Amid hot yet stunningly gorgeous weather in downtown Chicago, Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and London rapper M.I.A. capped a beat-inspired first day of Lollapalooza (Aug. 3) at Grant Park.
French duo Daft Punk, in full robot regalia, stood upon a massive pyramid during a 90-minute set that drove the crowd into hysterics. The group ferociously segued from song to song, although an extended version of “One More Time” was a highlight, as were numerous teases of “Around the World” throughout the proceedings.
Moments prior to Daft Punk’s set, New York dance-punkers LCD Soundsystem entertained an enthusiastic crowd with a set that drew heavily from the recent album “Sound of Silver.” Lead singer James Murphy didn’t lose sight of the moment before kicking into the Grammy-nominated single “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House.” “It’s kind of funny, but it’s not ironic,” he quipped. Of all the first day’s acts, Murphy and company were the most successful in getting the audience to move in unison.
M.I.A.’s late afternoon set was the catalyst for the dance-heavy evening, despite her repeated claims that her voice was shot. An aborted “Pull Up the People” was the only real hiccup in a set that showcased numerous songs from the forthcoming album “Kala.” Among them were first single “Boyz,” the crowd favorite “Jimmy” and the shotgun-sampling “Paper Planes,” which she sung from the stage scaffolding.
On the more of the rock side of things, the Black Keys pounded through a heavy blues set as the sun was setting over the skyline, and Blonde Redhead treated a modest-sized crowd to a handful of tunes off from its recent album, “23.” Even though most of the day was an upbeat affair, Sparklehorse evened things out with some slow tunes, including the appropriate ode to the sun, “Gold Day.”
Lollapaloooza continues throughout the weekend, with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Regina Spektor, Spoon and headlining sets from Muse and Interpol scheduled for today. Visit Billboard.com, our Jaded Insider blog and our Lollapalooza microsite for continuous updates.
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