Fest Fest

It's that time of year again in Chicago. This past weekend was the Pitchfork Music Festival, and in a week and a half comes Lollapalooza. Except for the fact that I'm not much of a festivalgoer (the last time I went out for one was WOMAD in the early '90s, I think; I'm much happier watching bands in the clubs), it's an embarrassment of riches.

I wasn't at Pitchfork, but Jarvis Cocker was who I most would've liked to have seen. I heard Public Enemy was pretty good (they performed Nation of Millions all the way through), but Flavor Flav is hard to take seriously these days (in truth, being hard to take seriously is the whole point of Flav, but now that he's got so much reality-show baggage, it's hard to even make the effort). The scuttlebutt was also good on Animal Collective and Cut Copy, who were delayed in getting to the stage but who reportedly made up in energy what they had to give up in performance time. For first-hand wrap ups, check out Greg Kot in the Trib or Jim DeRogatis in the Sun-Times.

As for Lolla, I'm not going there, either. But if I were going, I'd be curious to see Radiohead (to find out if I'd like them any more than I did when I saw them open for P. J. Harvey while they were touring their first album; I wasn't impressed at the time, but I have enjoyed their albums since, so I'm willing to give them a second chance), the Rage Against the Machine reunion, Kanye, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, Lupe Fiasco, Gogol Bordello, the Raconteurs, The National, Black Lips, Broken Social Scene, and various others (see, I told you it was an embarrassment of riches). I'd also try to check out Mark Ronson to see what he did, exactly. I know him for his work as a producer with the likes of Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. I've heard one song credited to him--a cover of Kaiser Chiefs' "Oh My God"--but that featured a guest vocal by Lily Allen and sounded like it should've been called a Lily Allen single rather than a Mark Ronson one. And if he is more of a producer than performer, would that mean that one should expect special guests at the performance? Speaking of special guess, there are also rumors that some local presidential candidate might make a surprise appearance (my money would be on him showing up during Wilco's set on Saturday evening). I also have a feeling that I've heard a rumor about Al Gore dropping in, too, but for the life of me I can't remember where U might've heard that). From all evidence (especially if you don't mind hobnobbing with massive crowds outdoors), this will be the place to be on the first weekend in August.