Sunday Swag Day (Day 3 in the Park, 8/7/11)

We awoke to rain falling on the pavement outside our hotel window, but that wasn't going to stop us from enjoying our last day at Lolla. By the time we got on the road, the rain had dried up, the sun was out, and hotter than ever (as my new sunburn can attest to).

Our mission on Sunday, besides seeing as many shows as possible, was to collect "stuff we all get," better known as "swag." Huge festivals like Lollapalooza have vendors and sponsors who set up tables to promote their product and give away freebies, and as college students (and one high school student), we were more than happy to take advantage of the offer. We got free Lollapalooza bandanas & canvas tote bags from Toyota, as well as sweat bands, yo-yo's, and binoculars among other things. Best piece of swag? After leaving Lollapalooza for the day, my brother got a call from one of the Toyota sponsor tents saying he had won their scavenger hunt today, and would be receiving an iPad 2. He will not stop talking about it, but I have to admit, it is pretty cool that someone can actually win the contests!

Besides collecting swag, I checked out some new artists:
Artist Spotlight: Fences
Hailing from Seattle, Fences brought their unique alternative sound to Lollapalooza. 

Fences

Have a listen:


 Next, we checked out Noah & the Whale at the Bud Light stage. The crowd was so big, it spilled over into the standing area for the Playstation stage!

I managed to snap a shot of Noah & the Whale with my telephoto lens.

When we made our way into the crowd for Cage the Elephant, we noticed the sky was turning a furious shade of gray.

Storm rolling in over Grant Park

Even though storms were imminent, Cage the Elephant put on a great show with tons of energy.

Crowd for Cage the Elephant

Someone got a great 18th birthday present, because frontman Matthew Shultz jumped into the crowd shortly after I took this picture. 

While transitioning across the park to see the Arctic Monkeys, the storm hit, and it hit hard. The giant LED screen by the stage flashed "weather delay." People ran wildly through the rain, and some crazier folk even started mud wrestling. The people watching under the raised VIP tents then began cheering on the mud wrestlers, and the whole thing took on a gladiator-esque feel.

The rain wasn't enough to dampen the spirits of the crowd, though. As the rain slowed to a stop and the Arctic Monkeys greeted the soggy crowd, their cheers grew to a roar.

Even severe weather couldn't keep Arctic Monkeys fans from supporting their band. 

Soaking wet and freezing (they don't call it the "windy city" for nothing!) we determined we couldn't possibly stay through Explosions in the Sky and Foo Fighters, as much as we wanted to. The rain had kicked in again, this time like someone had dumped a giant bucket on Chicago, and we knew it was time to head back to the hotel for the night. We concluded this final, successful day at Lollapalooza, and it's safe to say we came, we saw, and we conquered the best music festival of the summer.

Guess I'd better start saving for Lolla 2012 :)

Downtown Chicago