Lotta Lolla

Tonight proved that Rage Against the Machine is still as relevant as ever. Its advocacy of unity, human rights and peace (well, mostly) may be more timely now than it was back in the 1990s. Rage ran through its catalog of anthems with the precision of a May Day march. It capped its set with the funk-metal "Wake Up" and a long soliliquy by vocalist Zack de la Rocha about "the last eight years." The encores were early 1990s classics "Freedom" and "Killing in the Name." The show was not without drama, though. De la Rocha cut off the indigenous rights diatribe "People of the Sun" when a crush of people pushed up against the stage rail. He asked that everyone move back, and after a short delay resumed the set. People mostly complied, but de la Rocha kept pleading with the crowd all night.

Other observations from Day 2:

-Lollapalooza is a study in sunglasses. In: Ray Bans. Out: Oakleys. In: Fluorescent frames. Out: Medical sunglasses.

-The weather today was perfect. Blue skies, low 80s.

-We stopped by Perry's stage early in the afternoon, as event founder Perry Farrell was scheduled to make a cameo with a special guest. There was a DJ playing some music when we got there. Eventually, we could see Farrell near the back of the stage dancing. He waved to the crowd and everyone cheered. Fifteen minutes later, he was still doing the same thing. We really didn't understand what he was doing--no band, no special guest, no performance. We got bored and left.

-We had the misfortune of seeing the worst act at Lollapalooza. We took a flyer on Spank Rock, a Baltimore group, and left within 20 minutes. What they did was really an insult to music and all of humanity, in fact. I'm not sure where to begin. The act involved two MC/dancers who were so horrible at being MCs and dancers that we had to leave. And I think Tim Gunn or Michael Kors would describe their outfits as "vulgar."

-I was last at Lollapalooza in 1995. It was a simpler time. No cellphones, no Blackberries, no iPhones, no digital cameras. The Internet was only just becoming popular.

-Chicago MC Lupe Fiasco thrilled the crowd with an eight-piece band. The trumpet, trombone and saxophone on the skateboard anthem "Kick, Push" sounded great.