The Shit Guide To Who To See At Lollapalooza 2014: Friday NOON-2PM

If you're like most people, the idea of so many bands gathered in one place, with multiple performances simultaneously taking place throughout the park, can be a bit overwhelming.  That's where we're happy to play the role of "Cruise Director Julie" on this musical Love Boat of sorts and direct you to those bands you should be checking out throughout your day at Lollapalooza.

NOON- 1PM

Friday begins in fine fashion with School of Rock on the Kidzapalooza stage, but things really get rolling at high noon with performances by Roadkill Ghost Choir (Grove stage), Highly Suspect (BMI stage), Wrestlers (Perry's stage), and The So So Glos (Lake Shore stage).  The great thing about multiple bands playing at the same time is if you don't dig one band, take a few steps, boom, different band.



Our pick: Roadkill Ghost Choir

Central Florida's RGC feature three Shepard brthers who bring an Appalachian swing to their special brand of Americana.  Live, the band is a consistent and tireless work horse that simmers with a vibrant energy that infuses standout cuts like "Beggar's Guild".  They lull the listener into a false sense of serenity before tearing the roof off the dump.  They'll be performing songs from their just-released LP "In Tongues"



Fallback option: The So So Glos

Few bands have a greater bacstory than the So So Glos, who, like the Roadkill Ghost Choir, are based around three brothers, former childhood friends united by a series of marrital upheavals whilst growing up in Brooklyn.  They're a brash punk-infused band who recalls Rancid at their most Clash-like, but the connection between the band members truly makes their performances elevate the audience.  They're not doing anything revolutionary, but they're doing it with gusto, commitment, and a swagger that's just different enough to catch people's ears and eyes.



Wild card: San Fermin (pronounced San fer-MEEN, on the Palladia stage) is a one-man pop opera performed by an evocative eight-musician collective, also based in Brooklyn.  Ellis Ludwig-Leone, who studied classical music at Yale, has created a cohesive album that unfolds like all good stories do, with perfectly executed ebbs and flows  and those who can rip themselves away from the other stages to catch their 12:15 show time will walk away glad that they did.

1PM - 2PM



Our pick: Temples (Bud Light stage)

With their manically delicious psych-rock debut Sun Structures, England's Temples don't just seek to recapture a musical moment in time, but to swap every timepiece for a Strawberry Alarm Clock and set said clock to 1967.

The band's commitment to their craft is intoxicating and their live shows never fail to surprise and delight. Find a good place early because one expects their to be an influx from the EDM stage once the thrill of seeing some dork dance whilst pressing buttons will soon wear off and folks will flock to the real deal.



Fallback option: of Verona (BMI stage)

Hailing from L.A., of Verona will get underway at 1:10.  They may sound a little slick and calculated on their alluring debut album, The White Apple, but they're a worthy live act capable of creating an alternately ethereal and triumphant sound highlighted by Mandi Perkins captivating vocals.  They've covered NIN's "Hurt" and Radiohead's "Creep" to great effect, but originals like "Raining" and "Who Do You Love" are the stuff upon which great careers are built.

Wild card: Lucius (Palladia stage)

With a set beginning at 1:45, Lucius complete the early afternoon Brooklyn trifecta by kicking of their set on the BMI stage. Those hoping to see vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig reprise their roles on the San Fermin album by joining that band during their set probably stand better than a 50/50 chance of seeing that happen.

Of course, Lucius, with a sound evocative of those 60's girl groups, with a little Dusty Springfield thrown in for good measure, are a musical force to be reckoned with and a visual sight to behold.