Against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline, the 2010 Lollapalooza music festival brought in a crowd as diverse as the artists that headlined. With acts including Lady GaGa's fireworks-laden, fashion show performance and Arcade Fire's arena-sized rock anthems, there was a little something for everyone in attendance.
The festival, which is held annually in Chicago's Grant Park over the first weekend in August, extended its borders from 80 acres to 110 acres to account for a possible influx of a record-setting 240,000 in attendance.
People from all over the country migrated to the Midwest to take part in the festival, Ball State students included. Zach Amick, a sophomore telecommunications major, made his fourth consecutive trip to Lollapalooza this year and said he understands why the number of people that went reached an all-time high.
"This was the first time I had gone all three days, and it was definitely the best experience I've had since I started going to the festival," Amick said.
Attendees had the option to buy either a single-day ticket for $90 or a three-day pass for $215, which allowed them to exit and reenter the festival at their leisure.
Amick said that a big part of the improved quality of his experience was the expansion of the grounds in which Lollapalooza took place.
"By making the area bigger, it was easier to walk around even though there were more people there, and it also got rid of sound overlap from some of the big stages," he said.
Space was added between stages to handle the diversity of the lineup. While Lady GaGa was using her headlining spot on the opening night to lash out at critics and reveal the fact that she was wearing the same bra she wore in 2007 when she last performed at the festival, The Strokes were performing their first show together in the United States in the past four years at the opposite end of the park in what many, including Amick, considered to be one of the best performances of the entire weekend.
The next night, Phoenix attempted to fill some big shoes by headlining alongside Green Day, who ignored its given time allotment by spending two-and-a-half hours interacting with the crowd and seemingly doing everything but performing music.
The festival's final night capped off the weekend by featuring a reunited Soundgarden, who, despite still being at odds with one another, put on a show full of nostalgia, revisiting their early ‘90s hits from when they were performing at the festival in a happier fashion. At the same time, an energetic and passionate Arcade Fire was performing songs from its recent album while also creating fist-pumping sing-alongs out of its older material.
While some believed this wide variety of music was a positive, others in attendance thought the festival transitioned into a money-hungry sellout, focusing more on ticket sales and less on the integrity of Lollapalooza's reputation. Ball State junior and Chicago-native Emily Beesinger agreed.
"I felt like this year they were just trying to make it more mainstream," the social studies education major said. "The festival used to have character and tried to promote new up-and-coming bands, but it seemed like they were just trying to make more money this time around."
This sentiment is becoming increasingly more common among concert-goers and musicians alike, who have started playing shows before and after the festival at clubs around Chicago so they can perform for their true fan base rather than people passing through or waiting for the next act to come on stage.
No matter how you shake it, this year's Lollapalooza brought in more people than ever before, even if that meant getting acts who invade the radio as well as up-and-coming talents.
Was it the best Lollapalooza ever? It's up to next year's festival to decide that.
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