From: gregs@polari.online.com
Subject: Lolla in Seattle - review
Organization: Seattle Online Public Access Unix.  (206) 328-4944 (all lines telebit-equipped)
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 00:47:56 GMT

Well, Lollapalooza has come and gone in the Seattle area, and not without
any regrets from the good citizens of Bremerton, I'm sure.

The Seattle show was I'm sure different from the previous three and will
be different from the remaining ones, simply because two of the bands are
from Seattle (Pearl Jam and Soundgarden).  I would guess that 75% of the
crowd were there just to see these two bands, as they've already been local
favorites for several years.

Seattle showed its usual conservative side by policing the event way too
harshly.  When Lush went on, half of the crowd was still outside the gates.
This resulted in a storming of the gate where most of the retaining fence
was knocked down at the eastern entrance.  So much for that.

I was really pleased with all of the bands, except for Ice Cube.  This due
to his being held up at Canadian customs for some reason or another.  His
set was only about 20 minutes long, so the crowd never really got into it.
It also set the timing off by about an hour, causing mayhem for the ferry
system.  They ended up making everyone drive around through Tacoma.  If you
don't know the geography, let me just say that it's not a real quick or fun
trip.

Since I only saw the last three or four songs from Lush and I don't know
much about them, I won't review them.  But I did like what I heard.

Pearl Jam nearly started a riot when the took the stage.  At this point,
the largest moshin' pit I've ever seen started up and never really died.
Eddie Vedder look a bit, err, "chemicalized."  Not sure if that's his
usual style, but his remark about heronin was not very encouraging for
the P.C. police (ie, "Wanna know why I'm here?  One word- heroin!").
The crowd really rocked on this one.  They should have changed the lineup 
for the Seattle show, because Pearl Jam could sell out a show this size 
alone here.  It was a nice homecoming.

The Jesus and May Chain failed to form a big crown, mostly because everyone
was resting after the Pearl Jam set.  Not to say they were not exciting,
but the activity was noticably lighter during their set.

Soundgarden was greeted with the same hysteria that Pearl Jam was, but
their set was much more sedated than it has been in the past.  They looked
tired or something.  The opened with "Outshined" and continued with most
of their newer songs.  They did not play any of their "Louder than Love"
hits, so I don't expect they will elsewhere either.  The pit still looked
like a human stew, with arms, legs, and torsos spilling out every so often.
The damp air caused a really eerie steam effect that was sometimes dense
enough to obscure the bands.  It smelled like a football field.

Ministry ended up going on before Ice Cube, due to his aforementioned
delay in Canada.  Most of the true freaks at the show sprinted for the
stage, while everyone else sat arounding going "what the fuck is that
noise they're making??"  They played for about an hour and 15 minutes,
with one encore.  They did not play "Jesus Built My Hotrod", much to my
dismay.  Also, they were much louder than anyone else.  Most of the show
was not very loud.  Ministry really cranked it up though.  After the first
song, the singer yelled at the sound techs to turn up the sound further
yet.  Most of the uninitiated winced and ran away to nurse thier bleeding
ears.  They really rocked.

Ice Cube, as I said, played about four songs and that was it.  They even
took away his skull-setup.  You'll see what I mean if you go.  It was
interesting to watch skinheads hip-hop though.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were the real showmen though.  Where do they
get all that energy??  Flea wore only underwear and high socks.  The new
guitarist was good, but very very dull.  He just stood there.  He definitely
does not fit in with the rest of the band.  To liven things up, they stuck
a dancing girl next to him.  It was difficult to pay attention to the
the guitarist with her there, if you know what I mean.  Their set was the
longest -- about an hour and a half.  They opened with Give it Away, and
ended with -- well, I won't Give it away (err, bad pun), but it was a 
cover from another Seattle great.  I doubt it will be the same one in other
cities, but you never know.

One thing I was really pleased with was the speed in setting up the new
sets.  There was usually only a 15 or 20 minutes setup time before the next
band went on.  They seemed to actually have their shit together.

On a side note, SEE the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow.  You won't forget it.

Well worth the $29.00.  And why did we have to pay more than other cities??
-- 
Gregory Sumner ~ Seattle, Washington  :: Up, down, turn around
gregs@polari.online.com               :: Please don't let me hit the ground.
:::"Drink Rainier Beer"::::::::::::::::::N.O.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Newsgroups: alt.music.alternative,rec.music.industrial