Final day of Lollapalooza and they saved the best for last! Highlights of the day:
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/10/art.perry.ja.cnn.jpg caption="Jane's Addiction's frontman Perry Farrell performs during the final day of Lollapalooza 2009."]
Vampire Weekend ripped through their self-titled debut CD to a packed crowd.

Lead singer Ezra Koenig cranked up the excitement with frequent shout-outs including a dedication to director John Hughes, who passed away last week. I chatted with the guys from Vampire Weekend before their set and they told me they are working on their new CD and it should be releasing in the next few months. They performed several songs from the sophomore album including “Run".  The crowd sang along to favorites “I Stand Corrected,” “A-Punk,” "Oxford Comma" and their 'farewell song' "Walcott" to close out the performance.

Snoop Dogg performed next on the same stage. This was one of the highlights of the weekend for us and Snoop did not disappoint. I have rarely been to a concert with so much energy. The crowd kept their hands in the air the entire set. When Snoop sang “Gin and Juice,” “Who Am I(What's my Name)” and a rendition of Akon's “I Wanna Love You,” everyone went crazy.

At one point, Snoop broke into a dedication to Tupac, singing a couple of his songs, and asked the crowd to chant Tupac and we miss you with hands in the air two fingers displayed. Fellow rapper Lady of Rage made a guest appearance and the duo performed several tracks from their earlier collaboration on Doggystyle. I would say Snoop's performance was the best of the festival but then we caught Jane's Addiction Sunday night.

I am a big fan of 90s alternative music and of course Jane's Addiction has a place on my iPod, but I have a new appreciation of the reunited group after seeing them live. Wow!

Jane's Addiction's frontman Perry Farrell told me on Saturday they were putting on a spectacle and mentioned helicopters and dragons. Intriguing! When Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, and the rest of the group took the stage, the crowd erupted. Despite an elbow injury that caused the group to cancel an Australia tour a few weeks ago, drummer Stephen Perkins performed. Farrell gave the drummer a shout-out and explained to the crowd that Perkins was there against doctor's orders.

Farrell bounced, twirled, and danced his way from one side of the stage to the other - his jagged voice even stronger than I would have imagined from their CDs. Helicopters circled overhead, spotlights on the crowd, and about that dragon?  Turns out a group of dancers performed in front of the stage with a giant blue paper dragon like you would see during Chinese New Year.

JA played all the classics: "Been Caught Stealing,” "Mountain Song”, “Stop!", and closed with an acoustic rendition of perhaps their biggest hit "Jane Says.” The entire group seemed to be having a blast throughout the set and the energy was infectious.

Toward the end of the night, Farrell introduced special guest Aerosmith's Joe Perry and sent well wishes to Aerosmith lead singer Stephen Tyler who was injured after falling off a stage last week. As the show ended, Farrell brought out his two boys on stage and then in a truly bizarre but touching moment, he introduced a friend who actually proposed to his girlfriend on stage in front of the enormous crowd.

As much as I love The Killers, who were playing at the same time on the opposite stage, I am so glad I went to this show instead. It had to be one of the best concerts I have ever been to and I go to a ton of concerts. Here's hoping the reunion sticks and Jane's Addiction keeps rocking. It was a fantastic way to end an entertaining weekend.

I'm not a prolific music writer, just a producer for CNN.com and an enthusiastic music fan who wanted to share a little bit of my own experience at this very cool festival. Thanks for checking out my first blogging experience.

Lollapalooza can be summed up in one word: overwhelming. The festival, held in Chicago, Illinois, since 2005, has more than 130 bands playing throughout the weekend, including headliners Depeche Mode, Kings of Leon, Ben Harper, The Killers, Tool and Lolla founder Perry Farrell's recently reunited band, Jane's Addiction. Rain made an unwelcome guest appearance all day Friday, but that didn't stop the sold out crowd's enthusiasm. At one point while walking the huge grounds at Grant Park, we watched a couple of guys wrestling in a giant mud puddle.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/09/art.lolla.crowd.cnn.jpg caption="Festival goers enjoy one of the performances on the first day of Lollapalooza 2009."]
Early Friday afternoon, we checked out a hot hip hop group called The Knux. Fronted by brothers Krispy Kreme and Rah Al Millio, the self-proclaimed “party starters” cranked up the crowd. Krispy and Al told us later that they really get energized by the crowd's enthusiasm. They vary their set lists for every performance and for Friday highlights included "Bang Bang"  and did a very cool rendition of "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks. They got the crowd hopping with the classic “Jump Around” by House of Pain to close the set.

The Virgins were another crowd favorite, playing later on the same stage as The Knux. They rocked out the crowd with familiar hits such as “Rich Girls.” Thievery Corporation was a big draw, too, on one of the main stages later in the afternoon. We checked out Perry Farrell and surprise special guest LeAnn Rimes at the Kidzapalooza venue. They rocked the young crowd with renditions of Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks’ "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" and The Beatles’ "Here Comes the Sun." Kidzapalooza is a great area for music-loving parents to bring their kids. They get in free if under 10 and the area offers fun activities like hip hop lessons and a “petting zoo,'” where kids can play real instruments. They also can get a punk haircut at a “salon.” I wish they had stuff like this when I was a kid.

Later in the day, strategizing about which bands to see became more challenging. The evening schedule pitted old-school favorite Depeche Mode against new rockers Kings of Leon. My original plan was to check out part of KOL and then make my way over to Depeche Mode's stage. Only problem with that plan was that Grant Park is enormous and the evening crowds were so enormous there was no room to move. Once we marked our spot at Kings of Leon, we had to stay. They did not disappoint! KOL opened with “Be Somebody” off their latest CD. They had at least two sign language interpreters on stage, which was cool. They rocked hard; lead singer Caleb Followill shouted to the crowd that Chicago was one of his favorite cities in the world. They played most of their big hits, including “Sex on Fire” and an intense "Closer." We were thankful the rain finally stopped before the evening headliners started and it was an awesome night.