He’s already released “Power”, an absolutely killer “Power” remix and the track “See Me Now”, featuring Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson, from his new album. Now, according to his twitter, West tweets that he’ll release a new song every weekend until Christmas.

The tracks will not necessarily be a new Kanye track, as the previous link states, it could be a new Jay-Z tune or something else entirely. The tracks look to come out on Fridays, which West again tweets that he’s calling it “Good Friday.”

So, stay tuned. Sounds like we’ve got quite a few new tracks coming our way. And as we previously reported, West will make his triumphant return to the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 12.

Russian Circles guitarist Mike Sullivan

As the trio Russian Circles took the stage last Friday, August 14, at the Metro, they showed no signs of being in a major auto wreck merely weeks earlier. Instead with little to no crowd interaction, they focused all their energy on the instrumental metal journeys they specialize in. This was no joyful and warm homecoming party, but rather a testament to the band’s passion and drive as working musicians.

When Dave Turncrantz’s drum pummels for “Harper Lewis” from Russian Circles’ 2008 release Station opened the show, it seemed more then appropriate. The song begins with a throbbing bass line before becoming a bit subdued for a minute or two until guitarist Mike Sullivan’s massive metal-juggernaut of a riff bears down on the crowd. The song is a tumultuous affair, similarly to the trio’s lives over the past three weeks.

On Friday, July 30, the band’s touring van, which they purchased from Chicago instrumental metal brethren-in-arms Pelican four days prior, and instrument trailer was plowed into by a pick-up truck on a highway bear Baton Rouge, LA, and was ultimately totaled. The band came away unscathed, but Turncrantz’s vintage drum set was destroyed as was there van. After missing a few dates following the incident, the band pressed on dishing out $5000 for a new van from their own, and their parents’, pockets as well as using a borrowed drum kit.

While their set at the Metro didn’t feel triumphant, much of the crowd was still filing in for the night’s headliners Boris, Russian Circles shrugged off any notions that they were even looking to garner any sympathy with a powerhouse set.

The epic climax of “Carpe”, which breaks through nearly four minutes into the nine-minute opus, had all the intensity of a tidal wave dropping into wreak havoc, but gone before the realization of what just occurred. “Death Rides A Horse” was a brutal outburst of tapping guitar-lick loops and gritty, nearly industrial riffage, but even when it slows, the song overs a driving-rhythmic approach that kept the crowd engaged.

Russian Circles bassist Brian Cook

Things slowed somewhat during “Melee” from their latest effort, Geneva, which slowly simmers with Brian Cook’s thunderous bass line vibrating everyone and everything within a few feet of the stage. Unfortunately at nearly eight minutes in length, “Melee” lacks some of the hard hitting dynamic shifts that powers their early tunes and instead offers more indie rock atmospherics.

But when “Geneva”, title track from the 2009 record, ended the show, it was full circle back to their loud-quiet-loud roots as the metallic riffs acted like gear work over the floating melody line suddenly shifts into overdrive. During Cook’s fuzzed-out bass bridge, Turncrantz sounds like he’s playing with four-arms while Sullivan’s mind-bending guitar lines weave in and out before the explosive coda.

Russian Circles’ set proved once again that they have the power and chops to compete for best metal act in Chicago. While at times the slow parts lacked the crunch of their more aggressive punch-to-the-jaw moments, they were still played with a machine-like precision. But their set was most impressive knowing the kind of adversity they went through just to make it back home, and it’s that kind of raw ambition that can carry a band for years to come.

First up, Wavves brings their brand of noisy surf pop to Lincoln Hall on September 12 (I guess the 90-day radius clause has been eased?). Also, Cymbals Eat Guitars will join The Thermals at Logan Square Auditorium on October 3, and the country-folk of Mumford & Sons swings its way into the Vic on October 31 a.k.a Halloween.

But that’s not all! The lovely Neko Case is coming back with The New Pornographers on October 14 to the Riviera Theatre. Also, during the festival the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot tweeted that Hot Chip are planning a Chicago stop with LCD Soundsystem (!) in December at the Aragon.

Speaking of LCD Soundsystem, there’s no shortage of bands from Pitchfork Festival 2010 on their way back here either.

Sunday, Sepetmber 18, finds Pitchforkers Titus Andronicus at the Metro along with fellow festival acts Best Coast and Free Energy. Neon Indian will also hit up the Metro on October 11, and Surfer Blood bring their power pop to Lincoln Hall on October 14, the same night the New Pornographers hit the Riv (Decisions!). And lets not forget Broken Social Scene at the Vic on October 2 at Pavement who play the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park on September 13 with No Age.

And that’s just a tip of the iceberg! Our excellent commentariat have picked up the slack where we left off. Scroll down for Chicago return dates for The Dirty Projectors, The Walkmen, Stars, Social Distortion and more!

So, there’s two ways you can look at this. Either if you miss the big two Chicago fests, you’ll probably get chance to catch the acts again soon, or $90 (Pitchfork) or $215 (Lollapalooza) for a three-day pass to see all those great bands is still a pretty good deal. Now, when’s Arcade Fire coming back?

Lollapalooza 2010. Day Three. Recap. Go.

8:45 p.m.: Arcade Fire

Win Butler of the Arcade Fire

To close out Lollapalooza 2010 on Sunday night, it really was a tale of two headliners. One the south end of grant park, in arguably the bigger area, you had a newly reunited Soundgarden with their big metallic and grungy fueled riffs taking center stage. Unlike Rage Against the Machine or Pavement, the Soundgarden reunion wasn’t really something fans had been clamoring for for years, but it is indeed a nice bit of nostalgia tripping for those who long for the flannel days.

On the other side, you have the Arcade Fire. A band who are pretty much in their prime right now having released the critically acclaimed new album The Suburbs only a few days before the Lollapalooza began. It would be like seeing Soundgarden back in the early ’90s. There might not ever be a better time to see The Arcade Fire in a festival setting again, and that might explain why the crowd for them was a few times bigger than that of Soundgarden and probably the largest of all weekend.

And of course, the Arcade Fire not only lived up to the hype during their performance, but bypassed any uncertainty that they might be the best band out right now. They came running out of the gate with an especially enthusiastic of version of The Suburbs take “Ready To Start”, which saw guitarist/percussionist Richard Parry and Win’s brother other-ist Will Butler taking turns hammering on each others tom drums. The song set the momentum, which never once wavered even during the slower burning “Crown of Love” from their 2004 debut Funeral. In between newer songs like the sleek, mo-town chorus of “Used To Wait” and caustic hymnal “Rococo”, the band played their older and best known songs including the glimmering “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” and towering “Intervention”.

While Win did most of the speaking and singing, Régine Chassagne, whose petite stature was balanced by her gigantic voice, shined on the new rocker “Empty Room”. But she absolutely brought down the house with the synth-soaked journey “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”, which was probably the best song played all night.

But the most epic moment definitely was set closer “Wake Up”, which featured the everyone within ear shot yelling it’s melodic refrain. Chances are if you where any where in downtown Chicago on Sunday night, you probably heard it. And with that, the Arcade Fire brought Lollapalooza 2010 to a powerful end with a performance that was truly fit for a king but witnessed by thousands.

6:10 p.m.: MGMT

Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT

Though MGMT’s new album, Congratulations, didn’t really connect with fans who hold their more danceable numbers like “Kids” or “Electric Feel” in high regard, that didn’t stop an enormous throng to gather at the Budweiser stage on the north side of Grant Park. After opening with the folky, acoustic work of “Pieces of What” from their debut LP, Oracular Spectacular, they switched gears into the eerie, psych-pop salute to the famed producer Brian Eno, which carries his name as its title. The crowd were seemingly still engaged at this point because of its jangly guitars and driving-yet-groovy beat. But things really started to catch a full head of steam when they broke out the Prince-influenced, bass-sex jam “Electric Feel”.

While MGMT alternated between new and old songs so as not to completely lose the audience, sometimes fans were still thrown off guard such as on the cartoon-chase-theme kitsch of “Song For Dan Treacy”. But from “Time To Pretend” to the big, hippie-rock jam out of “The Handshake” their old material was riddled with new energy. When they did finally break into their biggest hit “Kids”, a song they omitted from their Coachella performance earlier this year to the surprise of festival attendees and critics alike, they performed it to a prerecorded backing track and instead every member danced on stage and in the crowd. It’s obvious the band still don’t really want to perform the song, so instead play it off as a silly number simply to appease the crowd. And appease it did as the thousands watching jumped up and down to the song’s bouncy rhythm in what will be classic Lollapalooza 2010 moment. The best part came afterward, however, when MGMT closed with the reflective, Neil Young-folk of their new album’s title track, Congratulations.

4:37 p.m.: X Japan

X Japan guitarist Sugizo

The phrase “They’re huge in Japan” is sort of a running joke among American musicians, but X Japan live it literally. The Japanese heavy metal outfit was originally founded in 1982, but later broke up in 1997 only to reunite ten years later, are huge in Japan. How huge? They can pretty much sell out any arena any time they want. However, the band never made the leap to American audiences. Their brand of symphonic metal is more for niche audiences in the states and never had broken through into the mainstream. But as this Sun-Times article points out, that didn’t stop X Japan fans from flocking from all over to catch the band’s first ever performance in the U.S. at Lollapalooza.

Well, their dramatic arrival was no small event. Hardcore fans, which were easiy picked out with their X Japan merch and paraphernalia, and the curious flocked to the massive south side stage for the show, and those who witnessed it were not left disappointed. X Japan’s set was arena metal adrenaline with a few theatrics such as flames from the bottom of the stage thrown in for good measure. Lead singer Toshi was a masterful frontman who riled up the crowd with cliche rock phrases like “Are You Ready To Rock?” in his broken English, but it worked to set the tone for the deafening guitar assault that followed. Actually, deafening might be an understatement as X Japan definitely won the battle for loudest band at Lolapalooza 2010. The bass and drums were more like atomic explosions than thunder and the guitars chugged along without sympathy on takes like “Jade” and “Endless Rain”. But perhaps the best part was how excited the band looked to be playing to such a large crowd for their first American show. They smiled and even took the time to take some pictures of the audience before they exited the stage when their time was up.

2:35 p.m.: The Ike Reilly Assassination

The second local Chicago act in as many hours, the Ike Reilly Assassination started their set with a meager crowd at the Sony Bloggie stage. Of couse, this was the hottest time period on Sunday afternoon, so perhaps it was cooling off and refueling time for many. But Ike Reilly and his Assassination were completely unphazed as they pumped out tune after tune of narrative-form, southern-tinged, Midwestern working man rock n’ roll. The highlight for many was Reilly’s humorous and clever lyrics, which ran the gambit from a drug-rollercoaster that rattled off even more narcotics than Queens Of The Stone Age’s “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer” or about how New York City has nothing on Chicago. The crowd, which was a decent number by mid-set, were seemingly latched on to the music. Suddenly for a brief 45-minutes, the small, tree-covered Sony Bloggie stage area was transformed into your local dark and dank dive bar.

1:50 p.m.: The Dodos

Meric Long of The Dodos

It was finally during the Dodo’s performance on the Playstation stage on the north end of Grant Park did the rain finally cede to the sweltering heat. Still, neither the sun or The Antlers playing 10 minutes into their set time stopped the band from bringing their acoustic and tribal rhythm based pop tunes. Their material sounds minimal, but there’s a lot going on here with Metric Long’s steady croon and quick-fire guitar lines, Logan Kroeber’s thumping beats, mostly through toms, and Keaton Snyder’s vibraphone work that gives the song’s soaring flourishes just that much more height. Neko Case, who performed at Lollapalooza on Friday with the New Pornographers and who played with The Dodos last Thursday at Chicago’s Metro, joined the band on stage for a couple of tunes, which really added to their atmospherics. However, their 2009 release Time to Die, didn’t obtain the same warm critically reception as their 2008 album Visiter, and not stating this was the reason why, but the band leaned on the side of their older material like the sprawling folk of “Jodi”.

1:17 p.m.: Company Of Thieves

Genevieve Schatz of Company of Thieves

Company Of Thieves have come along way since lead singer Genevieve Schatz was performing at Chicago open mics and have even come along since their 2009 Wind-up Records debut Ordinary Riches. Schatz is obviously the center of attention here with her confident, sultry vocals that to a degree possess a certain Fiona Apple quality, but Schatz is no where near as pained. Her lively stage presence like twirling, dancing and even some tambourine play really hyped up the surprisingly ample crowd. It was when they branched off into the new material that really drove the point home that Company Of Thieves has the capability to be more than another girl-fronted indie rock act. The new songs were brimming with a darker edge expanding into riff-y blues rock territory from guitarist Marc Walloch, and Schatz’s voice became even more gritty and powerful. Still, the band played it safe and ended with the small modern rock radio hit “Oscar Wilde”, which did garner the biggest reception of the set.

12:40 p.m.: The Antlers

Peter Silberman of The Antlers

The Antlers’ album Hospice was one of the biggest surprises in 2009. It put the band on he map drawing comparisons to indie rock royalty, and one of the night’s headliners, the Arcade Fire. However, for the Antlers to get a rainy early afternoon spot at the conclusion of a major music festival was poor luck of the draw. The band did their best to pour their heart and soul into their soaring melodic suites, but the crowd was generally unmoved, talking to friends or trying to find a way to keep dry. The Antler’s songs were a bit too meek and under-powered, and even their more popular tunes, such as “Two”, failed to grab anyone’s attention.

11:50 p.m.: HEALTH

It was a soggy start to Lollapalooza 2010 day three. The morning hours brought rain, which while cooled the park briefly, made things particularly muddy on the south end of Grant Park. But the weather did not hamper a small group of dedicated music fans from braving the wet for a chance to see Los Angeles noise rockers HEALTH at 11:30 a.m. HEALTH, like quite a few acts from this year’s Lollapalooza, were on the bill for last year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, but if I hadn’t stated this fact, a casual listener might mistake them for two different bands.

At last year’s Pitchfork Fest, the band played a deafening set for half an hour and thrashed around on stage to a cacophony of electro-noise. There was little to no melody to be found. Since that particular set, however, the band’s little material, such as “USA BOYS”, is more accessible with nearly danceable pulsating synth breaks and space-echo vocals. Still, while their music may have calmed down, the band were still rambunctious on stage even with the smaller than usual umbrella-holding and poncho-wearing audience.

Lollapalooza 2010. Day Two. Recap. Go.

9:15 p.m.: Phoenix

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Green Day’s Broadway-in-Chicago approach, French pop rock outfit Phoenix made the north end of Grant Park look more like a European disco with massive strobe lighting effects. When originally announced as a headliner, many felt the band wasn’t quite ready for that big of a stage. And in the first couple of songs in their set, it did seem like the band were a bit nervous and awe struck at the thousands positioned in front of the stage.

After opening with arguably their biggest and most well known hit, “Lisztomania”, from their latest release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the band stumbled a bit on their second song “Lasso” in which guitarist Christian Mazzalai hit some missed notes during the bridge. But the band recovered nicely on their next few songs including soaring soul-tinged, groover “Fences” and rhythmic “Girlfriend”, which was carried by front man Thomas Mars’ melodic vocals. The band eventually won the crowd completely over with the nearly 10-minute, electro-pop epic “Love Like a Sunset Part I” and “Love Like a Sunset Part II”. At the close of heir set, the band quieted doubters that they were headliner-ready with a rousing version of their hit “1901″. While theatrics reigned on the south end, the north end had Phoenix bringing the attention back to where it should have been all along -- on the music.

8:00 p.m.: Green Day

Truth be told, I didn’t catch Green Day’s entire set, only the beginning before booking it to the other end of the park for Phoenix. But if I learned one thing for he 45 minutes I witness, Green Day have come a long way from the three-chord punk band that initiated a mud-hurling fight with the crowd at Woodstock ‘94. After their underrated but commercially unsuccessful Warning was released in 2000, he band’s commercial appeal began to wane. But only four years later, the band completely changed their image from bratty, abrasive punk rockers to eye-liner wearing pop rock opera composers. 2004’s American Idiot saw the band move into the political realm, but with an album that was a call to arms for the younger generation than to make any real statement.

But at the end of the day, this dramatic shift in who the band are worked greatly. Now, Green Day are coming off their latest successful opus 21st Century Breakdown and a Broadway version of American Idiot, which really comes out in heir live show that’s more spectacle than performance. All the hype leading up to Lady Ga Ga’s Lolla debut was washed away when Green Day unveiled their arena rock-ready pyrotechnics.

Unfortunately, those were the only real fireworks to occur during their set. In the first fifteen minutes, the band only managed two songs instead of the probably seven they would have fit in that time frame in the early 1990’s. Billie Joe Armstrong now plays the part of not only lead singer and guitarist, but also foul-mouthed hype man by dropping F-bombs and “Yeh-Oh!” call and response shouts with the crowd. This made their set feel bloated and empty for the first 20 minutes or so. Not long after, I left the scene. But I hear things picked up when the band finally delivered their old-school hits in a straightforward manner. If Green Day does still have any true punk antics left in them, they indeed showed them off by playing for 15 minutes past the official city of Chicago curfew of 10 p.m.

6:50 p.m.: Spoon

Britt Daniel of Spoon

Spoon are what you’d call veterans of the festival scene, if not the rock scene in general. They’ve played Lollapalooza in 2007, and they even headlined Pitchfork Music Festival in 2008. Not to mention the fact that they were just in Chicago back in April as well as recently played Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party last month. But they’re back again -- and this time Britt Daniel and Co. were in full force. After some not-so-flattering reviews about the band’s sound in the massive music-eating cave that is the northside’s Aragon, Spoon ratcheted up the rock during their hour and fifteen minute set. Things started subdued with Daniel coming out solo to play an acoustic version of “Me and the Bean” from 2001’s Girls Can Tell.

But after that -- save for a couple of detours -- their set was completely comprised of their more energetic tunes, many of which were from their latest album Transference. “Writing In Reverse” sounds a but plain on record, but live he song takes a life of it’s own with more upfront and twisted guitar and rollicking piano interplay. At one point during the song, instead of the proper lyric, Daniel lets out a demented laugh through reverb in mad scientist style. They even reached into their older material rockin’ the Pixies-guitar laden “Utilitarian”, opener for 1998’s A Series Of Sneaks, which seemed to be lost among the younger crowd. But near the end of the set when Daniel strapped on the acoustic for a swinging version of “I Summon You”, you could actually hear all the hearts of the women in the crowd swoon. Whether it’s acoustic gems, horn-featured testaments like “The Underdog” or rambunctious, Beatles-inspired pop of “Trouble Comes Running”, Spoon has no limits to their reach.

5:44 p.m.: Metric

One of the most surprising big crowds of the day was for the Toronto indie rockers Metric. The band combines early ’90s influenced pop rock but make he grooves and rhythms far more danceable. And if there’s one thing that’s been proven a sure winner a both Lollapalooza and Pitchfork Music Festival his year, it’s that kids love to dance. But their set really seemed like a coming out party for lead singer Emily Haines, who was far more than just a pretty face to look at. Haines has a legitimate set of pipes. From the moment he stepped on stage, she commanded the audience’s attention both visually and aurally, and hopped around the stage while feeding off the hordes of people in front of her. Metric’s music occasionally reaches into the hard rock spectrum with James Shaw’s meaty riffs, but Haines’ synth and drummer Joules Scott-Key’s quick-changing beat broke up any heavy elements and replaced them with a raw, pop-like edge that recalled the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at their mos fun.

4:28 p.m.: Gogol Bordello

While contemplative buzz band The XX were taking things slow on the north wide of Grant Park, I chose to stay on the south end for Gogol Bordello’s gypsy-punk, family-band antics. From the get-go, there was no let up as their punk backbeat and swift accordion kept everyone dancing in time. At one point, Ukrainian lead singer Eugene Hütz ditched his shirt and guitar, and instead began to swig a bottle of wine. The songs range from nearly genuine ethnic dances to the occasional hard rock influence with big, distorted riffs from guitarist Oren Kaplan, but still stayed within the song’s body-moving tempo. They closed wih the always rousing “Start Wearing Purple,” which cause two girls near me to lock arms and begin to dance a jig. Just like how the band’s members represent seven different nationalities from Russia to Ecuador, Gogol Bordello’s set was a joyous gathering for all without a speck of pretension.

3:05 p.m.: Against Me!

Tom Gabel of Against Me!

Against Me! kicked off the punk rock theme going on at the south side of Grant Park with AFI, Social Distortion and Green Day all set to appear later in the day. Though the Gainesville, Florida, group play a brand of punk rock that’s more in line with the Hold Steady, whose ex-member Franz Nicolay played with Against Me! during their set, or Pitchfork Fest 2010 favorites Titus Andronicus than the Ramones. Against Me! featured big, bustling overdriven guitars and earnest monologues from singer and guitarist Tom Gabel. Their songs were beer-chugging anthems laced with profanity -- the perfect release music for the younger in the crowd who aren’t easily affected by the late afternoon heat and humidity.

2:18 p.m.: Warpaint

Warpaint bassist Emily Kokal

Warpaint quickly set themselves apart from many of this year’s acts in that this quartet isn’t about summer fun or beach parties when it comes to the music. They play moody art rock that’s fleshed out through sturdy bass grooves and intricate guitar interplay that recalls Sonic Youth at their most minimal. Even when you think the band are going for a build up, it slowly feather-floats back down instead of reaching epic payoffs. But that didn’t dull their live show as guitarist Theresa Wayman’s vocals carry that same haunting urgency of the Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan. Later in the set when drummer Stella Mozgawa got going, their songs unfolded into a dark ’80s pop feel in the vein of Tears For Fears. The crowd latched onto every winding and crisscrossing guitar line for a performance that could be considered one of the breakthrough variety.

1:20 p.m.: Harlem

Harlem bassist Jose Boyer

The first thing noticeable about this Austin trio is that their drum kit features an oversized kick drum. But it seems the instrument is just for show seeing how rhythm wasn’t Harlem’s focus. Instead, the band seems to push melodic and harmonic vocals to the front, while their driving, ’60s-garage riffs are more in common with the Black Lips. They’re simple fun, but occasionally first time listeners might have a hard time distinguishing between all their fast-thumping songs.

12:35 p.m.: Skybox

Tim Ellis of Skybox

The day began at the BMI stage for Chicago’s own Skybox. Even for early in the day at a small in the tree up against Lake Shore Drive, Skybox had a sizable crowd. Their good-time, sunny pop rock really connected with the audience who clapped along to the beat of almost every song. For some small bands, playing a show to a crowd of that size, I’ll estimate it at 125, after not playing regularly for a while -- which Skybox haven’t been -- might be intimidating. But Skybox let nothing rattle them and seemed quite at ease of their in front of loyal listeners.

Lollapalooza 2010. Day One. Recap. Go.

9:00 p.m.: The Strokes

Julian Casablancas of The Strokes

While most made their way to the south end of the park to get a googily-eyed glimpse of Lady Ga Ga, I opted to grab a close spot for Garage-punk revivalists The Strokes. This was the band’s first show on American soil in “Fooooorrrrreeeeeveeeeerrrr,” lead singer Julian Casablancas said in jest (They played a warm up show in London). But it really has been a long time. Plus, although the band never officially broke up, there were times when it was under the assumption that the Strokes were no more. Yet a new album is on the way, or so we hear, and the band is headlining Lollapalooza after being pretty much in hibernation.

Yes, it’s clearly a nostalgia trip until they release new material, but this isn’t anywhere in the same league as the big rock gods such as last year’s headliners Jane’s Addiction or his year’s cool-but-pointless Soundgarden reunion. Early in their career, The Strokes were lumped in with The White Stripes and The Hives as a new wave of post-punk, lo-fi, garage rock that’s more kitch than serious. However, when the Is This It dropped, it was obvious the band were no one-hit wonders. Even their second full-length Room On Fire, while followed in the same mold of their debut, ratcheted up their popularity. In 2004 and 2005, The Strokes looked to become the next biggest band in the world if their third album, First Impressions of Earth, hadn’t been poorly received critically and commercially.

Flashforward to 2010 and, if last night’s show was any indication, The Strokes are back. Sure, Julian Casablancas released a solo album for which he even toured. But it was truly remarkable how well the old hat fits. The band looked neither disgruntled, disinterested or nervous. They played with a ferociousness and tightness that seemed as though they’d never missed a beat or took several years off. Casablancas was seen smiling throughout the set pumping himself up to the sights and sounds of the old band. Guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. even produced big grins during his soulful axe rips.

They played with a machine-like focus and purpose that sounded so on point that they literally could have been faking it to a CD. Spoiler: They weren’t. Instead songs like “Hard To Explain” with its hyperdrive beat and slinky guitar line sounded more like classic rock staples than early-2000’s New York garage. “Last Nite” was an instant sensation while a subdued version of the Room On Fire track, “Under Control”, seemed to throw things back to Mavis Staples’ R&B-filled set from earlier in the day. Of the few tracks they did play from First Impressions of Earth, all of them sounded terrific. How terrific? Enough for me to revisit that album sooner rather than later.

6:35 p.m.: The Black Keys

Here’s a fun fact: The Black Keys, or at least one member of the group, have played Lollapalooza every year since 2007. So to call them Lolla veterans, well, that might be an understatement at this point. One thing I can certainly say is that playing a large scale festival so many times has surely shored up their live presence for the good. The bluesy rock of the midwest duo, featuring vocalist and guitarist Dan Auerbach alongside drummer Patrick Carney, can sure entertain. Auerbach threw his entire body into their performance and not only writhes around like a madman but, at the end of the set, was covered from head to toe in sweat.

However, things didn’t begin so well. Early on, when the band concentrated on their older material, the Budweiser stage volume was way far too low. Creeper “Strange Tiimes” lost most of its eerie vivaciousness. Things improved ten-fold when two additional musicians were brought on for songs from their latest release Brothers. Specifically, the cool organ groove of “Tighten Up” picked up the pace until the gritty assault of their old standby “10 A.M. Automatic” powered the set to an epic close.

5:50 p.m.: The Dirty Projectors

For those not in the dancing mood, to the north end of the park was the Dirty Projectors. They might share the same hometown as Matt & Kim, Brooklyn, but these two bands couldn’t be farther apart sonically. The Dirty Projectors’ deconstructed and broken down pop tunes either wash away in a dream like euphoria or erupt into abrasive art-rock movements. Sometimes it works on every level, while other times it misses a step or two. Still, even when the band ended nearly 10-minutes early by accident, they came back out for one more song to the delight of the few who didn’t abandon their set midway through.

5:15 p.m.: Matt & Kim

For fans of Adam and his Package who would prefer to dance instead of think, there’s the Brooklyn drum-n-keys duo of Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, or alternatively, Matt & Kim. Although their sound is nothing to write home about with fast, pounding drums and cardboard cut-out synth lines, they keep the mood light in a way only classic Nickelodeon cartoons could. In between songs, Matt tells dirty jokes, and Kim is nothing but ear-to-ear smiles. It’s this sort of adolescent, never-grow-old attitude that appeals to both tweens and hipsters who like to dance. Then throw in a few simplified old school hip hop covers, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

4:27 p.m.: DEVO

If I told you five years ago that at Lollapalooza 2010, one of the early highlights would be 1980’s whacky, synth-rockers DEVO, would you have believed me? What about one year ago? Either way, this actually came to fruition yesterday as DEVO mesmerized a crowd that were unusually responsive. After starting with a couple tunes from their new album Something for Everybody, the band launched into their classic back catalog. “Whip It” worked the audience up into a frenzy (Many in the crowd dawned the band’s signature plastic lego-looking hat). Later, a particularly odd sight was when a mosh pit erupted during DEVO’s performances of “Jocko Homo” and “Mongoloid”. Though, like Mavis Staples, DEVO and their devoutionized art-rock seemed out of place, the crowd embraced their goofy weirdness and asked, “Are we not men?” then answering “We are DEVO!”

3:30 p.m.: Big Pink

English electro-indie rock duo Big Pink were quite the frustrating act. Their slow songs were far too sleepy and droning for the midday crowd especially at times when it sounded as if the vocals were off key. Then just as I, and a few others from the sight of the crowd, were going to write them off and stake out a spot for DEVO, they’d pull you back in with a energetic, electronic stomper of a tune such as the backbeat-heavy “Dominos”. Unfortunately, their set continued to ebb and flow with the slower songs disengaging, and in the end their set lacked consistency and structure.

2:20 p.m.: Mavis Staples

Is it irony that a festival designed on the basis of being “alternative” and to showcase the latest and greatest rock, and these days pop, a 71 year-old local gospel and soul legend had undoubtedly the performance of the day? Staples, part of the famous Staples Singers, shined as she delivered an extremely powerful performance with near sermon-like intensity and crowd interaction. What made her set so grand was that you could tell everything she was putting in her songs and every word she spoke came directly from the bottom of her heart. She was genuinely excited to be there, and so was the small crowd who watched her entire set.

Not even Jeff Tweedy, who came out to help on two songs including the titled track to her upcoming Tweedy-produced album You Are Not Alone, could steal Staples’ spotlight. One of the most seemingly magical moments of the day came when Staples and her band busted into the Staples Singers’ 1972 hit single “I’ll Take You There” and men and women of all ages and generation gaps danced without inhibitions. It should be tough for any artist over the entire weekend top or even match Staples’ revival.

1:35 p.m.: The Walkmen

The second Pitchfork 2009 flip-flop act in Lollapalooza 2010’s opening two hours, The Walkmen brought the same type of passionate delivery that made their late afternoon slot at last year’s Pitchfork Fest such a success. The Walkmen are a band your mother might even enjoy with their clean cut looks, Dylan-esque vocals and focus on melody and harmony. Their jangly, country-thick guitar tone reverberated throughout Grant Park and off the enormous Lady Ga Ga stage a bit farther south. One thing about the Walkmen at major festivals is that they do it big, and they once again brought out a horn section for a few tunes. Lead singer Hamilton Leithauser told the crowd they were generally excited to be there, and it seemed to be the case as the crowd were enthralled in their revved-up, folk hymnals. However, a slightly later time slot would do wonders to benefit their occasionally dark edge.

1:16 p.m.: Los Amigos Invisibles

An odd choice to follow up the noisy Wavves across the field, Los Amigos Invisibles were the first to bring the real grooves to Lollapalooza day one. The Venezuelan band might be that country’s answer to LCD Soundsystem. They brought the hot latin beats that would shift in and out of funk and rock elements. Not sure if the crowd knew who the band was on stage, but the danceability of Los Amigos’ music is something that festival crowds can’t resist.

12:45 p.m.: Wavves

If there was any resemblance between Best Coast’s performance two weeks back at Pitchfork Music Festival and Wavves’ set at Lollapalooza, it’s not surprising. Wavves frontman Nathan Williams and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino are an item, and it makes sense. Both bands have a similar lo-fi, basement recorded mentality, both their band names have to do with the beach and both share a open fondness for marijuana. But they’re aren’t just carbon copies with different sexes. Wavves music has a bit more of a bite. Williams’ “whatever”-filled, snarling vocals fit his frantic noisy guitar pop to a tee. Wavves’ songs are pure dirty fun that could soundtrack a early morning, drug-induced beach party.

However, things did get a bit awkward at the end of the set, when drummer Billy Hayes and bassist Stephen Pope, formerly of Jay Reatard’s band, began pestering Willams about what song to play next. It seemed like some sarcastic humor, but Williams, who seemed to get more distracted as the 45-minute set went on, erupted back that they “have the same fucking setlist” as him and to stop asking. It remains to be seen if there is indeed real tension between the bandmates or if maybe they toked a bit too much before taking the stage.

12:00 p.m.: It’s back and bigger than ever.

The first thing you’ll notice upon entering Lollapalooza this year is the increase in size. Whereas the previous point of entry use to be right in front of Buckingham Fountain, as pictured above, this year’s main entrance was pushed up to Michigan with some merch and food booths lining the way up to the “old” entrance.