August 14-20, 2003

music

Blistered in the Sun

Unwrapping the Summer Package Tour.

by Jesse Delaney

With the line between nostalgia and the present moment growing ever more indistinct, is it any surprise that Perry Farrell relaunched Lollapalooza after a five-year hiatus? Or that corporations raced to cash in? The real question was: Would the 2003 reincarnation hark back to the great early years or resurrect the limping, lifeless 1997 tour that prompted the plug to be pulled?

The founding spirit of Lollapalooza was still flourishing on the second stage, as discovered by those who successfully navigated their way through the numerous gates and the makeshift shopping mall for the chemically impaired (selling pipes, beads and T-shirts advertising the wearer's quasi-legal activity/substance of choice). Erected on the scorching tarmac of the Tweeter Center parking lot, the second-stage corral featured martial arts displays, a marching band, loads of activism tents and undiscovered or underappreciated bands playing with wild abandon. Philly wonderkids the Burning Brides provided the purest rock 'n' roll moment of the entire day. Everyone who stuck around to the end of their set got a "special treat" when Stone Age Queen Nick Oliveri stood in on vox for a cover of The Misfits' "Hybrid Moments" that would've made Danzig proud.

The case for lifelessness was supported by the antiseptic Tweeter Center itself, which is about as soulless as amphitheaters come. The molded plastic seats close to the stage are more conducive to talking on cell phones and commenting, "As soon as we hear 'Jane Says,' we are out of here" than moshing and grooving.

Those of us who attended the early Lollapaloozas (held at unconventional venues such as JFK Stadium and FDR Park) vaguely recall choking on dust, losing our shoes in ankle-deep muck and being able to get close enough to the stage for Billy Corgan to berate us for wearing our hats backwards. We also walked 20 miles to school every day. On the other hand, there is something to be said for indoor plumbing, toilet paper and not contracting hep C from an overflowing port-o-potty.

With five of the mainstage bands deemed "buzz-worthy" by MTV2, everything seemed calculated for maximum profit. The Donnas were fun (especially for the perverts watching the show with their hands in their pockets), and Queens of the Stone Age's fanciful and brutal guitar rock was outstanding; however, save for "Three Days" (the greatest rock epic since "Stairway to Heaven"), Jane's Addiction didn't come close to their former glory.

Contrast this to the scene at Festival Pier on Saturday, where a Ween concert lived up to its "dance party" billing. Ween is one of those rare bands that not only can play the obscure songs from the first album, but will play said songs. And said songs they say so much -- particularly about the band's commitment to its fans. Ween showcased material from Quebec and dipped into selections spanning their entire career, even improvising a dead-on cover of "Riders on the Storm" when the power went out on their monitors.

For the sake of up-and-comers like Cave In and Boy Sets Fire, let's hope Lollapalooza is profitable enough to return next year. As for Ween, the boys from New Hope have so many musical styles that they're basically a one-band Lollapalooza and render the rest of your CD collection redundant.

Lollapalooza 2003, July 27, Tweeter Center

Number of bands: 13

Tickets: $44.50 and up

Parking: $20

Ferry: $6

Cab ride when ferry ramp broke: $10 (still cheaper than parking)

Beer: $10 (up from the usual $8.50)

Zippo salutes: 1

Lionel Richie covers: 1

Ween, Aug. 9, Festival Pier

Tickets: $25

Waiting time at gate: 35 minutes

Number of security checks: 3 (4 to get ID checked)

Number of songs: 30