I've been on hiatus from site for awhile, so imagine my surprise this morning to see that YearlyKos07 is going to be in Chicago this year...sweet. So I'm thinking I should check Pollstar to see what gigs might be scheduled this early for Chicago in August, and lo and behold the only item listed is the Holy Grail of festivals...Lollapalooza! I've got a huge place in my heart for Lollapalooza after actually going to the 1st one (and the 3rd one), so I'm stoked.
Thanks to a comment below (shout out to Vivian Darkbloom), I have now realized that the lineup hasn't been set yet (I was looking at last year's), but hopefully it's a sweet one and worth attending (last year's lineup was killer).
If so, I'm thinking that's going to be one wild and crazy weekend, because I'm going to squeeze all of it in...days with YKos, evenings with Lollapalooza, late nights with Kossacks again at the parties, clubs, and Buddy Guy's Legends. I'm going to start stocking up the premium ginseng roots right now babies.
You may be wondering...how can you do it all? Others who know me better may wonder...are you actually going to make it into the convention this year? Easily and of course my friends.
First, Lollapalooza is at Grant Park, only two miles from the convention. How easy is it going to be to hop a cab or subway that 2 miles to spend a few hours after dark rocking out? Exactly. I couldn't imagine a better situation, unless Buddy Guy was going to be driving me around. For organizers, this should also make it easier to find some bands to do a gig for the convention...I thought we were missing that last year. I used to do promotions and music journalism, so I can help out in whatever way necessary, but I am ultra-confident that a dedicated individual or individuals could book some killer acts to appear at convention gigs or parties.
Second, there were a number of bizarre and not-so-bizarre events that prevented me from ever picking up a registration packet last year, even though I actually showed up Friday night. A lot of that had to do with old buddies in Vegas I hadn't seen in a long time leading to absurd adventures that left me miles from downtown. But this year I'm going to make sure I soak up the entire experience, probably by coming out a day or two early and getting settled in. I'm also going to secure a finer grade of ginseng root for tea and chewing pleasure. That always helps to keep things sharp amidst chaos. Best yet, I have no old friends in Chicago I haven't seen in a long time, no friends there at all, so no distractions other than Lollapalooza, and there is no more tortuous hell than spending a whole weeked at Lolla rather than coming for only the shows you want to see.
As you can tell, I'm pretty stoked and fired up about the upcoming convention and musical extravaganza. Now I'm going to start researching the downtown cuisine...the spicier and more exotic the better. I've already heard about this great sushi place around the corner from the Hyatt. Anyone with any tips on good eats in the Windy City?