Lollapalooza: Rock Triumphs Over Rain

Jaded Insider is just back from a rainy day two of Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park, and before it's time to hit the after-parties (Blender bash, we're looking in your direction...), here are a few tasty tidbits.

We must admit, Muse were impressive. It wasn't quite the grand American coming out moment that Lolla organizer Perry Farrell predicted in a Time Out Chicago interview, but their set was very entertaining. These guys sound like Queen one moment, a "The Bends" outtake the next and some nutty amalgamation of those two things at others (like on the show-stopping "New Born"). Singer Matthew Bellamy's Thom Yorke-aping falsetto is still a bit much for these ears, but now at least we know he and his bandmates can really rock a festival crowd.

Interpol were... well, we don't know. They're kind of always exactly the same, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. They play the songs you want to hear ("NARC," "Slow Hands," "Obstacle 1") and they dress exactly like you would expect them to (all black or gray, although Carlos D's Edgar Allen Copperfield look is just plain bizarre). We're just saying.. one time, it'd be nice to hear them bust out some unexpected cover or just generally deviate from their gloom-rock script.

Spoon was in fine form despite the rain, not going too heavy on the just-released "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" and always keeping things good and soulful. It's tough not to tip your cap to Britt Daniel when he says he believes Spoon are amongst the best rock bands out there right now. We would have liked to have heard "Finer Feelings," though.

We've got an arugula salad and fruit plate to wolf down, but we'll be back with more front the front lines of Lollapalooza 2007 before you know it.