While I gravitate to heavy music in my day-to-day listening, when it comes to festival shows I am a musical omnivore of sorts, and I like to discover artists I wasn’t expecting to like. This will be pretty easy for this year’s Lolla, which for me, has a bit of a shrug-worthy lineup at first glance this year. I’m using this opportunity to wander and explore for much of the fest, so you’ll notice a lot of gaps in my schedule.
Friday
12:45pm-1:30pm IO Echo Bud Light Stylish and impressive goth-pop duo that will impress early fest-goers. Make the time to see them.
2:15pm-3:15pm Ghost B.C. Bud Light Imagine if the Beach Boys and Kyuss got together to write songs about Satan and you get some idea of what Swedish metal band Ghost B.C. is about. Heavy and oddly hook-driven metal.
4:15pm-5:15pm Crystal Castles Red BullSound Select Moody electronica and pretty fun live. Brooklyn rapper Theophilus London is kind of hot right now, so I may see him at The Grove at 4:45pm if I am not feeling Crystal Castles.
6:15pm-7:25pm New Order Red BullSound Select To be perfectly honest, I have no clue what incarnation of New Order is playing here, I just know I’ve never seen them live, so I should probably get to it. This was a hard decision, knowing that Queens of The Stone Age and local guy Chance The Rapper are both playing at roughly the same time, but I have made peace with my choice.
8:15pm-10pm Nine Inch Nails Bud Light I am unrepentant in my fangirl status for NIN, even now, so this was a no-brainer.
Saturday
2:45pm-3:45pm Charles Bradley Bud Light Just good old-fashioned R&B—if you are a fan of the Daptones throwback sound, check him out.
4:45pm-5:45pm Ellie Goulding Bud Light In theory Ellie Goulding should not be my cup of tea but I think she’s awesome. Dramatic synth-pop singer-songwriter? I’ll take it! She seems to get raves as a live performer, so it should be exciting.
6:45pm-7:45pm Kendrick Lamar Bud Light He’s the indie-music-blogger’s rapper of choice these days, but it’s for good reason, I think. Excited to see him live. He commands a stage.
8:45pm-9:45pm Azealia Banks The Grove Not a huge fan but I have a feeling she’ll put on a memorable performance.
Sunday
This is a wide-open day for me. I only have set plans for one band.
3:30pm-4:30pm Baroness Petrillo This marks Baroness’ return to Chicago after a near-tragic bus accident in 2012 sidelined the band for several months. Frontman John Baizley remains the heart and soul of Baroness, but it will be interesting to check out the new lineup—the band’s longtime drummer, Peter Adams, and bassist Matt Maggioni departed the band shortly after the accident.
