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After-party memories
DJs, dancers, Lolla musicians and industry insiders remember the best parties and gigs after the fest.
As told to John Dugan
The Underground was pretty crazy last year. Katy Perry, Kenna, Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Mark Ronson, Bloc Party, Flosstradamus, all were there. Some girl wouldn't let go of Katy Perry’s hand when she sang “I Kissed a Girl,” and then she kissed her hand. Also, Mark Ronson did an impromptu DJ set after Kenna's live show, and Lindsay, Samantha and Danny Masterson all joined him in the DJ booth. —Jamie at Underground
What about the night R. Kelly was hanging out at Debonair. It was the Sunday after Lollapalooza 2007. I'm a big fan and wanted to get a picture, so I sent out my attractive female twin friends to talk to him and convince him to take a photo (the guy with him wasn't letting anyone shoot photos). They failed me but managed to get R. Kelly to ask their phone number. I ended up going up to him myself and telling him I worked on one of his videos (I was a PA on "Happy People"), and he was really nice to me and let me take a photo with him when I asked. That was amazing and also totally random and odd for him to even be hanging out there. —Clayton Hauck, photographer
At Brand New’s after-party show at House of Blues last year, a short girl behind the front banister kept yelling, “Play ‘Car’!” referring to the band’s cover of the Built to Spill classic. After she did this for the umpteenth time, a guy blistering with anger turned around and yelled, “Shut the fuck up!”
“Why don’t you make me, huh?” she replied, her hands waving hostilely.
So he punched her in the face. He punched her again as she was going down. Then he leapt on top of her and continued throwing his fists until three security guards forced him off. —Jacob Nelson, Time Out Chicago Web intern
I did eight hours of press with Kid Sister and Chromeo and then chugged pints of warm chardonnay in the VIP section while watching NIN. Not very exciting... Sorry! —Dana, publicist at Biz3
During the Daft Punk after-party, I was talking with James Murphy about how we both love Babe Ruth's “The Mexican,” and boom—the entire sound system shut off for a party of 2,000 plus people dancing. The sound was eventually turned back on, about five minutes later, but we had to clear all the musical royalty off the stage while the sound tech figured out the problem. Everyone including Daft Punk was very courteous in moving quickly off the stage so the party could get back to dancing. I also heard Kanye got turned away at the door that night. That’s crazy if that actually happened. —Jordan Z, DJ and party thrower
Lolla was such a fun show for us to play. I remember it was a hot day, kinda reminded me of Texas. We rocked for light and then played that same night at a small club, an after-party-type event. The thing about Chicago is that people really love music, so it’s one of our favorite places to play. Good fans. Good times and always radical music. We can’t wait to get back there." —Josh Garza, drummer, The Secret Machines
My favorite was after the first reincarnated Lolla in 2005. God knows how many people packed into the very un-air-conditioned Double Door to see Blonde Redhead and continue the drinking sessions they probably started around noon. It was so hot in there that people were bailing on the upstairs VIP section stocked with free beer in order to stay on the relatively cool main floor. My friend Fathead from the Dandy Warhols split an extremely potent joint with me RIGHT before Anton from the Brian Jonestown Massacre got in my face for saying hi to a female friend he happened to be hitting on, which was extremely uncomfortable and confusing. I ended up surviving the night relatively unscathed but I know some friends who made some poor, Sparks-related decisions—a couple of days later, two of them turned up naked on Last Nights Party. —Miles Raymer, Mannequin Men, Chicago Reader
Every year one of the venues in Wicker Park kicks everyone out and then sneaks in all these bands and celebs for a dirty all-out party. The Daft Punk, R. Kelly thing with VHS or Beta and Dark Wave Disco deejaying was a few years back. It was packed to the gills. I barely noticed everyone that was there.” —Heaven Malone, party promoter and DJ
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