Absolutely. Immediately get your hands on their last record Fantasies. "Help I'm Alive" / "Sick Muse" / "Satellite Mind" on that record is the best three song opener I've heard in years. The rest of the record is solid too.

metric? for real?

Yes.

My faves:

1) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's. Was only planning to stay for half the set but knew from the get go that the show was going to be something special.
2) The Strokes. The Strokes were on top of it Friday night.
3) Frightened Rabbit. They played everything I wanted them to play. Squirt Boy made a visit to the stage.
4) The Black Keys. Sound could have been better but "Next Girl" ruled.
5) Draggonette. my best discovery of the weekend
6) Soundgarden. they sped through the singles "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman" but the rest was intense.
7) The Walkmen. saw some dude pass out and vomit on himself and get carried out on a stretcher while The Walkman played a horn fuled dirge to end their set, a sad song for that guy, didn't even make it to 2pm on the first day. Anyway, The Walkmen, really need to get more into them.
8) Freelance Whales.
9) The National. Would have been higher had I stayed for the full set but Soundgarden was calling.

Of note:
Saw a couple songs from Green Day, Billie Joe really overused the "Hello Chicago", "You Fuckin Rock Chicago". He must have said "Chicago" over 20-times in the three songs I was there.
Empire of the Sun were interesting.
I found Grizzly Bear to be boring.
Ditto The Drive By Truckers. Left after one song.
Heard Gogol Bordello was the one I missed out on.
Heard Peanut Butter Wolf mixing in some Hanson Mmm Bop as I walked by Perry's. Looked like fun.
Longest line I waited in the entire weekend was for the Prius Playground to get a free lolla tote bag and a snowcone, otherwise hassel free festival full of fun and the water refills were essential to making it through.

From the avclub recap:

I'm a massive New Pornographers fan, but The National set is giving me goosebumps just thinking about it. Especially when Berninger came out into the audience during "Mr. November". I have a feeling I am going to remember this show for a very long time, it felt like something special was taking place.

So I think I need to revise and put The National number 1 with The New Pornographers at number 2. Almost too close to call though.

Like an asshole I had my camera with me Friday and Saturday but did not on Sunday. The National was the closest I had been (~15th row) to a band over the weekend and of course I didn't have my camera with me.

I don't live in Chicago but I did catch the Green Day experience in Orlando last year, they got me into this whole Rock music thing, so for that I am forever grateful, they always do that crowd interaction thing, which is pretty cool if you're into them. Just for the record, they rock. Just admit it people, you love em.

man, the two worst sets I caught were Dirty Projectors and Metric. Ya'll are crazy. One is dull and generic as fuck and the other a shrill deconstructed mess. You can figure out which is which.

Dunno about that but I did grin when BJ namedropped The Effigies & Naked Raygun...then fireworks went off onstage and chorus line girls did the can-can and a clown juggled three midgets and Cirque du Soleil aerial acrobats swallowed swords and somewhere, somewhere in between the breads & circuses, there was rumor of a rock & roll band playing songs.

We wandered into the Empire of the Sun crowd for a bit - lots of pie-eyed middle-distance stares and folks asking for cigarettes.

Yeah, maybe sometimes it's a bit too much, but give them credit for trying hard when no one else is. Like I said, you gotta be really into it for all the messy crowd interaction. But, then again, I kinda love everything they've done so I'm biased.
Also, they get down and dirty for the Foxboro Hot Tubs shows they do from time.

Saw Squirt Boy at The Cribs

Squirt Boy got a mention over at Spin

Interested to read people's reactions to Empire and the Sun and the xx particularly. I really dug the xx's festival set here in January, plenty of rumbly bass and Jamie was a little maestro up the back on his mpc. Admittedly they did look slightly out of place on a sunny afternoon with their black outfits and posturing but it's still one of the better gigs I've seen this year. I thought Empire of the Sun, on the other hand, were absolutely woeful. One of the worst shows I've ever seen. Maybe they've cleaned up their act in the ten or so months since that show, but I was extremely underwhelmed by them.

Overall, had a great time, loved the expanded layout.

Highlights were Mavis, New Pornos, Metric, Spoon...and though I didn't stay for it all, didn't expect to enjoy Green Day as much as I did.
Best discovery was Temper Trap I think?

Anyone remember how soon the presale was after last year's, and is there a new sign up? Searched, couldn't find one...

The XX were dreadful at Lolla.

For me highlights were

Jamie Lidell, The Strokes, Spoon, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Arcade Fire, X Japan and Phoenix

i was kinda disappointed in jamie lidell. his '08 lolla set was unreal. this year he was down a couple notches. i did like the explanations between songs, though.

I'm so glad video of this has surfaced. That was one of the most electrifying moments in my 25 years of going to concerts.

I like how everyone said they weren't worthy of headlining pitchfork last year.

I couldn't tell, but he change to lyrics to the chorus because he was singing to a young child. That's pretty cool.

why? they weren't worthy of the slot they had at Lolla. Metric, The xx, and many others had larger crowds at that stage with early slots.

Um. I think if Metric or Dos Equis happen to play in the timeslot before Arcade Fire, you know a headliner, then the audience would be just as small if not smaller.

wait, what the hell is your logic? A band playing on a field before one of the acts with the largest crowds suffers? You're saying the National's audience was hurt because the Arcade Fire was playing after them? Also, in the middle of the day there are twice as many stages going around the park. the xx drawing a massive crowd at 3/4pm is far more impressive.

all that aside, the National are so freaking dull. even the National apologists with me left to go watch something else.

they drew at least 10-12,000 people to their side of the field... kinda blew my mind honestly. made it pretty hard to get a decent spot.

Kind of tired of the 'jump into audience for an authentic experience' schtick

great clip

i just need someone to explain how he does that with a wired microphone

their tech rider must call for a really long mic cord. when he did the same thing at the bam show in may, he was gathering up the cord in his arms before going into the crowd.

Road trip to Chile anyone?

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/tur...le-in-2011.html

DeRo could use a little sun.

Really hoping that this means The Psychedelic Schafferson Jetplane is going to be at Lollapalooza, next year.