Now Here This - Lollapalooza Day 3

As diverse as the Lollapalooza line-up is this year, they manage to pile up the Icelandic bands and bluegrass bands on the same day. Wondering what to do? We’ve got your back. Behold, our recommendation for how to spend your Sunday at Lollapalooza.

PlayStation Stage – 12:15
Mona
Boston’s Red Oblivion blends orchestral beauty into their hard rock sound, by way of cello, Houston’s Point To Infinity offers a jangly indie pop sound, and Bowerbirds offers a decidedly country-tinged vibe. For the start of the final day of the festival, we think the best bet is to head to catch Mona over at the PlayStation Stage. Yeah, you might have heard that Mona is a Christian band, but their solid rock n roll sound and more subtle infusion of their faith puts them more in line with Switchback than the beat-you-over-the-head CCM you might be thinking of.

Bud Light Stage – 1:00
Oberhofer
The danceable indie pop of Ireland’s Bombay Bicycle Club and genre-bending hip-hop of Outasight are interesting examples of Lollapalooza’s diverse line-up, and we really enjoy the expansive soundscapes of Canada’s Hey Rosetta!, but the shaggy art-pop of Oberhofer is on the verge of breaking through for a good reason. The inventive, explosive arrangements are tied together with unshakable sing-along hooks. Jump on the Oberhoffer bandwagon while there is still room.

Sony Stage – 1:30
Polica
If you stay for all of Oberhoffer, which we wholeheartedly recommend doing, you are not going to be able to see much of the R&B laced indie pop of Polica. Some is definitely better than the other options going, from the bluegrass of The Devil Makes Three, and this Minneapolis project figures to be worth the walk across the park.

 

Red Bull Soundstage – 2:15
Trampled By Turtles
Your options could not be much different in this time slot. The collaboration of jazzy-leaning Ryan Lewis and rapper Macklemore is a decent option and Cali indie hip-hop collective Overdoz are decent options, and we it is really tough to pass on the dual-drummer assault of White Rabbits, but the sparkling bluegrass folk of Trampled By Turtles is too good to pass up here. They are good enough to make you forget you ever thumbed your nose at the genre.

Sony Stage – 3:00
The Walkmen
It truly breaks our heart to have to miss out on blues-dipped singer-songwriter Gary Clark Jr. The up-and-coming Texas artist is a major new talent and definitely deserves your attention… when he is not up against indie rock legends that just released the finest album of their career. You really need to catch this fantastic band at all costs on Sunday.

 

Red Bull Soundstage – 4:00
Sigur Ros
The dreamy, atmospheric swath of sound of this Icelandic outfit is an easy choice over the solid hip-hop offering of J. Cole and classic rock leaning The Sheepdogs. You won’t understand a word of Sigur Ros’ music, but you probably won’t mind one bit.

 

Google Play Stage – 4:45
The Gaslight Anthem
The classic rock n roll vibe of New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem is nearly good enough to remove the stain Jersey Shore put on the state. Catching this set means giving up on rock-soul world music couple Amadou & Miriam and the fuzzed out electro-pop of Toro Y Moi, but we think it is a sacrifice worth making.

 

Google Play Stage – 6:00
Of Monsters And Men
You could probably catch a bit of the tender offerings of Yuna at the BMI Stage and make it back in time, but we think you would be better served using your half-hour between sets to carve out a better spot to watch the day’s second Icelandic band. The narrative songwriting and gorgeous male/female vocals of folk-rockers Of Monsters And Men have added up to one of the year’s finest albums. We are unsure how they landed at one of the side stages, but be assured it will redefine the word ‘crowded’. When over, we highly recommend walking over to the Red Bull Soundstage for what is left of the set from the reunited At The Drive-In.

Sony Stage – 7:15
Miike Snow
Your options ahead of the festival’s grand finale seem to be to dance or to dance. UK dance rock duo Miike Snow. We feel you would have just as good a time at either, but at this point in the weekend you might be best served saving yourself a bit of walking ahead of the night’s closer.

 

Red Bull Soundstage – 8:15
Jack White
You have to feel a little bad for whoever pulls the short straw to line-up against rock legend Jack White. French electronic outfit Justice and the thumping house sounds of Kaskade definitely offer intentional counter-programming, but it is hard not to feel as though Childish Gambino is getting screwed. We absolutely love last year’s Camp, and would love to see Donald Glover do his thing in almost any other circumstance. That said, the knock-out punch delivered by Jack White’s debut solo album assures he is closing the festival based on more than just his name. There is no reason not to pull up a seat at the Red Bull Soundstage for what should be one of the highlights of the weekend.