Lollapalooza 2009 – Day Two: The sun comes out

The sun made its first appearance Saturday and dried the muddy grounds after the monsoon on Friday. It was hot and humid, but I prefer that to being wet and cold any day. I didn't think the crowds could get much bigger than Friday's turnout, but I was wrong. Some people caught a break from the intense heat by taking advantage of hammocks in the shade and a wind machine that blows water.

Friday and Sunday are the two big lineup days for me this weekend, so I skipped some of the early band performances Saturday to do a little work. I chatted with some music fans and Lolla founder Perry Farrell.

The Jane's Addiction frontman was charming, a bit quirky, but you can tell he is a savvy businessman with a huge love of music. Farrell told us to expect a spectacle when he and his Jane's Addiction bandmates take to the stage Sunday night and mentioned special guests and helicopters. Drummer Stephen Perkins has been sidelined with an elbow injury, but Farrell says he would be surprised if Perkins didn't play Sunday. Just in case, the Smashing Pumpkins’ Jimmy Chamberlain will be waiting in the wings to jump in if needed.

We later caught Farrell entertaining an enormous crowd at the “Perry's” dance stage. There were so many people watching the show, we had to leave the Lolla grounds and circle around to another entrance to make our way close to the stage. Perry and wife Etty bounced around, igniting the crowd, massive machines blowing smoke across the stage. The lack of space didn't stop the crowd from jumping up and down and swaying to the music.

The big headliners Saturday: Tool vs. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. I hear the Karen O and the Yeah, Yeah Yeahs put on a great show, but my friends opted for Tool. I have to confess I am not real familiar with Tool. I was curious, though, because so many concertgoers were pumped for their performance. They opened with an ominous song, but I could not tell you the title. It was a crowd pleaser and lead singer Maynard James Keenan shouted after, "Let the Games Begin." The big monitors displayed graphic images instead of the band and for much of the performance Keenan could only be seen in silhouette because of the lighting. It didn't take long for Tool to win me over. My friend Neal, a fan of Tool, says they sounded a little rusty at first, like they haven't played together recently, but as the set went on they found their groove and settled into crowd favorites like "Sober" "Stinkfist" and "Schism."

Sunday has a fantastic lineup: Jane's Addiction, The Killers, Vampire Weekend, Snoop Dogg and Lou Reed just to name a few of the many bands performing on the final day. Can't wait!