This weekend I went to Lollapalooza for all three sold out days (I didn't know Lolla could sell out!). Friday I left work early and got to the fest around 3ish. I checked out a few bands and patiently waited for Radiohead to go on. As soon as they started, there was a huge surge forward resulting in me feeling like I was going to get crushed. I had a pretty good spot except for the drunken frat boys around me smoking weed and moshing. That's irritating. It was my first Radiohead experience and it was pretty great even though some hardcore fans might think it could've been better. Random fireworks went off enhancing the entire experience. Getting out of the park after that was a pain, but luckily I now live in walking distance of Grant Park so I didn't have to deal with trains or anything. I could just watch the mayhem from my high rise apartment.
Saturday, I went back as an employee dispensing Time Out magazines throughout the park. I almost lost my mind when they handed me a Crew wristband consisting of all-access throughout the park. My job was to fill magazines at the VIP areas and Media area and pass them out to the crowds. I spent most of the day relaxing in the VIP lounges which consisted of free lunch and dinner, water and booze. And really nice toilets that actually flushed. Of course we weren't allowed to drink on the job, so I had to avoid that temptation. I caught a few bands on Saturday and met up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while. It was a very social afternoon. My feet were really tired from walking back and forth across the park (one mile each way) but it was less hot on Saturday than Friday. In fact, it was fairly pleasant. I left a couple of songs into Rage Against the Machine's set which I read and heard later resulted in chaos. Part of me would've liked to stay longer, but I was tired and I didn't want to get trampled on.
I'm really glad I didn't attempt to make my own wristband this year as they completely changed the design of it making it nearly impossible to replicate. I like to think I made a difference, whether positive or negative. I wonder if they had some sort of design meeting to combat criminals like me from sneaking in.
On Sunday, I had to get up early and work again but this time the boyfriend worked with me. At first I think he was hesitant about the whole thing, but it was a free ticket, plus we were getting paid on top of that and got a nice stipend for the day. I think he changed his mind when he realized how awesome the whole thing was. Once again, we had free lunch and dinner (good stuff) and free booze later in the day. We did have to work our asses off, though. We had several boxes of mags to get rid of. Luckily, most people took them. It made me feel good knowing I had an article in a magazine that could've potentially reached 70,000 people at the fest. Because of the intense passing out, I didn't get to see many bands as I would've liked, but wherever I went, I could always hear bands playing. A couple of days earlier, Time Out asked me to cover the NIN (Nine Inch Nails) performance. They were headlining tonight. Apparently it's a big deal for me to write about as a lot of people will read it, so I was both excited and nervous to cover it. I'm not sure how I felt about the performance. It was cool to see a band I sorta liked in high school, but overall, it could've been a little better. Finally, Lolla was over. I was so completely exhausted and sunburned and I had to get up early to write my review and go to my stupid job.
I know I constantly bitch and complain about my life, but this weekend emphasized how great my life really is and how fucking awesome Chicago is. I was standing there every night listening to cool bands and admiring the lit up skyline. And for the next few weeks, I have a cool place to live for the month and a great guy in my life. Of course I worry all of this could change in a second, but this weekend was amazing and a great start to August: free food and booze, great company, great music, good money, living alone, etc. Now I'm feeling the post-Lolla let down. I'm at work and can't concentrate. I still need to go home and organize my stuff and upload photos, etc., etc. This weekend was great being around the bands and friends that inspire me. I don't know how much longer I can keep a day job. Sure, the money is nice, but what I really want to be is a music reporter. I want to get paid to travel around the world going to music fests and writing about them. I need to go to SXSW and Coachella at some point. Music is my life. It's what I know and love. I have to find a way to do it for a living. But, I won't think about that too much now. I'm just going to enjoy this high.
I've growing accustomed to my new 'hood, too. Everything is so damn convenient. It's nice to not have to worry about coming home to a trashed apartment and potential kitchen counter sex. I'm going to do my best to keep this place tidy. I feel like I'm living in a hotel because this building is so big. Right now there's a lightning storm going on that's freaking me out a bit.
Here are some of my Lolla photos.
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