Lollapalooza 2011 day one: Coldplay, Mountain Goats, OK GO & more

By Frank Krolicki

John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats (photo: Frank Krolicki)

As the crowds got thicker and the stages got harder to get anywhere close to, my first day of Lollapalooza 2011 continued into the evening with sets from The Mountain Goats, Bright Eyes, OK GO and headliners Coldplay. 

The Mountain Goats are a great band. Let me just say that first, because they are. They play with as much energy as you could ask for from a band, give it their all and are obviously 100% into what they're doing. Plus, the material is top-notch. So Mountain Goats fans, please forgive me when I say this: I can't stand John Darnielle's voice. I dig many unique voices in music, but Mr. Darnielle's nasally, high delivery just grates on me. I can't help it. So any enthusiasm I convey while writing about this performance is unfortunately marred by that unchangeable fact. But really, they played wonderfully, and John gave a couple nods to Chicago, which was appreciated (he said he decided to play a few songs solo acoustically during the middle of the set just so he could get to "Cubs in Five" and later paid tribute to Windy City classic rockers Styx with a left-field cover of "Babe"). To close the set, the band had Jenn Wasner from fellow Lolla performing band Wye Oak join them on stage for a spirited version of "This Year." It was definitely one of the strongest performances of the day, grating vocals or not.

Next (after a pretty painful experience spending a ridiculous amount of time in line at the Lou Malnati's stand), I caught the final half of Bright Eyes from afar. I have never considered myself a big fan of the band, but I have to say they sounded really good. As with The Mountain Goats, there was obviously an incredible amount of energy and passion put into the performance, made even more effective by a superb sound mix--everything was crystal clear. From what I saw, I doubt if any Bright Eyes fan went away disappointed.

Show review: The Mountain Goats at the Vic, 4/5

Posted by Matt Ciani

photo: D.L. Anderson

Due to an allegedly strict curfew - as mentioned a dozen times by various members of both bands on the bill - it was an early night when The Mountain Goats played the Vic Theater Tuesday night; the band left the stage before ten. Despite the time restraint, John Darnielle and co. brought their wordy stories and divorce-themed fan favorites to a surprisingly enthusiastic audience, especially for a Tuesday night. The mass of humanity yelled and bobbed along as Darnielle emphatically insisted his lyrics with his nasally, over-pronouncing voice.

The headliner took the stage just before 8:30 and, without introduction of acknowledgement, launched immediately into the closing track of their most recent album, All Eternals Deck, entitled “Liza Forever Minnelli.” “I’ll never get away from this place,” Darnielle repeated as his long-time bassist Peter Hughes bobbed and rocked along to the simple chord progression. “Anyone here who mentions Hotel California dies before the first line clears his lips,” continued the lyrics, drawing attention toward another story of “never getting away."