From over-indulging on concerts all day and then meeting photo deadlines in the wee hours of dawn, there was little room left to party during Lollapalooza weekend. I did manage to hit up a few major gatherings, which featured the likes of Cee Lo Green, White Panda, and Rita Ora throughout the three days of Lollapalooza.
Cee Lo kicked off Lolla weekend at The Hard Rock Hotel (my favorite building in Chicago) for the Soul Sounds Pre-Lollapalooza Party. What better place to celebrate than in a building designed to resemble a champagne bottle? His opening act was the suave Miguel who was dapperly dressed in an orange fitted short-sleeve button up with herringbone slacks and patent leather penny loafers. His moves emulated Michael Jackson and his sound had the smooth R&B tones of Usher and R. Kelly. Cee Lo brought the house down alongside his percussionist who was a mix of the Phantom of the Opera and Terminator (see his photos below and you'll understand). The musical lasers, albeit fascinating to watch, suffered technical difficulties right at the end of Cee Lo's set, but "Crazy," "F*ck You," and "Smiley Faces" were all the audience needed to hear to be satisfied.
The only nighttime after-party I had the energy to attend was The White Panda's DJ set at Bevy Nightclub. They filled the intimate space of Bevy with dance music mashups that sampled from music of the recent past and now including Adele, Gotye, and Lenny Kravitz and attracted crowds of beautiful and friendly people. The White Panda knows how to throw a party whether for a few hundred people in a night club or on the Perry's Stage for thousands of half-naked fans.
On Saturday afternoon, I headed to Paris Club for the Rolling Stone Rock Room event. I missed out on Karmin (I managed to chat with the engaged duo for a little bit and snag a photo of them) but did catch Rita Ora's performance. This British pop songstress was bubbly and personable throughout her 20 minute set for the Women Who Rock Contest in which she was vying for the cover of the Rolling Stone September issue against Karmin. Cast your vote here!
Check out my three day photo coverage of Lollapalooza:
DAY 1 (featuring The Shins, M83, and The Black Keys)
DAY 2 (featuring fun., Franz Ferdinand, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers)
DAY 3 (featuring Sigur Ros, Florence and the Machine, and Jack White)
