Lolla '09: Sunday reviews

Cold War Kids (Credit: Elizabeth Myers /RedEye)

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Jane's Addiction
8:30 p.m. Budweiser Stage
Well, Perry Farrell didn't arrive via helicopter (like he said he wanted to) to Jane's Addiction's first Lolla show since 2003, but that didn't keep the fest's founder from shaking it old-school alongside Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and, against doctors' wishes (according to Farrell), Stephen Perkins. Farrell wiggled, shook his bootie and flexed his abs wearing gold lamé bellbottoms and coattails, playing the part of ringleader to what looked like a sultry voodoo lounge on stage, complete with periodic appearances by two barely clothed dancers. Many a classic song was played (“Mountain Song,” “Been Caught Stealing,” “Nothing's Shocking”), but the real highlight came during the finale, when Aerosmith's Joe Perry joined the gang for a chilled rendition of “Jane's Says.” When all was said and done, Farrell thanked the crowd, plugged Chicago's Olympics bid and said he'd see us next year. Maybe in 2010, he'll get his helicopter after all. (P.S. The guy who proposed to his girlfriend at the end of the show is longtime Metromix photographer Barry Brecheisen. She said yes! Congrats, Barry.)
– Lisa Balde

The Killers
8 p.m. Chicago 2016 Stage
It's been five years since The Killers' breakout album, "Hot Fuss," and the band has not lost its touch. Opening with a rollicking, singalong version of "Human," the band got the south end of Grant Park bumping Sunday to close out Lolla opposite big man Perry Farrell's Jane's Addiction set. As a cooling lake breeze washed over the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, the Las Vegas act's very Vegas stage setup (think neon, sequins and a lot of palm trees) lent an over-the-top air to a thunderously over-the-top show. True, the crowd did seem to have run out of gas at points during the hour and a half show, but frontman Brandon Flowers made sure that when it was good, it was really good.
-- Jim Walsh

Band of Horses
7:30 p.m. PlayStation stage
Nothing was going to stop Band of Horses from playing an hour-long set. Not Lou Reed cutting into the first 20 minutes of BOH's slot. Not Jane's Addiction starting promptly at 8:30 p.m. (40 minutes after BOH took the stage). Not a "police" helicopter circling 30 yards above the crowd as BOH and Jane's Addiction blasted away at each other from opposing stages. And not frontman Ben Bridwell's guitar cutting out during "Ode to LRC," prompting Bridwell to lay his ax on the stage and walk into the crowd for a sing-along. Will Band of Horses ever play Lollapalooza again? It's doubtful after they clashed with fest founder Perry Farrell's Janes Addiction reunion set. But it'll be the festival's loss. The full 60 minutes was exhilarating, easily one of the weekend's highlights, from the lush opener, "The First Song," to the closing theatrics.
--Matt McGuire

Silversun Pickups
7:30 p.m. Vitamin Water stage
Silversun Pickups have come a long way from their side-stage gig two years ago, mostly on the backs of the catchy, head bob-inducing hooks that prop up driving tunes like Sunday's set closers, "Panic Switch" and "Lazy Eye." If their exuberant performance this year is any indication--and if lead singer Brian Aubert manages to avoid blowing out his pipes with all of that raspy, high-intensity howling--they'll have ridden those hooks (and the fuzzy guitar riffs that so charmed Sunday's crowd) all the way to a headlining gig the next time we see them at Lolla.
-- M. Kathleen Pratt

Snoop Dogg
6:30 p.m. Chicago 2016 Stage
The ability to get thousands of people to hoist their hands in the air and shout in unison, "I wanna get [bleeped] up" is one of Snoop Dogg's many, many talents. Also among those talents: Dropping polished party jams from the rapper's extensive catalogue ("Gin and Juice"), doing damn good covers of club favorites (Akon's "I Wanna [Bleep] You") and--oh yes--making you feel like you were just a part of the Doggfather's very own, very awesome, very kinetic house party.
-- Jim Walsh

Lou Reed
6:30 p.m. Budweiser stage
Fashionably late (6:40-7:50 p.m.), the avant-garde godfather opened with "Sweet Jane", and then proceeded into a five-song string that would be largely unrecognizable to anyone but a die-hard fan. Reed appeared rather curmudgeon, swatting orders at the band and ignoring the audience (aside from an instruction to bark like dogs), as he belted-out renditions of "Waves of Fear", "Dirty Boulevard" and "Mad." But after a long, fuzzed-out jam he launched into crowd favorites "I'm Waiting for the Man" and (after softening-up and blowing a kiss) "Walk on the Wild Side," salvaging the esoteric set. Mr. Reed, I've been listening to you since the womb. However, I might have been one of just a few at this giant-ass festival where people want to hear stuff they recognize. You lost a lot of folks. Not that you care.
-- Erin Osmon

Deerhunter
6:30 p.m. Citi stage
Deerhunter's brand of psychedelia -- nervous, but always melodic -- never fails, not during seven-minute space jams and not during lovely two-minute swirls. The four-piece band (formerly five) came up big again, leaning heavily on their most ferocious work, which they somehow managed to make even more ferocious than usual. The culprit, as always, was oddly loquatious frontman Bradford Cox, who said he has H1N1 virus, had just received a B12 injection, and that the crowd looked like a mass of eyeless flesh. "When the virus goes to your brain, that's when it gets dark," Cox said, before launching into another squawking jam. Whatever. Made for great rock and roll.
-- Josh Noel 

Cold War Kids
5:30 p.m. Vitamin Water stage
How can you tell if a crowd is having a good time? By the body surfing! At least that's according to Cold War Kids' singer Nathan Willett, who mused it must be "1993" when, like, Jane's Addiction was headlining. Good one. The four piece indie rockers from California kept the crowd clap-happy, especially with an energetic set that included faves such as "Hospital Beds" and "Hang Me Up To Dry," as well as a new song titled "Santa Ana Winds." This is the third time around at Lolla for the band, and it doesn't seem as if the fans are getting tired. "I wouldve paid $200 just for that," one fan said after the set.
-- Dorothy Hernandez

Passion Pit
5 p.m. Citi stage
By Sunday evening, there's a lot of that please-please-don't-let-it-be-almost-over feeling going around, and the happy-go-lucky sounds of Passion Pit were the perfect antidote. Though the Boston-area synth-pop outfit didn't  use their full hour (more like 45 minutes), and Michael Angelakos' signature falsetto bordered on screeching at times, a gleeful crowd backed him on the chorus of "Little Secrets," madly clapped him into the first lines of "Sleepyhead," and otherwise bounced and writhed nonstop through the set. Bragging rights to anyone who survived the front row of this one.
-- M. Kathleen Pratt

Neko Case
4:30 p.m. Budweiser stage
After a weekend of dealing with fuzzed-out guitars and horn sections, the Lollapalooza sound crew had to be happy to see Neko Case take the stage. With one of the most soaring voices in rock 'n' roll, backed instruments more at home at the Grand Ole Opry than an alt-music festival -- banjo, steel guitar, tenor guitar -- Case's set cut through the thick humid air, led by a trio of clarion voices -- Case and Chicagoans Nora O'Connor and Kelly Hogan, all decked out in black cocktail dresses. The mostly mid-tempo set alternated between beautifully devastating ("Middle Cyclone," "Don't Forget Me") and devastatingly breezy ("This Tornado Loves You") before closing out with a rollicking version of The Shangri-Las "The Train From Kansas City."
--Matt McGuire

Vampire Weekend
4:30 p.m. Chicago 2016 Stage
The great thing about Vampire Weekend is they really only have a few songs. They're all good and whatnot, but there aren't that many of them. So when the ever-preppy indie darlings played familiar Afro-pop favorites from their debut self-titled LP Sunday, more than a few (that is, everyone) danced and sang along. A pinch of new tunes sprinkled throughout the initially sweltering set were the icing on the cake.
--Jim Walsh

Dan Deacon
3:30 p.m. Vitamin Water stage
"Feel free to dance; that's what your legs are for." To kick off the show Dan Deacon had the crowd put both arms in the air, bend at the knees and let out a low growl, while slowly getting louder. Interactive shows are always good times especially when you're stuck at the vitaminwater stage, which smelled like manure all weekend. Deacon and his ensemble fired off a blistering set of
mallets, synths, random yelling, frantic drumming and, holy crap, a marching band with the aim to make "the buildings crumble." It's amazing anything is still standing.
-- Dorothy Hernandez

Gang Gang Dance
3:30 p.m. Citi stage
Gang Gang Dance was… intense. They have a unique sound, or sounds rather. Watching lead singer Lizzi Bougatsos play percussion is similar to watching the enjoyment a child derives from banging on pots and pans. But through it all it is a controlled chaos with influences from all walks of music. The show started slow, but once the crowd adjusted to the wall of sound coming off the stage, everyone was dancing in the street.
-- Rex Chekal

The Raveonettes
3:30 p.m. PlayStation Stage
Oh yes, we are sooo feeling this Danish duo's swirling, psychedelic love! Unfortunately, not everyone felt the same way. Mid-set, a slow, mass audience retreat began (perhaps they went scoping spots for Vampire Weekend?), leaving the Raveonettes with half the crowd they started with. Still, Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo were cool as cucumbers (yes, in 90-degree heat), letting loose a rainbow of good vibes, from dripping, shoegazing crooners to poppy, dance-ready numbers off their forthcoming album, “In and Out of Control,” and an immaculate rendition of "Aly, Walk with Me."
-- Lisa Balde

Kaiser Chiefs
2:30 p.m. Budweiser Stage
The crowd seemed to all funnel into Lolla today for Kaiser Chiefs. What had been a navigable festival 20 minutes earlier became a mad house of Kaiser fans filing in, prompting singer Ricky Wilson to call out for 50,000 beers, as long as it was “anything but Bud.” The crowd was moving on its feet to favorites "Ruby" and, my favorite, "Love's Not A Competition (But I'm Winning)." Finally, Nick 'Peanut' Baines gave the crowd a tutorial on clapping, and I witnessed my first show where the crowd was actually in sync.
-- Rex Chekal

The Airborne Toxic Event
2:30 p.m. Chicago 2016 stage
Let's just get this out of the way: The Airborne Toxic Event aren't very good. Arcade Fire meets Coldplay meets the new, crappy U2? No thanks. But while TATE (to those in the know) might not be so good, they're good at what they do: a quivering string turns to a slow drummed gallop, which becomes a swelling anthemic throttle and finally, a full-blown heartache stampede. And the sweaty, shirtless masses ate it up. The entire band decked in black and frontman Mikel Jollett looking like a poor man's Ben Stiller (not a good thing), TATE plowed through their set with well-rehearsed precision, peaking with angst hit "Some Time Around Midnight." Then they inexplicably cut their set 10 minutes short. The new, crappy U2 might be able to get away with that, TATE, but not you.
-- Josh Noel

Portugal. The Man
1:30 p.m. PlayStation stage
Despite early sound issues (if you can't hear voices, are they actually singing?) Portugal. The Man appeared to have a rocking great time at their first Lolla appearance. Guitarist John Gourley thrashed around, laughing and smiling, though hidden under a mustache and behind a floppy mess of hair. The band, originally from Alaska, hit its stride and drew a decent-sized crowd, though most may not have heard of them yet. Their lush, soulful songs stick with you and can't help but put you in a good mood.
-- Sara Stewart

Bat for Lashes
1:30 p.m. Vitamin Water stage
There's a lot going on in singer-songwriter Natasha Khan's (aka Bat for Lashes) work–the jingle of a bell, a squeezebox, hand-claps, rumbling synthesizers, a bang on an ominous drum–but it came together beautifully, creating a memorable Lollapalooza experience. The highlight, of course, was Khan's haunting, pitch-perfect vocal performance, which was at times hushed and at others roaring, as she bounced and pranced across the stage in a sequined leotard. A paired-down version of the hit song "Prescilla" left the crowd hypnotically silenced, then cheering after Khan commented (in her charming British accent), "You're so quiet. You're listening. I like it." This was an unexpectedly great performance, and my favorite thus far.
-- Erin Osmon

Friendly Fires
12:30 p.m. Budweiser stage
English dance rockers Friendly Fires have only one goal, and crazy, sweaty heat is no excuse: These guys expect you to move. It was easy to oblige with throbbing takes on “White Diamonds” and horn flourishes on hip-commanding stuff like “In the Hospital” and “Lovesick.” If these frisky, ‘80s-influenced groove machines’ less-danceable stuff like “Strobe” isn’t as captivating, it’s at least a moment to breathe, look around the bar, and say hey, whoever that is that came in with Molly Ringwald is looking good.
-- Matt Pais

Ra Ra Riot
12:30 p.m. Chicago 2016 Stage
At big outdoor rock concerts like this, we nearly always welcome the kinds of fat bass lines and pounding kick drums that roundly sock us in the stomach and chest. That is, unless we're seeing New York's Ra Ra Riot, whose joyous, haunting orchestration and rolling guitars continue to lift the band above its indie-rock contemporaries. It was disappointing to hear many of Ra Ra Riot's intricacies lost in this open venue--save for Wes Miles' effortlessly glowing voice, which could shine through an air raid if it needed to—but we're thankful the sound guy salvaged Alexandra Lawn and Rebecca Zeller's cello and violin for "Ghost Under Rocks" and “Dying Is Fine.”
– Lisa Balde

Sam Roberts Band
11:45 a.m. PlayStation stage
Canada was definitely in the house: Fans sang the Canadian national anthem and waved flags before Montreal’s Sam Roberts Band even took the stage. Then, Roberts performed like the rock star he should be, delivering rousing renditions of no-fuss tunes like the sweet “Lions of the Kalahari” and blazing “Them Kids.”  Anyone just discovering the group can surely think of a barbecue or patio party earlier in the summer that would have greatly benefited from Roberts’ spirit.
-- Matt Pais

Yuto Miyazawa/Care Bears on Fire
11, 11:30 a.m. Kidzapalooza
No sex and drugs, but there was plenty of rock and roll Sunday morning on the kids stage. Nine-year-old guitar prodigy Yuto Miyazawa, performing for the third day in a row, shredded and wailed his way through a set of classic rock covers. The crowd, packed with grown men thanks to Yuto's youtube success, never stopped  grinning. Care Bears on Fire, Brooklyn's teen punk girl group played their rebel rock to a much smaller crowd. The loud, angsty tunes prove that they are indeed the cool kids, not Disney-generated Miley Cyruses.
-- Sara Stewart