August 12: Livin' la vida Lolla

(Credit: Lisa Johnson)

By Ali Siegel
Metromix

As you might know from my blog last week, I was lucky enough to spend three days in Chicago over the weekend enjoying my first-ever Lollapalooza. The weather was alternately hot and monsoon-like (making for a very muddy pedicure), but overall, it was worth braving the heat (and the major hair frizz) for a few days of rockin' fun. You can check out all of the musical highlights (and lowlights) here, but I thought I would share with you my personal highlights (be warned... not all are music related!).

1. Hearing that Nick Hornby (author of High Fidelity) will be penning lyrics for Ben Folds' forthcoming album. Hornby's immense writing talent combined with Folds' powerful music? Surely my ears aren't ready for this...

2. Being in the presence of Graham Elliot Bowles. In case you aren't as Food Network obsessed as I am, allow me to educate you. Mr. Bowles is consistently named one of the best chefs in the country and has hordes of accolades for his Chicago restaurant, Graham Elliot, to prove it. He is a truly "chef celebrity"... not to be confused with a celebrity chef (you know, the people responsible for feeding Atkins-friendly meals to starlets). So, not only did I have the chance to meet this chef during the course of my weekend, but was also able to sample his lobster corndog. That's right, folks. Lobster. Covered in yummy batter. Deep fried. On a stick. Did I mention that it comes with a side of aioli? Yeah, it doesn't get much better than that.

3. Seeing The Gaslight Anthem at the Double Door. I saw Gaslight's Lolla set and was immediately impressed by their energy on stage and their great tunes. Lucky, for me, I was also able to score some tickets to see this up-and-coming band when they played one of the Lolla after parties at the Double Door. A great band at a classic venue? Yes, please. I would highly recommend downloading some of their soon-to-be hits on iTunes. Now.

4. Snoop Dogg. Though he wasn't a musical headliner, I would venture a guess that this long-time rapper brought in the biggest crowd of the weekend. Playing classics that we all know and love (Gin and Juice, anyone?), thousands and thousands... and thousands gathered together for Snoop's own brand of musical magic.

5. People watching. Due to the heat, I resigned myself to a weekend of flip flops and sundresses (this seemed like the best option/most heat-friendly option). Apparently, some of the crowd didn't get the memo. Throughout the festival I saw everything from jorts to tutus to full body paint to a lovely lady wearing a lobster on her head... seriously. Want a peek at what I saw? Peep this gallery for some crowd watching fun.

Want to see all of the pics from the weekend? Check them out here.