Lollapalooza 2011 Preview

Music festivals like Lollapalooza are experienced a little differently by those of us who are shorter than 5’5”. We are easily lost in a swarming crowd, mistaken for empty spaces in the audience, and bound to end up standing behind a 7’ tall man who will inevitably throw his girlfriend on his shoulders at some point during the show. This generally leads to a night ending in the affirmation “well, at least I could hear the music…” However, thanks to the 20th Anniversary Time Capsule, I discovered that as of 1994, Lolla outlines a particular loophole for us shorties that raises us taller than the rest:  Crowd surfing is prohibited UNLESS you are a certified waif. Woe no more, fellow pint sized music festival lovers.

There's always a Green Man at every festival. Lollapalooza 2010. Photo by Jack Edinger.

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The Independent- San Francisco [Venues]

One of San Francisco’s popular venues for live music! The Independent is definitely a space to watch your favorite upcoming bands perform. Opened to the city’s diverse crowd in 2004, the venue has had over a thousand live performances behind its doors.

So what is this spot all about?

The Arctic Monkeys- OSL Night Shows

I remember first hearing the band as a teenager at a small house party in my suburban town. After announcing my affection for We Are Scientists,  a wise friend  insisted I listen to the Arctic Monkeys. While imagining pink-faced snow monkeys relaxing in a hot spring and watching my long-haired friends kick and bob to the beat, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” was becoming an indie dance hit around the world. The Arctic Monkeys is one of those bands marvelously blessed with perfect timing. Even before releasing their first album in 2006, the English rock band was becoming one of the first bands to gain massive interest online via MySpace and other fan based music sites, and helped change the way music is now marketed. If that’s not enough for perfect timing, examine the band’s sound evolution. Their first album is what I like to call “neo-punk meets poetics”; impressive musical mechanics and grungy romantic lyrics reflecting a relatable suburban lifestyle is best heard with the volume LOUD in songs like “Riot Van” and “From The Ritz To The Rubble.” Alex Turner’s voice is unmistakably British, youthful and blunt in tone, complementing intelligent lyrics in a way that conjured in my mind the image of an older Holden Caulfield following his Catcher in the Rye breakdown: darker, no longer a virgin and no less of a smart ass.

Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner. Photo Credit: B.Riordan, CC BY 2.0