David vs. Goliath. The 300 vs. the Persian horde. The Little Engine That Could vs. the Hill. All classic examples of the little guy coming out on top. What does this have to do with awesome Chicago music festivals that don’t actually fight each other? Listen, it’s a metaphor — go along with it. Here, RedEye sizes up the Pitchfork and Lollapalooza lineups. K.G.
Reunion
Jane’s Addiction is more popular than The Jesus Lizard, but organizer Perry Farrell’s been playing Jane’s songs live for the past few years with various bands. The Jesus Lizard — also a Chicago band, but no fair double-dipping — is playing its first shows after 11 years of silence. And they’re responsible for the experimental rock sound that many avid Pitchfork readers have come to love.
Pitchfork:
The Jesus Lizard
Hometown love
Lollapalooza has taken a lot of heat for being booked by Austin, Texas-based C3 Presents, and for not bringing enough local flavor. But with Chicago seminal punk band Rise Against, not to mention whistling bard Andrew Bird, Lolla comes in tops for hometown love even if Pitchfork is based in Chicago.
Lollapalooza:
Rise Against
Indie darlings
To be fair, Pitchfork is ALL indie darlings, so this is a wash for Lolla right off the bat. While Animal Collective’s disc “Merriweather Post Pavilion” is being treated as the Second Coming, Pitchfork totally booked the band last year. Gotta get ’em before they’re big, Lolla.
Pitchfork:
Wavves
European dance
With Farrell’s dance tent, Lolla is starting to separate itself as a top electronic music destination. Italian DJ duo Crookers’ remixes have been thundering in clubs nationwide, and while the overt ’80s tracks of France’s M83 are fun, they don’t have quite that energy.
Lollapalooza:
Crookers
Spectacle
Tool rocks giant venues with its epic lasers, videos and songs. But even if the Lips can’t fit in their famous lasers, fake blood and plastic ball antics, they’ll bring something exciting. Pitchfork gets this because of the Lips, who incidentally played Lolla last year.
Pitchfork:
The Flaming Lips
Hip-hop
While not stellar, Lolla brings the beat, not only with Snoop, but also with the Beasties, the Knux and Kid Cudi. Pitchfork tries, but Charles Hamilton and Pharoahe Monch can’t live up.
Lollapalooza:
Snoop Dogg
