Bears and Bullets: My Top Ten Lollapalooza Performances (Continued)

Number Three: Nine Inch Nails

It turned out to be a close call between Nine Inch Nails and my number two selection, but the latter narrowly won. Trent Reznor, amidst speculation of the shows cancellation according to numerous sources, gave a stellar performance for Lollapalooza's final outing. Even with an apparent illness (he told the crowd) Reznor gave an absolutely dynamic performance, complete with a light show that put any other (yes, even Kanye) Lolla artist to shame. Ranging his catalog from the recent The Slip (free on the NIN website) to 1989's debut album Pretty Hate Machine (particularly Head Like a Hole) he gave an enigmatic showcase worth waiting the entire day. Reznor's rumored to be a perfectionist (see; Thom Yorke) and his Sunday night show gave no indication of anything but. The songs were slick and toned, flowing effortlessly from one to the next, complete with Reznor's own embodied magnitude of stage energy and charisma. All of which may lead me to declare that Reznor was the singular star of the festival (Kanye would be pissed).

Number Two: Radiohead

It's somewhat shocking that I would place my favorite musical artist at a mere two on this list, but I digress my sympathies for myself. Radiohead gave, like everyone knew they would, the best performance for Day One of Lollapalooza. Yorke and Co. didn't shy away from playing older songs (a combined six from both The Bends and OK Computer) all the while sticking with the near entire In Rainbows track listing. The lighting and stage presence was climactic in a sense, given the fact that the band played longer than any other artist during the three days and also had their own fireworks. But what really sold the 75,000 Lollapalooza goers was the sense of placement and revelation Radiohead exudes from their shows. It was worthy of tears (which I came to during Fake Plastic Trees). The only disdain that I may have was for the people that could not get a good viewing position (see; friends).

Number One (with a bullet): Rage Against the Machine

Before my departure for Chicago I was torn between who to see during day two of the festival. Wilco or Rage Against the Machine. While I told my friends I would go to Rage, my Lollapalooza schedule indicated I chose Wilco instead. After a minimal amount of convincing (hey, I liked the band when I was eight) I chose to wait out for Rage Against the Machine.

By now you may have heard how ridiculously violent the concert was (de la Rocha stopped three times, asking the audience to calm down) from many sources. Hell, there was nothing like it. The crowd was a fury of (albeit, lame to say) rage and energy. There were dozens of pits laced amongst the massive crowd (protect your kids) filled with bloody, nearly nude concert fanatics. The experience of being there was worthy of Rage being number one on the list alone, but it goes without saying the Zach, Tom, Tim, and Brad were incredible. The band sounded like they never lost their touch over their hiatus, playing an ultimate track list with songs like "Testify", "Bulls on Parade", "Guerrilla Radio", "Sleep Now in the Fire", "Know Your Enemy", "Wake Up" (check out Zach's in-dong speech on Youtube), "Freedom", among many others. But their climactic finale of "Killing in the Name", in which a near 50,000 fans stretched their middle fingers in the air, screaming the chorus in near perfect unison, was the product's shining moment. Unforgettable is a word that comes to mind. And it truly was.