Lollapalooza 2013 Day Two Recap, Highlights & Awards

Lollapalooza Day Two is behind us, and it’s been one hell of an awesome musical weekend in Chicago so far. You’ve seen our Day One coverage including Nine Inch Nails, Queens of The Stone Age, Band of Horses and more – now check out our full recap of Saturday’s highlights and beyond, as well as our full run of Lollapalooza updates including interviews, photo galleries, daily reviews and more!

Doing Joan Jett proud: Haim

Haim Lollapalooza photo gallery

First things first: it’s pronounced “Hime,” just so you know. The Los Angeles sister act (Este, Danielle and Alana) took over the Death Grips’ 7:15 slot and set about delivering a jaw-dropping multi-instrumentalist rock overdose of holy-shit-that’s-awesome shreddery and musical flexibility. Classic rock, a dash of R&B laced with pop sensibility and a serious tendency to work the fretboard like a Jimmy Page disciple made for an experience well worth departing Kendrick’s set for.

They also took the opportunity to announce that they’ve just finished their new record, and it’s on the way. “It’s finished, mixed, mastered. We finished it a couple weeks ago,” Danielle assured fans, who have long been clamoring for new material from the group.

Underdog Champion Award: Reignwolf

Reignwolf Lollapalooza photo gallery

Reignwolf, an MVP at CraveOnline’s SXSW showcase this year, commanded an impressively huge audience given the perilously early 2pm time slot. The guitar virtuoso was a gnashing fit of howls, spastic intensity and passion, turning out a ferociously rockin’ set that included an electric-mandolin cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” as well as signature jams “Electric Love,” the anthemically epic “Palms To The Sky” and searing new song “Are You Satisfied?”

Bandmates David “Stitch” Rappaport and Joseph Braley provided on-again, off-again instrumental accompaniment to Jordan Cook’s raucous recklessness, adding to the chaos at one point when Stitch dove headfirst into Joe’s drum kit a la Kurt Cobain, mangling the entire setup. Undeterred, Cook rocked a little musical MacGyver action, pulling together whatever he could use to beat on his guitar and stomp a beat to play along to. When he dove into the crowd to finish a song among the masses, the audience went absolutely bonkers – and the maniacal excitement in Cook’s eyes made it clear the feeling was mutual.

Best singalong: Kendrick Lamar “P&P”

Kendrick Lamar Lollapalooza photo gallery

Yes, it’s disconcerting to watch gaggles of teenage girls with braces screaming “Pussy and Patrón make me feel alright!” over and over – but it didn’t overshadow the sheer power of what felt like the entire city of Chicago singing every word to every song. The crowd-wide chorus was deafening through “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Money Trees,” “Swimming Pools (Drank)” and beyond, many of which were pulled from Kendrick’s tremendous “good kid, m.A.A.d city” album.

Country injection award: Eric Church

Surprise, the midwest likes country! North Carolina star Eric Church commanded the Lake Shore stage with a surprisingly large crowd, given how little country is (ever) represented on the Lolla bill. Rocking through fan favorites “Springsteen” and anthemic set-closer “Smoke A Little Smoke,” it was clear that the country experiment was a success – and that was before he poured two Bud Lights all over himself.

Can’t find their footing: Local Natives

Local Natives Lollapalooza photo gallery

Maybe the crowd just isn’t into songs about death and sadness in the blazing Summer sun. Maybe the low energy onstage was off-putting. Whatever the case, the band’s harmony-rich songs were met with lukewarm response on the Red Bull main stage, though radio bait “Heavy Feet” elicited some strong audience enthusiasm.

Most WTF awesome moment: Wheelchair crowdsurfing

Clearly outshining The Postal Service’s farewell performance which would come just a few hours later, Kendrick’s set was a dominating force on Day 2. During “The Recipe,” the crowd hoisted a young man in a wheelchair over their heads, crowdsurfing him. “Oh shit, look at that dude in the wheelchair,” Lamar said, mid-verse. “Y’all some crazy motherfuckers man.”

Sensational slow-burn award: The National

The National Lollapalooza photo gallery

There’s some kind of frequency that The National singer Matt Berninger taps into when performing that is pure hypnosis. Contorted over his mic stand, his silken baritone delivering heartbreak and beauty over subtle instrumentation, you could nearly hear a pin drop in the crowd – if the music weren’t in the way, of course. But the massive crowd was completely enraptured by the band’s set from the get-go, which kicked off with the gorgeously brooding “Fake Empire” from their 2007 album, Boxer.

Perfect segue award: The Lumineers

Despite a bit of festival fatigue (seriously, has there been a festival this year they haven’t played?) The Lumineers’ set segued perfectly into headliners Mumford & Sons’ Babel performance. There were perhaps five heartbeats of downtime between the two bands’ sets, and with the new-folk indie vibes running thick on Grant Park’s south end, the mood was pure merriment.

Outshined: The Postal Service

Frontman Ben Gibbard had tweeted earlier Saturday, “Hey Chicago, these @PostalService shows at Lollapalooza and Metro will be our very last. Please come celebrate with us!” – and the band played accordingly, looking to be having the time of their lives on their grand finale sendoff. Despite the looming finality, however, The Postal Service just couldn’t pull enough main stage interest away from Mumford and Sons to go out with a bang. The crowds were enthusiastic but painfully sparse, given the band’s coveted second-day headliner position. But with a similar fanbase to Mumford’s and the downside of not having presently-relevant radio hits to sustain interest, they didn’t stand much of a chance.

Oddly-timed celebration: Fireworks during Mumford and Sons

Mumford & Sons Lollapalooza Photo Gallery

Two-thirds of the way through their celebratory and fantastic set, the skies over Grant Park lit up with an incredible fireworks display from Soldier Field – which presented an air of finality to the evening, despite the band having an entire hour left to play. As crowds crammed as close to the stage as they could for the roaring singalongs of “I Will Wait,” “Little Lion Man” and a magnificently awesome cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” they were treated to the visual spectacle, and rocked on well past its end.

And as for bassist Ted Dwane, who underwent emergency surgery for a bloot clot in his brain earlier this Summer? “Ted’s alive,” Marcus reassured us, nodding to his shit-grinning bassist across the stage, clearly ecstatic to be back in action. It was his enthusiasm that shone the brightest during the band’s final song, “The Cave,” bringing day two to a celebratory end.

Photos: Johnny Firecloud