Though talking about the weather is typically more mundane than concerts by the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Jack White, Mother Nature stole the headlines at this year's Lollapalooza. C3 Presents' music festival, now in its 21st year, saw its first evacuation on Saturday afternoon when flash-flood warnings forced organizers to usher crowds out of Grant Park until around 6 p.m.
Torrential downpours aside, this year's festival saw plenty of action. Along with sets from some 130 bands, the event had on-site activities from brands such as Adidas, PlayStation, and Toyota, which got guests laughing and gabbing with a Whac-a-Mole-style game called "Whac-a-Hipster."
Off-site, BMF Media Group hosted its seventh annual V.I.P. and artist retreat at the Hard Rock Hotel, joining forces with the likes of CK One and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau to host three days of events. Rolling Stone hosted its first Rock Room at the Paris Club on Friday and Saturday, giving media and music-industry executives brunch and live performances from brands such as Delta Spirit. Here's a look at photos from festival grounds and related events that got guests engaging with everything from Sony earphones to a floating Haviana flip-flop.
Lollapalooza
The festival offered performances from 130 bands on stages with sponsor names, including the Red Bull Soundstage, the Sony stage, the Google Play stage, the BMI stage, and the PlayStation stage. Florence & the Machine played on the Bud Light stage on Sunday.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
The world-famous music festival took over Grant Park from August 3-5 this year, drawing around 90,000 guests each day. The skies stayed clear on Friday and Sunday, but the torrential downpours and heavy winds on Saturday forced concert-goers to leave the park for a few hours during the afternoon, which marked the festival's first evacuation. Organizers from C3 Presents said 60,000 guests and 3,000 staffers, artists, and vendors exited peacefully in less than 40 minutes.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
On festival grounds, the Adidas Originals Black Top let guests watch professional skateboarders in action (and, of course, Adidas gear). The activation also let guests snap photos and enter to win giveaways.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
Music fans at Lollapalooza often send beach balls bouncing through the crowds during concerts. Uber took advantage of the festival hobby by doling out balls splashed with the company logo and event hashtag.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
The show Pop-Up Video returned to VH1 earlier this week. To promote it, the brand hosted an activation on festival grounds. Using augmented reality developed for VH1 by Awestruck Marketing, the activation let guests see themselves on a big screen in the park virtually interacting with Lollapalooza artists such as the Black Keys and Fun. Guests could instantly post photos from the activation to social media sites.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
The Toyota Prius Family Playground was filled with games, including a human-powered prize wheel that had guests run to win gifts from the automaker.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
The Toyota Prius activation also had a model vehicle that served as a gadget charging station. As many as five guests could climb in and plug in mobile devices to give them some juice on festival grounds.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
The most talked-about aspect of the Toyota Prius activation was the "Whac-a-Hipster" game, which let guests use a soft mallet to smack little pop-up heads with stylized mustaches and glasses.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
Behind the Red Bull Soundstage, PlayStation hosted a V.I.P. area that had plush seating, games, and a Magnolia photo booth. There were also open bars.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Lollapalooza
At CamelBak Filling Stations, guests could refill their bottles with free filtered water, which came in handy on the 90-plus-degree days.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
LollaShop
New this year, LollaShop was a pop-up store across the street from the park that was open to the public as well as ticket holders throughout the weekend. The shop offered official festival merchandise including the official Gap T-shirt sold inside festival grounds.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
LollaShop
The pop-up shop also sold merchandise from retail partners such as Sony, Baggu, Goorin Bros., Rad & Refined, JammyPack, and Threadless.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
LollaShop
Merchandise included local goods, including items from the local jewelry line Jules. In addition to selling merchandise, the space hosted artist signings, V.I.P. parties and performances, and morning yoga classes. Each day at the store, a LollaShop lottery offered guests the chance to win tickets to the festival.
Photo: Mandy Dempsey
It's So Miami Oasis
The BMF Media Group produced the "It's So Miami Oasis" at the Hard Rock Hotel. Open throughout the weekend, the grass-covered area offered a Disaronno bar with mixology cocktails, a tattoo parlor, DJ sets from the likes of Ana Calderon and Mike Nouveau, product samples from Guess Eyewear, and more. The activation was billed as a "V.I.P. and artist retreat."
Photo: Courtesy of BMF Media Group
It's So Miami Oasis
The "It's So Miami" Oasis was presented by the Miami Greater Convention & Visitors Bureau, Guess, Clearasil, Motorola Mobility, and Disaronno. Clearasil hosted a "Rock Your Skin" suite where guests could pick up product samples, pose for photos that printed out and posted to Facebook, and sample kiwi and strawberry smoothies.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
It's So Miami Oasis
In anther suite, guests could check out products from Nico Lives watches.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
CK One Music Lounge
The BMF Media Group also produced the CK One Music Lounge, which was open on the Hard Rock Hotel's second floor throughout the weekend. Along with bars doling out Vita Coco Coconut Water and Belvedere vodka cocktails, the space offered live performances, manicures, and makeup applications from CK One artists.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss/Statraks
CK One Music Lounge
Guests played ping-pong in the CK One Music Lounge, which also had seating on white bean bag chairs. On all three nights of festival weekend, BMF Media Group produced "Rock the Vote Nights" at the hotel. The events offered live performances and open bars.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss/Statraks
Rolling Stone Rock Room
Rolling Stone hosted the Rock Room at the Paris Club on Friday and Saturday. The daytime event served brunch and offered live performances, and had a guest list of media, band managers, label reps, and guests of the performing bands.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for Belvedere
Rolling Stone Rock Room
The Rolling Stone event took over the upper-level Studio Paris, where guests lounged and flipped through copies of the magazine. The publication's integrated marketing director Artie Athas said that the happening "was the perfect opportunity for our advertisers to showcase product, provide interactive displays, and get their brand in front of key festival influencers."
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for Belvedere
Rolling Stone Rock Room
Garnier Fructis had an interactive display where guests could style their hair. There were also buckets of Sun Chips and stations where guests could listen to Lollapalooza acts on Sony headphones. Other brands that had a presence included StubHub, Sanuk, Volkswagen, and Rock & Revival.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Rolling Stone Rock Room
The bar offered free-flowing Blue Moon beer and Belvedere vodka cocktails. Specialty drinks included bloody Marys and the "High Tea Mash-Up."
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for Belvedere
Rolling Stone Rock Room
The "Women Who Rock" showcase offered performances from the two finalists in the magazine's "Women Who Rock" competition. One of the finalists was Karmin.
Photo: Anjali Pinto/Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone Rock Room
Rita Ora was the other performer in the "Women Who Rock" showcase. The winner, selected by readers' online votes, will appear on the cover of the September issue of Rolling Stone.
Photo: Anjali Pinto/Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone Rock Room
Delta Spirit played during the Friday brunch, which offered fare from sushi to passed milk and cookies.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for Belvedere
Gilt City's Better Than Backstage Rooftop Pool Party
Gilt City hosted a party at EnV on Saturday afternoon. The event—which took place on a searingly hot day—let guests take a dip in a pool filled with Gilt City beach balls and a floatation device shaped like a giant Haviana flip-flop.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Gilt City's Better Than Backstage Rooftop Pool Party
The Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men, which also played at Lollapalooza, played an intimate set at the rooftop party.
Photo: Francis Son Photography
Gilt City's Better Than Backstage Rooftop Pool Party
Pinkberry's station doled out frozen yogurt with topping such as strawberries and granola.
Photo: Francis Son Photography
Gilt City's Better Than Backstage Rooftop Pool Party
At a custom Havianas bar, guests could design their own pair of flip-flops for $25.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
Gilt City's Better Than Backstage Rooftop Pool Party
Guests left with swag bags filled with goods from sponsors including Benefit cosmetics, Grey Goose vodka, Pop Chips, Red Bull, and more.
Photo: Francis Son Photography
Samsung Galaxy S III and Guess Artist Lunch
The brands hosted a lunch at the W Chicago City Center on Saturday. When festival grounds were evacuated, artists such as B.o.B. took shelter at the event, which offered Zico coconut water, Pucker vodka cocktails, a peek at the fall collection from Guess, and product displays from Monster Cable headphones.
Photo: Rony Alwin
Samsung Galazy S III and Guess Artist Lunch
Guests at the lunch could interact with new products from Samsung.
Photo: Rony Alwin
Soul Sounds Chicago
In partnership with the BMF Media Group, Soul Electronics hosted "Soul Sounds Chicago" Thursday evening at the Hard Rock Hotel. The kickoff event for Lollapalooza offered UV Vodka cocktails, Ashai beer, and performances from Cee Lo Green (pictured) and Miguel. Vibe magazine was the official media partner.
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Guess Eyewear's Shades of Summer In-Store Event
Guess also hosted a Lollapalooza kickoff event on Thursday. The in-store happening promoted Guess Eyewear and introduced guests to the "Shades of Summer Playlist." Musical guest the Knocks spun, and a photo booth let guests pose in the brand's sunglasses. To promote the event, models doled out 3-D invitations along Michigan Avenue.
Photo: Courtesy of GUESS & Viva International Group
