Lollapalooza '08

August in Chicago - Lollapalooza time. This year I only bought a one-day ticket, for the first day. The only day of the weekend, it turned out, to be 90 degrees and exceptionally humid - just my luck!

As always, I ended up deviating from my plan. Manchester Orchestra didn't do much for me, so I ended up wandering around during their set. K'NAAN was playing when I got there, and I ended up staying for them, despite not having liked the preview clips.


The main reason I had chosen Friday was to see Duffy, and I managed to get right up in front of the stage for her. I read reviews afterward that she was, basically, bland and too clean-cut for Lollapalooza - which is silly; Amy Winehouse-like behavior isn't necessary to be a great singer. And Duffy's voice literally gave me goose bumps.


Friday ended up being sold out - depending on the source, there were 75,000 to 100,000 people there. And after Duffy's set, I could tell. Moving between the two ends of the festival became very difficult due to the crowds, and water fountains had a 30-45 minute wait. I stuck it out for Gogol Bordello, Bloc Party, and CSS, all of which were excellent. But after CSS, it was too much, and I bailed on Radiohead.


As I got my bike, I saw several couples on blankets in the park around the bike racks, listening to Radiohead... no crowds, great sound - the best seats in the house.

Cheese, Glorious Cheese!

The American Cheese Society (that's American... Cheese Society, not American Cheese...Society) held their annual conference in Chicago at the end of July. On the Saturday of the conference, there was an event open to the public: the Festival of Cheese. Over 1,000 cheese would be available! I had to go.

Once there, I gazed in awe at the Chicago skyline carved out of cheese. I sampled cheese after cheese after cheese until it dawned on me - there is such a thing as too much cheese! They began to taste the same. I took a break, then headed back for some lighter fare, including a lavender honey goat cheese that I fell in love with.

The next day, the leftover cheese was sold to the public. I got there too late for any of the really unusual cheese, but a friend and I managed to buy some cheddars and monterey jacks - I think we ended up with about 30 pounds for $30. Our diets are very cheese-based now!