To be honest, I didn't see nearly as much music as I normally do at a fest this year at Lollapalooza.  I suppose I was somewhat hindered by doing interviews and taking photos...and I didn't have a big crew to roll with, attending most shows simply surrounded by the crowd.  Of course, I love the vibe and people you find at most any fest, so it's all fine by me.

Saturday was no different at Lolla.  By the time I arrived on the grounds, it was time to hit up the Sony Bloggie stage, which was probably my favorite of the fest, considering the bands that played within its shady canopy.  First up was Warpaint, LA's psychedelic all chick rock group that I first came across early this year opening for Akron/Family in Austin.  They definitely made an impression on me at that show, and I've seen their name on renowned festival lineups and in print countlessly since.  I really dig their EP Exquisite Corpse, and they'll be releasing their first full-length album this fall, which will be interesting because their EP was recorded several years ago without the band's complete current lineup.  We actually interviewed Emily Kokal and Stella Mozgawa on Sunday.  I was definitely into their idea for using Lady Gaga's $250 stage budget...create their own music festival.  I'm all for artists doing something of the sort.  The Disco Biscuits surely have surely proved the success of having your own artist-run fest with their recently hosted 9th Camp Bisco (though I have yet to attend!).  Anyhoo, these girls are super sweet and down-to-earth, truly into all this for the music...and the friendships made.

After Warpaint's set, I headed back over to the media area and was pleasantly surprised to find Phoenix getting ready to perform a couple songs acoustically for the click-happy crowd, me included.  I didn't get to see much of the performance though because Slightly Stoopid was wrapping up a radio spot and floating over to the Roxwel cameras next.  But I guess I didn't miss much as they seemed to be having sound and supposedly creative issues on how to perform the songs.  Roxwel actually filmed an acoustic version of "Lisztomania" back in December before their La Zona Rosa show, so I suppose I've seen it all before.

As the crowd dispersed, we saw Emily Haines from Metric ever-so-suavely slinking around the media area posing for pics and talking with a handful of outlets (we, unfortunately didn't score an interview...this time).  But we did get to catch the Metric show from the side of the Playstation stage, which was most fortunate considering the sea of people checking 'em out.  I'm not sure how you can top seeing them in a nighttime slot at Stubb's during SXSW though.

However, it could be argued seeing Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros on the Sony Bloggie stage was more than perfect for LA's  folksie, psychedelic rock ensemble.  I had a prime spot in the photo pit for the show, so good in fact that Alex Ebert (aka Edward Sharpe) nearly landed on my face when he made his first leap (of many) off the stage.  This guy is just so freaking good at sincerely interacting with the crowd.  He'll get in the thick of it, letting the fans carry him on.  Jade Castrinos and Nora Kirkpatrick both did a lil' crowd surfing together too, seemingly just happy to be in that moment followed by laughter and hugging when their feet hit the ground.

I really can't get over this band.  Their sound truly exemplifies the happiness and warmth music creates for me.  I can listen to Up From Below over and over again without skipping a single song.  I've said before that "Home" is my new "Naive Melody," one of my (if not my) most favorite song/s ever.  This band is definitely blowing up...and rightfully so.  This show was packed with a super congenial audience, most of whom sat down for the encore like asked of them by the band.  As did Ebert, grabbing fans' hands with happiness spread across his face.  Yup, I love this band :-)

I've shared the same sentiments for the Saturday headliner I chose - Phoenix.  April at Stubb's was awe-mazing for me.  And now I've seen pretty much the same show put on by them four times in the last year, all of which I've thoroughly enjoyed (though I checked this one out super tired and solo), but unless you really mix up your setlists and have a really large/diverse catalog to choose from, this is my limit...for now at least.  It didn't take away from their show though.  And they had a huge crowd - the largest they've ever played to, according to lead vocalist Thomas Mars - that seemed to be pretty freakin' ecstatic to spend their beautiful Saturday evening with the Grammy winning French quartet.  I got a couple decent pics with my poor low-light performing camera in the pit, and I stuck around till the end to see their usual "1901" encore (known for playing many encores, this is actually the last) performed off in the distance.

by @crunchyMunckin