Kevin Bronson on August 9th, 2010

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My first trip to Lollapalooza (where I was on assignment for SPIN.com over the weekend) was a quite the adventure, as my sore feet and calf muscles can attest. As a six-time veteran of Coachella, I was frequently asked over the weekend to compare the two. My answer? It’s a push.

Coachella’s desert vibe makes it feel like you’re visiting a music oasis; for the true seeker (as opposed to those who miss half the music to attend afternoon parties), it’s total immersion, and possibly mystical if you want it to be. Lollapalooza’s linear layout makes it more of a workout (it has eight stages over 110 acres) – and it actually has trees … you know, those things that produce shade. But even with a record 240,000 people attending this weekend, the crowds never felt as stifling as this year’s Coachella throngs did. And its urban setting allows for quick access to hotels, public transport and other nightlife (doable, since Lolla’s sets end at 10 p.m.).

The Lolla lineup makes more concessions to commercial junk, and it’s kid-friendlier, but overall I didn’t feel it was, as veteran critic Jim Derogatis has called it, “Wal-Mart on the Lake.” You can be marketed to, or not be marketed to – even after walking past its tent several times and visiting its stage several more, I still couldn’t tell you what a Sony Bloggie is.

Since I was on assignment for SPIN.com, I hustled my notebook to whichever set the editors told me to cover. Here’s my Day 1 recap:

Highlights:

‣ The VJ set by Peanut Butter Wolf (pictured)
‣ Finding that the media entrance was a 6-minute walk from my hotel
‣ Watching from a distance as people went nuts for Devo
‣ Realizing that I knew a bunch of songs that B.o.B. played

Lowlights:
‣ Somebody called Neon Trees
‣ Missing the Strokes, the Black Keys and the Walkmen
‣ All things Lady Gaga

I thought for a second I was in Silver Lake when:
‣ I caught former Spaceland residents the Ettes rocking the BMI stage.

My scribblings:
‣ Items on B.o.B., Jukebox the Ghost, Peanut Butter Wolf, Neon Trees and Jamie Lidell in the Best & Worst, Day 1
‣ MGMT does it for the “Kids” at benefit concert