Indiana trip: LOLLAPALOOZA

Continuing my Indiana trip recap posts...


(I've been having a TERRIBLE time trying to return to reality these past few weeks, how sad is it that the only time I've had to blog lately is when I'm sitting at the Honda dealership...?)


On Sunday morning, we woke up at the crack of dawn and stuffed Ryan's sister & her boyfriend in the car to begin our journey to Chicago. It's about an hour and a half drive from South Bend, and we had plans to spend the day at Lollapalooza.


When we got there, it was really rainy. Determined to avoid feeling disappointed, we bought an umbrella and enjoyed strolling the Magnificent Mile on our way to brunch.

During brunch with some friends on the 95th floor of the Hancock Tower (for which I was severely underdressed, oops), the sky cleared up and gave us this beautiful view! 

See the rooftop pools?

Brunch was divine. My dessert plate alone was its own meal. And we tried caviar for the first time! Verdict: it's fishy.

And once we finally entered Lollapalooza, it was sunny, warm and clear skies shone above.

Imelda May

Imelda May and some smelly folks (eventually everyone was smelly)

Ryan has tried to describe the utter awesomeness of music festivals in Chicago to me before, but it wasn't really real until I was there. The damp grass, the buzz of people talking and walking nearby, the whizz of a frisbee, the distant sounds of drums and guitars, skyscrapers everywhere...it was pretty magical.

While we lounged and enjoyed Noah and the Whale (excellent!!!), the gentleman below provided entertainment with his "dance accessory", the Shake Weight. 

Ridiculous.

And my favorite part of the day....Flogging Molly. 

The crowd was HUGE and its energy was out of control! I've never seen such a spectacle of dancing, sweaty dorks and couldn't have been more hyped to be a part of it. I've always casually enjoyed Flogging Molly on the radio and such, but I've never been an avid fan. Regardless, this was the show at Lolla that I enjoyed the most - it was just FUN.

That flamingo was a landmark when I left to find a trash can and had to find Ryan again in the crowd

Hey guy in the background, cheer up mate. You're at a music festival.

Really. Flogging Molly put on one hell of a show. And who doesn't love live tin whistling? I think everyone loves live tin whistling.


Especially this Irishman:

Typical music festival: dirty feet, empty booze, unique fashion

While Flogging Molly jammed on, a very ominous black cloud drifted over the stage. I laughed and said to Ryan, "Good thing we bought that umbrella earlier!" And then his face fell. 


"...Really? What happened to the umbrella?"


He had LEFT IT IN THE CAR after brunch. Since we were only attending Lolla for a day, there was no exit/re-entry allowed. Holy mother of Christmas.


So when the downpour inevitably began, I hunched over and sought shelter under a spindly bush while Ryan sprinted around Grant Park searching for sickeningly overpriced ponchos so we could protect our electronics. At least the rainbow was sort of pretty...

And I would have enjoyed the Arctic Monkeys, who I was really excited to see, had I not been absolutely soaked and somewhat freezing. Ryan is still apologizing.

Chicago, you tease.

After the above photos were taken, I refused to pull my camera out again for fear it would be ruined by the sprinkles. We tried to enjoy the shortened Arctic Monkeys set and looked forward to watching the Foo Fighters. Before the Foos started, I took a trip to the porta pottys where the lines were frightening. As I waited in line with the drunk folks, the clouds were gathering again. The very second I exited the charming porta potty at least half an hour later, just as the Foos were starting their 2nd or 3rd song, Chicago experienced its second torrential downpour of the evening. 

I had a terribly frightening experience while trying to find my way back to Ryan - people were exiting the park in swarms, it was raining sideways, I couldn't see - and for a minute I was convinced I'd never find him. Our cell phones weren't working in the park (likely due to the sheer numbers of people) and I didn't have any idea what I'd do if we couldn't reconnect. After what felt like HOURS of sprinting through mud (it was probably less than 2 minutes), I made it back to our spot near the spindly bush and spun wildly in circles trying to find Ryan in the mayhem. I heard a booming, "BABE!!!!!" and there he was. 

Ohhhh, thank you baby Jesus.

There were a ton of dirty hippies playing in the mud, but at this point, we were done. Completely exhausted and over it. With the exchange of a knowing glance, we grasped hands and GTFO. 

It took 2 hours and a McDonald's pit stop for the 4 of us to dry off and get home. While I'm disappointed we missed the Foo Fighters set, I think we made the most of our day in Chicago and overall had a total blast. I'd definitely go to Lollapalooza again!

...With AT LEAST one umbrella. And some galoshes.