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Radiohead
8 p.m. AT&T Stage
The normally moody Thom Yorke cracked a few smiles. It would have impossible not to. Looking out over a happy mob that filled every inch of grass and concrete, the Radiohead frontman was making his triumphant return to Grant Park’s Hutchinson Field, the site of Radiohead’s legendary 2001 concert. He didn’t waste much time grinning though. From the opening drum blips of “15 Steps” straight into the guitar riff of “Airbag,” Yorke and his merry band of guitar manipulators and knob turners launched full throttle into their catalog and never let up. A perfect end to the first day.
--MM
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
7:15 p.m. MySpace stage
Taking the stage Steve Malkmus exclaimed, “We’re a part of the cruel overlap,” setting the shaky tone for the start of his set. The levels were more than off and Malkmus’ vocals were undetectable in the attempt to drown out CSS on the neighboring Citi stage. Thankfully things came together during “Water in the Sea” and the band sailed smoothly until finishing in a charmingly sloppy fuzzed-out jam. I barely noticed the ubiquitous 40-year-old frat boy/Pavement fan screaming, "Play 'Cut your Hair.'"
--EO
Cool Kids
7 p.m. BMI stage
Knee deep in nostalgia and native to Chicago, the Cool Kids were right at home on one of Lollapalooza’s Lake Shore Drive-backdropped stages. Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish plunder memories proudly, mixing their own “One Two” with the “So Whatcha Want” beat and rapping along to a medley of Skee-Lo and Dr. Dre golden oldies mid-set. But they also proved master re-enacters beyond their fashion cues, navigating low and crisp beats with good-natured charm.
--RM
CSS
7 p.m. Citi stage
Frontwoman Lovefoxxx (clad in a full bright red bodysuit and later a blue patterned one) encouraged synchronized dancing and the crowd obliged on songs such as "Left Behind," a recent single off this year's "Donkey." Mostly they happily bounced and clapped along to the Brazilian dance-rockers' songs that blend into an energetic blur of fun if sometimes redundant ditties. The loose set was strongest when it fell back on hits like "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex" and "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above."
--FA
The Raconteurs
6:15 p.m. Bud Light stage
At Lollapalooza, an encore is rare treat. But if there was a single show Friday that demanded one, it was The Raconteurs—and Jack White and the boys delivered. After tearing through a jaw-dropping set, they returned to the stage for a worthy finale that included crowd favorites “Broken Boy Solider,” “Many Shades of Black” and “Salute Your Solution.” Too bad more than half the crowd, already en route to Radiohead, missed it.
--M.KP
Bloc Party
6:15 p.m. AT&T stage
Bloc Party's a band you wouldn't mind seeing under a flashy light show. When the London art-punk outfit took the stage Friday just as the sun was beginning to cool off, then, anticipation for a danceable performance was palpable. Maybe the hordes gathered were just waiting to snag a spot for the Radiohead show scheduled to follow, but then how do you explain riotous cheering when the chords to "Helicopter" first tumbled out?
--JW
Cadence Weapon
6:15 p.m.
“They’re the Cool Kids, we’re the Cold Kids,” self-deprecated Rollie Pemberton--aka Cadence Weapon aka Edmonton’s finest hip-hop act--at the start of his set. But Cadence needn't have worried about being mere hypeman for the hometowners, as he showed a versatile flow over beats that looked forward with video game squelches and dancefloor gloss. But Pemberton didn’t neglect the hopper basics, conjuring up handwaves and claps while allowing his dirt-stached DJ to outduel the laptop.
--RM
Grizzly Bear
5:45 Citi stage
Frontman Ed Droste's loungey voice shone fuzzy and bright over the a capella-like harmonies of his bandmates, not to mention the quartet's carefully considered, spare but ever poignant jazzy instrumentation. Bassist Chris Taylor stole the show on crowd favorite "The Knife," hitting all the right high notes. Actually, each member of this group got a turn in the vocal spotlight, even drummer and Chicago native Christopher Bear. Overall, a perfectly summery, relaxing and engaging set.
--Fauzia Arain
Cat Power
5:15 p.m. Playstation 3 stage
The new, more reliable Cat Power isn’t necessarily improved, and can sometimes feel like live band karaoke with the healthy percentage of covers and Dylan-blues arrangements. But Chan Marshall has been out of her shell long enough to improbably become a confident, fascinating frontwoman. Though she started out breathy and slight, the constantly prowling, gesticulating Marshall drew power from the setting sun and howled out a venomous “Fortunate Son” and a snotty “Tracks of My Tears.”
--RM
Mates of State
5:15 p.m. MySpace stage
Indie pop duo the Mates of State bounced on stage after an introduction as the "best band on the planet." And they didn't disappoint. Singer/organist Kori Gardner and her husband/vocalist/drummer Jason Hammel took their respective seats and rarely took their eyes of each other during the hour-long set of vibrant, catchy songs. The big tunes came at the end, closing with "My Only Offer" and "The Re-arranger." Their sound is intoxicating and demonstrates two people clearly doing what they love.
--SS
The Black Keys
4:15 p.m. Bud Light stage
The Ohio-based duo of singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney of Ohio made their second Lollapolooza appearance, this year to a much larger crowd. The pair create a scuzzy, garage-blues rock sound that makes at least as much noise as any four-or-five-piece band. This two-man engine was relentless in their live performance, playing old favorites mixed with the more polished hits from their new album "Attack and Release." Highlights from the set included crowd favorites "Strange Times" and "I Got Mine."
--Sara Stewart
Gogol Bordello
4:15 p.m. AT&T stage
Talk about leaving it all on the stage. Gogol Bordello came out shouting and strutting and flailing about and didn’t come up for air until about 40 minutes into their set—and only then for about three seconds before launching right back into it with crowd favorite “American Wedding.” Bottom line: These gypsy punk phenoms can get any party started just by showing up.
--M. Kathleen Pratt
Duffy
3:15 p.m. Playstation 3 stage
Duffy’s often characterized as a more charming, less troubled version of Amy Winehouse. Add to that less interesting. Predictably, the Welsh singer-songwriter hit the title track off her acclaimed “Rockferry” within five minutes of taking the stage and wrapped up with her biggest hit to date, “Mercy.” Lovely as Duffy's vocals are, her 10-song set came off feeling too squeaky-clean and polished for a soul act—or any Lolla act, for that matter.
--M. Kathleen Pratt
The Kills
3:15 p.m. MySpace stage
Two words: hot and sexy. The emphasis is on the hot part, as singer Alison Mosshart looked like she might pass out in the full sun bearing down on the Myspace stage. "The Kills" rocked as hard as expected, searing through theirset with drum machine beats blasting in the background. Ever song made me want to be that guy singing and dancing barefoot in the crowd--and I almost did to the gritty "Cheap and Cheerful."
--RC
Jeff Tweedy
2:30 p.m. Kidz Stage
"I'm sorry if you can't see, but I thought this was for the kids," Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy said to to the sea of 2,000 adults who overwhelmed the Kidz stage to catch his solo set. Instead of taking the stage, Tweedy performed on the lawn, and the all-Wilco set had one exception: Uncle Tupelo's "New Madrid," which showcased a brief reunion between Tweedy and short-lived UT drummer Bill Belzer, who had just finished his Kidz stage set with The Terrible Twos, the childrens songs moniker for indie rockers The New Amsterdams.
--Matt McGuire
The Go! Team
2:15 p.m. Bud Light Stage
There are bands that don't deserve an exclamation point in their names, and then there's The Go! Team. Backed by thrashing guitars and percussion, The Ninja, the band's MC, led a frenetic set by the U.K. exports dressed in Rainbow Bright stockings, a cherry-red skirt and heart-shaped shades. The only thing louder than the band's outfits, of course, were their tunes ("Grip Like a Vice" particularly), which consistently got the crowd thumping.
--JW
Yeasayer
2:15 p.m. AT&T stage
The hazy, humid "All Hour Cymbals" suggested Yeasayer would be the ideal band to usher in a hot weekend. But instead the Brooklyn band’s intimate details were sacrificed to big-stage necessity, with the sound mix emphasizing sequencers and drum pads that over-strengthened the band’s rhythmic backbone. Minus the ragged harmonies, “2080” and “Wait for the Summer” turned from shimmery to shrill while the band’s winding arrangements proved too fleetingly tribal to animate the increasingly shirtless crowd.
--Rob Mitchum
Rogue Wave
1:15 p.m. MySpace stage
Rogue Wave's early afternoon set started pretty low-key with fans reclined on blankets, but by show's end the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd was on its feet and hanging on frontman Zach Rogue's warbling words. His airy vocals shouldn't sound so good propped against the band's aggressive guitars, but with favorites such as "Chicago x 12" and "Harmonium," they did. Despite problems with sound bleeding from a nearby stage, the Oakland, Calif., act didn't disappoint.
--Jim Walsh
Butch Walker
1:15 p.m. Playstation 3 stage
When singer-songwriter Butch Walker told the crowd that we probably didn't know who he was, he was probably right, and the show started to smell like a potential bust. Still, after a couple of solo songs things picked up when Walker's band the "Let's-Go-Out-Tonights" joined him to generate some fun with the Joplin-esque number "The 3 Kids in Brooklyn." When rocking, Walker's producer background stands out to give everything an extra bit of polish.
--Rex Chekal
Holy F***
12:15 p.m. AT&T stage
They rarely spoke, but they sure rocked the funky white boy dance. Holy F*** got the show going with a mix of swirling synths, keys and four-to-the-floor beats that became increasingly dense and hypnotic. The massive crowd ate it up, with a few die-hard fans doing the pogo the entire length of the set, which ended in a psychedelic bang. Awesome!!!
--EO
Black Lips
12:15 Bud Light Stage
The psychedelic punk vibe of Atlanta’s Black Lips works better in small venues, where their fuzzy yet oddly catchy tunes can smack against the appropriate walls and faces up close. While the Lolla crowd’s relative indifference confirms this, the band’s well-honed attack conjured some ‘60s/’70s spirits and proved the band to be just good enough to wish their songs were better.
--MP
K'NAAN
11:30 a.m. Playstation 3 stage
Somalian singer K'NAAN started with a protest song proclaiming "...the work visas they won't give us...the odd jobs we take to put food upon our plates!" The group urged onlookers to put up fists, and everyone cheered. Girls in flowing skirts danced and straw hats bobbed to the beat. Energy increased after each song, and arms swayed the entire time, with fans erupting to lines like, "I make 50 Cent look like Limp Bizkit."
--Erin Osmon
Bang Camaro
11:30 a.m. MySpace stage
The ideal festival opener, Boston's '80s-inspired metal choir--yes, that's right--had a surprisingly large crowd’s fists pumping constantly. With 11 singers and a total of 16 dudes on stage, they’re a full-throttle, meat-and-potatoes rock arsenal, shouting choruses in unison around riffs that scream even louder. It’s not a joke and it ain’t rocket science—hell, it might be the exact opposite—but it’s still hilarious, and it totally rules.
--Matt Pais
