When Paul McCartney played “Helter Skelter” at Lollapalooza, Patti Dietrich, a mother of two in her 60s, said that was her favorite moment of the concert.
The Westchester resident attended her first Lollapalooza with her two sons, Kevin and Carl Schweihs, and her daughter-in-law, Ashli, to see Paul McCartney. The group had VIP passes, which allowed them to go back stage, though she didn’t meet McCartney, and stand near the front of the stage, she said.
Though she was nervous about the crowds, Dietrich said she was surprised at how well behaved people were, and that all the younger people in the crowd knew the words to the songs so well.
“Everyone was dancing and enjoying the music,” Dietrich said. “It reminded me of how music should be.”
Dietrich went to a McCartney concert in 1991, but she said that his performance at Lollapalooza was better. She said she enjoyed being so close to the stage because she could see McCartney’s “handsome” face and expressions.
“My hippie days are long gone, but I have been smiling for three days it was that good,” she said.
Dietrich made it into Chicago at 4:15 p.m. and took a cab to the Palmer House, where she planned to meet with her sons and daughter-in-law, she said. But, the traffic was so bad that she decided to get out of the cab and walk, which made her nervous, she said.
Once she was with her family, she felt better, she said. Her two sons took good care of her at the concert.
“I knew she would just die and have the best experience with her family and seeing Paul McCartney,” said Kevin, who bought Dietrich her ticket
Dietrich said she only went to Lollapalooza to see McCartney. After the concert ended, she took the midnight train home, she said.
“I think I was the oldest person there, but it was so worth it,” she said. “I can’t believe I lasted six hours on my feet.”
