2010 Lollapalooza Schedule: Thoughts and Decisions

The day-by-day 2010 Lollapalooza schedule has been released. And that means some tough decisions need to be made, especially if you’re not going for the entire weekend. But even if you do go for all three days, the constant congestion of walking paths and sprawling distance between the main two stages means there is little time to bounce around stages when two of your favorites are playing close together. With that in mind, let’s dive in and make some picks and air some grievances.

Friday, August 6:

The competing headliners on Friday are The Strokes (pictured) and Lady Gaga — by far, the easiest headliner decision of Lollapalooza 2010.

Some others of interest are The Walkmen at 1pm, Mavis Staples at 2, The Black Keys at 6, and Jimmy Cliff at 7:15. While there are some other good bands in there, nothing that knocks my socks off.

Friday’s toughest decision is between The New Pornographers and Devo, both at 4pm. When it comes down to it, I just can’t pass up The New Pornographers. Then again … it’s DEVO! This might come down to one of those see-a-few-songs-then-make-a-dash-to-the-next-stage … things. And, in that case, the ending set to see is Devo, for “Whip It” alone.

Saturday, August 7:

Saturday’s competing headliners are Phoenix and Green Day (pictured). I have never seen Phoenix, so I can’t comment on their live show. I do like some of their music and would be interesting in seeing them perform. However, I have seen Green Day and, armed with that knowledge, it leaves little in the way of a decision. Their show is high-energy, fist-pumping garage rock at its best. Sure, they’ve evolved and perhaps sold out a little but they are undoubtedly an iconic band and not to be missed.

Of note on Saturday are The Morning Benders at noon, The Soft Pack at 12:30 and Dawes at 3:30 (two of our picks for Lollapalooza 2010 show-stealers), Grizzly Bear at 4:15, Deer Tick at 5 and Spoon at 6:15.

Saturday’s toughest decisions are between Dawes and The xx at 3:30 and 3:15, respectively, and Grizzly Bear and Deer Tick, at 4:15 and 5. In these cases, I’ll pick Dawes over The xx and catch a couple Grizzly Bear songs before heading over to Deer Tick.

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Sunday, August 8:

Sunday is typically the day for the biggest headliners. But this year, with Soundgarden and Arcade Fire competing, it feels a little anti-climatic. They are both very good bands but compared to names like Green Day and Lady Gaga (I said names), 2009′s Janes Addiction and 2008′s Radiohead … Anyway, I have to go with Soundgarden here. I realize that this might be a total bust but the fact is, Soundgarden was HUGE to me back in the day and I just can’t pass it up. If they suck, I’ll walk the 20 miles to the Budweiser stage.

Other bands of note on Sunday are The Antlers at 12:15, Blitzen Trapper at 2, and Hockey at 3:30. There are several other very good bands on Sunday – by far, the day with the most difficult decisions. They are:

Minus the Bear vs. Mumford & Sons (pictured) vs. Freelance Whales – 3 pm.

Why, Lollapalooza did you do this? I would like to see all three, but that’s just impossible. Minus the Bear is one of the most unique bands around and Freelance Whales are emerging as an indie gem. But for my money (and lots of it) I’ll be at the Playstation stage for Mumford & Sons. Their combination of rock, folk and bluegrass is just too good. Plus, I’ve seen Minus the Bear before. But I’ll miss them.

Frightened Rabbit vs. Erykah Badu – 5 pm.

Again, I’d like to see both. Erykah Badu is not typically on my playlist but I have a lot of respect for her and she’s a master of her craft. Frightened Rabbit has real talent and seems like a nice one to catch in the waning hours of a long afternoon. Going with Erykah here – I’ll probably never go out of my way to see her but I know I should at least once.

MGMT vs. Wolfmother – 6 pm.

I’m not a college girl and I like rock music. Done.

Cypress Hill vs. The National – 7/7:15 pm.

Cypress Hill falls into that Soundgarden category for me, but The National are pretty damn good. This is tough because I’d love to see a pot-fueled crowd get down with “Insane in the Brain” but The National offer a more diverse experience. And, to me, rap is more difficult to carry off live. I’m going to have to split the middle on this one and see about half of Cypress then catch the rest of The National.

So there you go – Lollapalooza picks ala Sound Citizen. If I had to pick one day, I’m leaning toward Saturday because of The Soft Pack, Dawes, Grizzly Bear and Deer Tick, Spoon and Green Day. But Sunday has Mumford & Sons and they are very high on my list right now.

What are your thoughts? Please comment below!

I’m very interested to see a list of 2010 Lollapalooza aftershows — that might make these decisions easier. From experience, I can tell you that it’s well worth sacrificing a day (maybe two) of Lollapalooza to spend that money on aftershows instead.