Trio, Girl Talk, CSS, Battles, Jamie Lidell, Butch Walker, Mates of State, Spank Rock, Brazilian Girls, Chromeo, Duffy, The Kills, Rogue Wave, The Go! Team, Mason Jennings, The Gutter Twins, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, The Weakerthans, Booka Shade, Santogold, Black Kids, Black Lips, Louis XIV, Dr. Dog, Nicole Atkins & the Sea, The Ting Tings, Kid Sister, Office, The Cool Kids, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, The Whigs, Manchester Orchestra, Foals, Uffie, The Octopus Project, Cadence Weapon, Ferras, De Novo Dahl, Noah and the Whale, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, K'naan, Serena Ryder, Newton Faulkner, Your Vegas, "Eli ""Paperboy"" Reed & The True Loves", Steel Train, Bang Camaro, The Blakes, Tally Hall, White Lies, Magic Wands, Electric Touch, Innerpartysystem, The Postelles, The Parlor Mob, DJ Bald Eagle, Krista, Ha Ha Tonka, Witchcraft, We Go To 11, Sofia Talvik, Saul Williams

[Goodtoknow]

i bought tickets before i bought coachella tickets.

as soon as i saw radiohead i was in...

[orbit]

I would like to go to Pitchfork.

but ATP NY is the priority right now.

oh, and you might want to check this: http://www.coachella.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13736

[shaggyduck]

I've never been to Chicago, but I have a friend who goes to Northwestern and lives in the area.

Anything I should know about this festival before I get there?

[Goodtoknow]

if you've never been it is a little different than coachella.

when bands throw after parties it is one of the coolest things about the festival.

i am praying girl talk throws one this year....

[Sigur Ros Stache]

made my arrangements yesterday and bought my ticket today...hotel i booked is a mile from Grant park...WOO HOO!!!

[Goodtoknow]

oh man...

if you've never been you should take at least an entire week to get up there and feel out the city.

and there's no camping but everyone knows someone who lives in the city and there is an el station right by grant park. its a blast.

[shaggyduck]

if you've never been it is a little different than coachella.

when bands throw after parties it is one of the coolest things about the festival.

i am praying girl talk throws one this year....

This is the kind of stuff I want to know about. After parties? Where? and how do I get in?

[Goodtoknow]

well they are at venues. like bands just play after lolla shows.

most of the time unless you have cooler friends than i do you just buy tickets. but djs can throw some sick ass after parties which is why i am hoping girl tlak throws one.

[Goodtoknow]

and most of the bars are open til 3-4.

lollapalooza is a drinkers festival...

[shaggyduck]

and most of the bars are open til 3-4.

lollapalooza is a drinkers festival...

I'm Sold!

[BlackSwan]

booked my trip a couple weeks back, staying at the W a mile away... gonna be sick.

[locachica73]

The whole reason my sister hooked me into Coachella is because she was trying to get me psyched up to go to Lallapalooza for her birthday. She knew once I found out Prince was there I would be IN. She goes every year to both Coachella and Lallapalooza, and now has given me the festival bug so I will be attending as well.

For the record I am VERY happy she got me to go to Coachella, it was the funnest thing I have done in my life. Can't wait for next year!!!

[slurpee]

I live down the street from Lollapalooza and have been every year. It is nothing like Coachella.

A hotel 1 mile from the venue isn't very good. 1 mile in a downtown city with traffic is a lot further than you expect.

There is no camping. Book hotels now. If you can get into the congress or the W hotel. Those are your best bets.

Bars are open till 1 am on Fridays, 4 am on Saturdays. There are some random shitty bars that stay open till 5 am, but you don't want go to these establishments. It is all meat heads, old pervert men, has a cover, a line, and way too many people.

If you need any recommendations or help with Chicago. Let me know.

P.S. Chicago has a great public transit system. Look into buying a 1 week pass or weekend pass if you can. It will save you tons of money in cabs and will enable you to see a large part of the city real easily.

P.P.S. it isn't that bad of an idea to stay in the suburbs. There is a train line called the "metra" which stops in major suburbs of Chicago. Lollalapalooza is within walking distance to Union Station & Ogilvy Station. From there you can get just about anywhere.

P.P.P.S. If you plan on driving to Lollapalooza be prepared to pay at LEAST $20 a day for parking.

[unitedwestand]

if you go to chicago, you HAVE to try Uno's or Gino's
its a necessity for everyone that is going that hasn't tried it
And all the Museums are awesome as well-especially Museum of Natural History or the Shed Aquarium
I use to live in chicago and its an awesome city
The after shows are held everywhere from club Metro to house of blues, last year I believe Pearl Jam played a rare show that focused on rare tracks and songs before playing lollapalooza-so a bunch of stuff happens that surrounds the festival
There are alot of cool music venues in the city besides Lollapalooza and grant Park-if you have the time, be sure to check out the Chicago Theatre, the Vic Theater and Schuba's Tavern
Mellenium Park, which is right next to grant Park, is also a must see
Also, Rolling Stone Records is a must to go to for buying cds, records or movies (but its outside of the city in the suburbs)
I believe you can buy a city pass for a day for $45 that lets you get into all the landmarks, museums and a bunch of other places (not including lollapalooza, obviously)
So there's a tour of Chicago for you!

[slurpee]

if you go to chicago, you HAVE to try Uno's or Gino's

Unitedwestand is totally wrong about pizza and is obviously not from Chicago! We take pizza VERY seriously.

The best pizza in the world is from Lou Malnati's. Deep dish cheese with spinach for you vegetarians.....Deep Dish with sausage for all you normal people :)

www.loumalnatis.com

[Bosco]

Im from chicago too and i still say Uno's is the best. However, it seems like the quality of pizza has gone down over the years. I think all of the big named places like Gino's Uno's and Lou's are now premaking their pizza crusts and freezing them...

Shit sucks.

Still though. Sausage and Pepperoni deep dish from Uno's = Heaven.

[BlackSwan]

Deep Dish pizza is a fucking joke and shouldn't be considered pizza... there, i said it

[Bosco]

go fuck yourself....there, i said it

[BlackSwan]

go fuck yourself....there, i said it

:blah

[faxman75]

Im from chicago too and i still say Uno's is the best. However, it seems like the quality of pizza has gone down over the years. I think all of the big named places like Gino's Uno's and Lou's are now premaking their pizza crusts and freezing them...

Shit sucks.

Still though. Sausage and Pepperoni deep dish from Uno's = Heaven.

I too am originally from chicago and I always preferred Gino's East to Uno's. I love me some Gino's. It's funny though there are some people who prefer the dives and claim Gino's and Uno's are just tourist crap. Fuck that, now I want some Gino's. I hate snobs.

[slurpee]

Lou's doesn't premake the pizza crusts. Lou's is always fresh ingredients. My girlfriend and I order a Lou's pizza EVERY Friday. When we got off the plane from Coachella the first thing we did was order a Lou's pizza for delivery :)


Gino's East is ok.

Uno's SUCKS!!!!

[Bosco]

I too am originally from chicago and I always preferred Gino's East to Uno's. I love me some Gino's. It's funny though there are some people who prefer the dives and claim Gino's and Uno's are just tourist crap. Fuck that, now I want some Gino's. I hate snobs.

I grew up on Gino's and then just started liking Uno's better...

Gino's was a magical place to be as a kid. Probably the most dirtiest pit I've ever been in. For some reason I remember the men's bathroom being on a slant. God what a dump...

[shaggyduck]

Ok... pizza...

Um, can we get back to parties and the like... i'll eat when I'm dead... or sleep... or whatever...

[johnnystar]

I WANNA GO WHO WANT TO GO WITH ME I DONT WANT TO GO ALONE

[krk67]

As a lifelong Chicagoan (that means the city -- not the suburbs) I need to correct a few things here.

a) A mile downtown is not far at all if you are on foot. Hell, the entire length of Lolla is just a hair short of a mile long and, sure, maybe you won't want to walk at the end of the night, but it really isn't all that bad.

b) Bar closing times are:
2 am (regular bars) and 4 am (4 am bars) Sunday through Friday
3 am (regular bars) and 5 am (4 am bars) on Saturday

c) 4 am bars can be great fun if you know what the good ones are: Continental and Green Mill are lovely, but both are definitely a cab ride (around 4 miles and 8 miles, respectively) from Grant Park

d) Yes, the Congress is convenient, but for a cheaper price (at this moment) you can stay at the Burnham, Monaco, 71, or Allegro which are all within a mile of Grant Park. I feel that the W's no longer offer the quality they were known for about 6 years ago.

e) If you are really trying to save money, your next option would be the hotels out by O'Hare. But before you book, call and find out how easy it is to get from the nearest Blue Line (that's the CTA) station to the hotel at 3 am. O'Hare is surrounded by suburbs and they don't have the same public transit system we do. Don't count on using Metra or Pace (those are the suburban train and bus lines) as their schedules aren't as robust as Chicago's is.

f) Lou Malnati's with Uno/Due as a close second. I recall one of the Gino's getting busted for vermin a few years ago so I won't go there anymore.

[Sigur Ros Stache]

thanks krk67 for stating a mile is not that far to walk.

I had no intentions of renting a vehicle as I will walk to the park...staying at Hotel 71.
I do have a question as being that I know the transit system is awesome there how easy is it to catch a train going to boys town?

Thanks to all Chicagoans for your help and input on this thread.

[sbessiso]

i would most definetly be heading to Lolla this year if Beck was playing, or if Beck WASNT playing any other fests, but my alliance is with him, and 2008 is the year I will finally see him live

[Ardentbiscuit]

I hate to say this but when I first saw the Lolla line up I was ecstatic but after going to Coachella this year it seems so generic...

[krk67]

thanks krk67 for stating a mile is not that far to walk.

I had no intentions of renting a vehicle as I will walk to the park...staying at Hotel 71.
I do have a question as being that I know the transit system is awesome there how easy is it to catch a train going to boys town?

Thanks to all Chicagoans for your help and input on this thread.

Not renting a vehicle is the smart way to go.

It is ultraeasy to catch a train to boystown and you have a couple of options -- either the Red or Brown line.

The Red line runs all night and can be caught at the *subway* at State & Lake (about a block from your hotel). Look for stairs going underground just south of Lake on State (right near the Chicago Theatre). You want to head in the direction of "Howard" (i.e. north).

The Brown line only runs until about 12:30am, but it's on the elevated track so it can be nicer from a tourism point of view. It can also be caught at State & Lake but it's on the elevated platform. Just look for the stairs going up to the train -- on the stairs it will say "Brown" (along with a few other colors). Wow. This is starting to sound like hanky code. :) Anyway, you'd want to take the Brown line toward "Kimball".

Both of these trains will take you to the Belmont stop. Upon exiting the train station, you should make a right. Walk to the second light (Halsted), turn left and you have 4 glorious blocks of Boystown. Also across the street from the Belmont stop is a bar called Berlin -- it's a 4 am and the GLBT crowd seems to like it.

Uptown/Edgewater also have a few bars, but the area is a bit further and a little less lively than the Belmont stretch.

Here's the CTA train link:
http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/rail/rail.html

You can click on any of the train stations for more info -- like timetables (which are pretty unreliable outside of the last train/first train info).

[Sigur Ros Stache]

KRK67 you totally ROCK!!
Thanks much for all your info!

[shakermaker113]

I really REALLY want to go to this. I"m going to call the airline and see if I can persuade them to extent my flight voucher to august so I can go.

[slurpee]

1 mile in downtown Chicago, on a weekend, after Lollapalooza = INSANE traffic. Cars and way too many people. Why would you walk 1 mile when there are numerous hotels directly in front of the festival?

1 mile or 50 yards....you pick.


Why on earth are you telling people to get a hotel by O'hare?? That has to be the worst idea ever. DO NOT DO THIS.

I have had plenty of friends come in from out of town for Lollapalooza. Lots of them stay with friends in the suburbs and take the metra train.

[krk67]

1 mile in downtown Chicago, on a weekend, after Lollapalooza = INSANE traffic. Cars and way too many people. Why would you walk 1 mile when there are numerous hotels directly in front of the festival?

1 mile or 50 yards....you pick.


Why on earth are you telling people to get a hotel by O'hare?? That has to be the worst idea ever. DO NOT DO THIS.

I have had plenty of friends come in from out of town for Lollapalooza. Lots of them stay with friends in the suburbs and take the metra train.

First, I'm pretty sure you're the one who recommended the W, of which both -- the one on Adams and the one on Lake Shore Drive -- are almost a mile (or more) from the festival so I never really understood the whole "mile being too difficult to walk" issue. Being car-free, I'd never suggest someone drive to Lolla so I'd never worry about the traffic involved. And I've walked downtown after Lolla. It's not that bad. It's far worse during the 3rd of July fireworks. Besides, walking downtown can be pretty and fun when there's like-minded people around.

You also suggested the Congress and while it may be 2 blocks away, it's kind of overpriced for the quality. At this point in time Hotel 71, Allegro, Burnham, and Monaco are far better deals.

My O'Hare suggestion (made for those who really want to go, but simply cannot afford the downtown hotels -- and they are the cheapest hotels that show up when you do a Kayak search) is no more ridiculous than staying in the suburbs. At least the O'Hare hotels are within minor cab (within $10) range of the blue line which only costs $2 and runs frequently (every 10-15 minutes) all night. Can't say the same for Metra. Those trains run on the hour (if at all at night).

And those caps were really unnecessary.

[slurpee]

First, I'm pretty sure you're the one who recommended the W, of which both -- the one on Adams and the one on Lake Shore Drive -- are almost a mile (or more) from the festival so I never really understood the whole "mile being too difficult to walk" issue. Being car-free, I'd never suggest someone drive to Lolla so I'd never worry about the traffic involved. And I've walked downtown after Lolla. It's not that bad. It's far worse during the 3rd of July fireworks. Besides, walking downtown can be pretty and fun when there's like-minded people around.

You also suggested the Congress and while it may be 2 blocks away, it's kind of overpriced for the quality. At this point in time Hotel 71, Allegro, Burnham, and Monaco are far better deals.

My O'Hare suggestion (made for those who really want to go, but simply cannot afford the downtown hotels -- and they are the cheapest hotels that show up when you do a Kayak search) is no more ridiculous than staying in the suburbs. At least the O'Hare hotels are within minor cab (within $10) range of the blue line which only costs $2 and runs frequently (every 10-15 minutes) all night. Can't say the same for Metra. Those trains run on the hour.

And those caps were really unnecessary.

I mentioned the W hotel because it is a cool hotel to stay at. It is also an easy walk north from Lake Shore drive right after the festival ends.

Congress is directly in front of festival. One year we had a room that over looked the entire festival from our window.

I was suggesting the Metra to broaden people's horizons. Maybe they have family or friends who live in the suburbs with a place to stay for free. Who lives by O'Hare? Blue line doesn't run all night.

[billyboyblue]

Any of you on the Lolla message board? Have to say I like Coachella's better so far... Cool people, better topics, helpful information, and funny banter

[westcoastpirate]

Lollapalooza is great for drinking. You're not segregated from the crowd like you are at Coachella; your drink can go with you anywhere you go. And the beers are cheaper, $5/beer albeit they are Budweiser products not Heineken.

The stages are a lot farther apart at Lollapalooza. If you are at one end of Grant Park and want to catch another band at the other end, plan on leaving 15 minutes early or expect to miss the first 15 minutes of the second band's set.

They don't search you as hard at Lolla. And no lines to get in besides the first day. But if you go across the street from Grant Park where the box office is, you can get your 3 day wristband and walk straight in. I highly recommend doing this. Security will waive you in past the people waiting in line, just hold up your arm with the wristband.

And there is unlimited entry/exit, so if you're hot you can take off and go relax in a restaurant.

Food is better at Lollapalooza.

Art installations and interactive stuff is way way better at Coachella.

Lollapalooza shuts down at 10pm, but has after parties/shows at the local music venues.

It's about the same temperature-wise at both festivals when they take place.

No need for a car at Lollapalooza, mass transportation is the way to go.

I stayed at the Allegro last year, about $130/night and it was great. Free wireless internet and free happy hour wine and beer for all guests. And very very nice rooms.

Lollapalooza is cheaper for tickets, but way more commercial. Each stage is sponsored by a corporation. I do like Coachella much more for keeping corporate logos off all the performance tents.

[krk67]

I mentioned the W hotel because it is a cool hotel to stay at. It is also an easy walk north from Lake Shore drive right after the festival ends.

The W on Lake Shore Drive is over a mile from the festival. And the hotels I suggested are boutiques as well but they're much closer and, in most of the cases, are cheaper. Apparently the Monaco's price has skyrocketed today, but there's always The James to replace it.

Congress is directly in front of festival. One year we had a room that over looked the entire festival from our window.

Sure, it's two blocks away, but it also has pretty atrocious reviews for the price they are currently charging for that weekend (over $300 a night per Kayak).

I was suggesting the Metra to broaden people's horizons. Maybe they have family or friends who live in the suburbs with a place to stay for free. Who lives by O'Hare? Blue line doesn't run all night.

Major correction here: the Blue line does, in fact, run all night. You might want to fact check before posting next time. I believe I included the CTA's link in an earlier post.

And I've already explained why I brought up the O'Hare thing. Some festival-goers are going to stay there because it will be the cheapest option. My original post was to help them ensure that they did the proper homework *before* booking, not to promote staying by O'Hare.

Billyboyblue, I am only on the Coachella and APW forums because I heart Goldenvoice.

[Deviate_420]

I have tickets however I cant find a hotel room in the city.

[shaggyduck]

I signed up for the Lolla forums with the same name, but they dont' seem as good. I'm sure I'll be posting on there more when I am trying to figure everything out for my trip to Chicago.

[westcoastpirate]

I signed up for the Lolla forums with the same name, but they dont' seem as good. I'm sure I'll be posting on there more when I am trying to figure everything out for my trip to Chicago.

Yeah, you'll get some good info off the Lolla Boards every once in a while. But overall there's about 10 people who post regularly on there who think everyone else needs to bow down and suck them off. I think they stole that whole FAIL thing from the Coachella forum.

I would check Hotwire for hotel deals, that's where I got my Allegro reservation last year.

[shaggyduck]

I have a friend that goes to Northwestern. So i'm gonna stay with her.

Thanks for the info though.

[eudaemonia]

there might not be camping but there is hostelling. i booked for 4 nights and it's cheaper than a night's stay at the near hotels, but just as close to grant park. you might not be able to book online, but if you call they might have room.

[slurpee]

The W on Lake Shore Drive is over a mile from the festival. And the hotels I suggested are boutiques as well but they're much closer and, in most of the cases, are cheaper. Apparently the Monaco's price has skyrocketed today, but there's always The James to replace it.

Major correction here: the Blue line does, in fact, run all night. You might want to fact check before posting next time. I believe I included the CTA's link in an earlier post.


From the north side of the festival, I believe the W is really close to the festival. I met some friends at the Swiss Otel and that was just a short walk through millennium park.

Has the blue line ran 24 hours for the past few years? I swear we tried taking the blue line to ohare at 3 am for a flight and were forced to take a really expensive cab.

I am not sure why we are arguing, I guess its just natural for Chicagoians to do this ;/

I live on Lake Shore at Addison. Where do you live?

[krk67]

Has the blue line ran 24 hours for the past few years? I swear we tried taking the blue line to ohare at 3 am for a flight and were forced to take a really expensive cab.

I am not sure why we are arguing, I guess its just natural for Chicagoians to do this ;/

I live on Lake Shore at Addison. Where do you live?

First, thanks for the banter. You're probably right on Chicagoans arguing. Anytime I'm in a bar, someone always has to be right about the dumbest shit (sadly, usually it's me -- 8^P).

I've never known the Blue line to not run 24 hours. Maybe 20+ years ago? Perhaps you tried taking it when they were working on it or something. That'll happen every once in a while. And on occasion the trains will run like shit without warning -- usually due to either a tragedy or some malfunction.

I live in Andersonville. I moved there 10 years ago and my love life has suffered permanently for it since it's the land o' lesbians and I'm not part of that tribe.