Lollapalooza ’10: Phoenix

IMG 1010 Lollapalooza 10: Phoenix 8/7/10

The last time I saw Phoenix, over a year ago, they were garnering a ton of attention for their just released LP Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. They’ve always had modest success throughout their career but it was clear early on that this LP was going to special – I just wasn’t aware how special it would be. In every essence of the word, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was a game-changer for the group; an album where they hit their stride, produced numerous singles licensed from car commercials to chick flicks, and even won a Grammy award. Yep, Phoenix were officially “big” and the crowd at Lollapalooza made sure they wouldn’t forget it any time soon.

[MP3] Phoenix – Lisztomania (Acoustic)

Standing in the photo pit next to Matt Jordan of You Ain’t No Picasso, I leaned over to him after surveying the mammoth crowd behind us, “Dude, when did Phoenix get this big?” Before we could discuss the insanity ensuing behind the barricades, the lights were cut and a pitch black stage lay before us. With little more than the Chicago skyline illuminating Grant Park, I might have called it peaceful if not for the sonic eruption coming from the crowd as soon as the lights dropped.

The silhouettes of Phoenix took to a dark stage and the hundreds of photographers in the pit were madly shuffling around, bumping into each other more frequently than an alcoholic in a dark room full of furniture. Without much ado (or stage lighting), the opening riff of “Lisztomania” started up and the crowd went so crazy you would’ve thought one-hundred dollar bills were falling from the sky. It set the tone for an extremely solid set, complete with strobe lights, smoke machines, and plenty of crowd sing-a-longs. The entire set, Phoenix had two looks on their faces, one of unadulterated happiness and another of blissful disbelief. Thomas Mars remarked, “This is easily the biggest crowd we have ever played in front of! Merci!” They’ve come a long ways since last year and something tell me the crowds will only get bigger.