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Best of Lolla
--Though it's as corporation-driven as the rest of the fest, the distractions--hammocks, a beer garden, a Flaming Lips movie tent--that lie hidden between the stages has bloomed into a Lollapa-EPCOT, fleshing out the festival as a cultural experience beyond never-ending bands.
--Local acts. Headliners Kanye West, guitarist/Libertyville native Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Wilco, Lupe Fiasco, hot hip-hop acts Cool Kids and Kid Sister, and pop up-and-comers Office.
--Organizers seemed to have as many recycling bins as they did garbage cans.
--The diversity of bands playing. From folk music to hip-hop to electronica to indie rock, all music lovers could find something to suit them.
--People's personal styles, from full-body tattoos to elaborate hair. They just never cease to amaze.
--Rows of paper-stocked porta-potties standing at attention that featured (early on, anyway) relative cleanliness and a moment of respite from the sun.
--Kudos to Adobo Grill. An order of its guacamole is cheaper ($5) at Lollapalooza than it is at the restaurant ($7.95). You NEVER see that.
Worst of Lolla
--Every year the fest becomes more of a tiered society, with cabanas and lounges and private bars for the privileged while the masses sweat and sunburn.
--The sound cut out during Perry Ferrel's set on Perry's stage, where Slash appeared as a surprise guest. "There was absolutely no sound while Slash was on." -- John McCann, 30, of Windsor, Ontario
--Standing in line for the free water fountain was terrible.
--There were several local restaurants represented at the fest, but only one local brewer, Goose Island. Why no ales from brewpubs Piece or Rock Bottom, or nearby breweries Three Floyds, Two Brothers or Bells?
--Weakerthans canceled. Bummer.
--Cell reception. The constant reminder on every Lolla sign that it was "delivered" by AT&T was just a slap in the face considering a $500 AT&T iPhone could not get any bars.
--Too much litter. Yikes.
Lolla fix-it list
--Turn up the sound on the AT&T stage for the headliners. Radiohead and Rage were not loud enough to carry nearly as far back as the crowd.
--After the initial rush (when lines have subsided and there is no need for crowd control) why not open up the barriers and permit sidewalk access directly in front of the main entrance? There's no reason to make people walk all the way down to Jackson or Balbo and then circle back to the entrance to gain access.
--Hopefully, next year they'll have more places to fill up water jugs instead of just relying on the fountains already in Grant Park.
--There should be north and south exits in addition to the main central exit.
--Update the fest Web site regularly. Organizers were quick to post info about sold-out shows, so why no updates on schedule changes? The Weakerthans canceled, but you'd never know it from looking at the fest's site.
--One-way sidewalks and paths, so running from one end of the park to the other in a mad dash to see the next big thing take the stage doesn't resemble swimming upstream. Or running directly into people while you check your map. Better yet: people-movers.
