I’ll always recall the first time I saw Crystal Castles live, because it was at Lollapalloza, and singer Alice Glass punched a fan in the face. Even from half a crowd away, it looked like a solid

Even long after their studio albums lost me�which is to say pretty much after their flawless debut EP, though I'm in the minority here�TV on the Radio remained one of indie-rock's most blisteringly passionate live bands; their set at Lollapalooza this year, for instance, was one of the festival's highlights. I had hopes of a long overdo Milwaukee appearance from the band, but those were crushed to...

Were the seeds of a potential Animal Collective backlash sewn at the band's ambient Saturday evening Lollapalooza set? I like the band well enough, but I found the half hour I caught fairly insufferable. Other critics concur, even ones unabashed about their Animal Collective fandom. The Chicago Tribune called their set "heavy on repetitive beats and monotonous keyboard noodling. Wh...

My wrap up of 2009�s Lollapalooza festival is up. In a nutshell, I thought the  supporting headliners upstaged the curiously lackluster headliners, and that the festival had better luck with dance and electronic-leaning artists than it did alternative rock ones, but all in all, it was an excellent weekend. Some stray thoughts: * TV on the Radio was a revelation live. I hadn�t seen t...

Further dampening my enthusiasm for this year's Lollapalooza, which I still think lacks the major-event headliners of past years, is a splotchy schedule that tends to pit some of the most exciting mid-level acts against each other in the same time slot. On Friday, August 7, Bon Iver, Rye Rye and Heartless Bastards compete at 3 p.m., while Crystal Castles face Fleet Foxes in the 5 p.m. slo...

The online response to today's Lollapalooza line-up announcement was almost universally unenthusiastic, and while it doesn't take too much to make the Internet grumble, the line-up really does lack the wow factor expected from a summer music festival of its size. Even though its loaded with indie-rock A-listers (The Decemberists, Neko Case, Animal Collective, Vampire Weekend, TV on the R...

OK, deep breath... �Depeche Mode Tool The Killers Jane's Addiction Beastie Boys Kings of Leon Lou Reed Ben Harper and Relentless7 Thievery Corporation Snoop Dogg Rise Against Andrew Bird TV on the Radio Vampire Weekend The Decemberist...

   This April's Coachella was a warning to all other outdoor music festivals that audiences want quantity and quality. Coachella's overstuffed lineup was heavy on usual suspects but skimpy on big names, and its ticket sales suffered acco...