| EVENT REPORT 08.11.09 10:29 AM |
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| The Bands Play On |
| Though Lollapalooza's outdoor location exposed it to pouring rain, stifling heat, and a few gate-crashers, some 225,000 music fans rocked on undaunted. |
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Produced by C3 Presents, Lollapalooza—the music festival that overtook Grant Park from Friday to Sunday, offered performances from 130 bands, and drew a sold-out crowd of 225,000—had plenty of on-site brand activations. Sponsored stages throughout the park bore signage calling out companies such as VitaminWater and Budweiser; PlayStation had a tented structure housing its new games; and Honda sponsored a whole "Eco Zone," where a display area showcased the company's 2010 Honda Insight hybrid vehicle. But rain ponchos needed no advertising to see a sudden spike in sales due to festival traffic.
As crowds headed to festival grounds during a Friday downpour, Walgreens and 7-Elevens locations downtown were wiped out of umbrellas and rain gear; and it was not uncommon to see concertgoers cutting up trash bags for use as cover-ups. But as bands such as Fleet Foxes, Ben Folds, and Of Montreal performed, the only weather-related inconveniences seemed to be sightlines impaired by a sea of umbrellas floating above fans' heads, and the occasional chilly guest—if that was the reasoning behind one girl's exclamation of "I want to crawl into your beard" during the Fleet Foxes show. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Giant white letters spelled out the festival's name over the main entrance on Columbus Drive.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | Fabric structures formed canopies throughout the park.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | Classic Party Rentals provided all rentals for the festival and supplied the tents for V.I.P. cabanas that overlooked Grant Park from Columbus Drive.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | Radio station Q101, one of the festival's media partners, sponsored an area dubbed "Hammock Haven."
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | Hammock Haven served as a relaxation area for worn-out music fans.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | Q101 also sponsored a graffiti wall, which guests tagged with initials and colorful drawings.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | Marketing Werks tapped Event Creative to develop "PlayStation Central," an area where guests could test new games and watch Blu-Ray movies.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | Festival founder Perry Farrell performed with his wife in an area known as "Perry's," dedicated to electronica.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | The Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed on Saturday night, stepping in for the originally scheduled Beastie Boys after one of the rap group's members had to undergo cancer surgery.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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 | Brands such as Budweiser sponsored festival stages.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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| Lollapalooza |
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Catering, Green Room Decor Global Event Group
Lighting Christie Lites Inc.
PR Fresh and Clean Media
Security NPB Companies Inc.
Security S3: Safety Service Systems Inc.
Sound Clair Sound Worx
Staffing, Production, Celebrity Wrangling, Entertainment, Invites, Printing, Signage, Transportation C3 Presents
Staging Premiere Global Productions
Tenting, Rentals, Linens Classic Party Rentals
Venue Grant Park
Video Screens Screen Works
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On Saturday and Sunday, dry skies and scorching temps—sometimes exceeding 90 degrees—prevailed, lending popularity to scattered misters and the Chicago Fire Department's mobile ventilation unit, which was topped with a giant water-spewing fan and stationed near the northern end of the park. Between sets from Tool, Snoop Dogg, and Jane's Addiction, festival attendees took a break from the heat by sprawling out in a shady area known as the Q101 "Hammock Haven," while V.I.P. ticket-holders hung out in private cabana tents, which offered lounge furniture from Classic Party Rentals, Bliss spa treatments, snacks from Limelight Catering, bars, and air conditioning.
On all three days, younger guests and their families occupied themselves at an area called "Kidzapalooza," where bands such as Lunch Monkey and Care Bears on Fire performed, and activities included hula-hooping and rock-star hairstyling, a procedure that left several pint-size attendees with glittery, colorful coifs. In Liederhosen's Biergarten—an area more suited for those with proper I.D.—guests sipped beer at umbrella-topped tables and gazed up at a rotating statue of the St. Pauli girl.
Security patrolled several checkpoints throughout the weekend, warding off the would-be fence-hoppers who periodically took running starts at the high metal gates that formed a barrier between Grant Park and Columbus Drive. Security also took on tasks such as checking bags at the main Lollapalooza entrance and ensuring that concertgoers exited the festival at a few preselected points. Further safety measures included an area dubbed "Medical Row," where emergency vehicles and medical tents stood in a curbside line.
—Jenny Berg
RELATED TOPICS
Lollapalooza, Q101, Playstation, Perry Farrell, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Honda, Budweiser, Tool, Jane's Addiction, Snoop Dogg, St. Pauli, Vitaminwater, Of Montreal, Fleet Foxes, Ben Folds
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