Lollapalooza 2014 Day 1: Marshall mattered
The highlight for most fans attending the first day of Lollapalooza, the annual outdoor summer festival that takes over Chicago’s Grant Park every August, was likely Eminem, who returned to the event after last performing in 2011. Looking particularly fit, the rapper performed in front of a huge crowd and teamed up with Rihanna for a few songs. While his set had a real aggressiveness to it, the songs suffered a bit from a certain sameness, perhaps because his live backing band wasn’t able to replicate the nuances of the studio versions. On the opposite side of the park, Arctic Monkeys competed with Eminem in the headlining slot. They drew a much smaller crowd but delivered a solid set that wasn’t nearly as manic as the set they played at the festival in 2011. In fact, New Zealand singer Lorde outdrew the Monkeys on the same stage in an earlier time slot. While her music can be a bit atmospheric, her hour-long live set had a lot of energy to it as she whipped her long hair around incessantly, delivering trip-hop tunes such as “Glory and Gore” and “Tennis Court” with real gusto. Rising hip-hop star Iggy Azaela didn’t play in a headlining slot either, but she drew a massive crowd to her mid-afternoon performance on Perry’s stage. Dressed in slinky workout wear, she focused more on gyrating with her dancers than connecting with the young crowd.
Here are a few photos from the day:
Please specify a Flickr ID for this gallery
whopperjaw
