I think I'll just post a bunch of pictures from the North Coast Music Festival in Chicago instead of trying to put the Massive Bass Light Circus Explosion into words — and yes, this post is about a month after the fest took place, but there's a couple related events that are coming up in the next month. And I also included a less-than-five-minute video that I lovingly cobbled together from my time working the Magic Hat Stage beer tent, good times. This was the second year for North Coast, it's more compact Grant Park's Lolla, and more diverse and colorful than Pitchfork (which also takes place in Union Park).
Just as a quick note though, I loved working the Magic Hat side stage because there were more fringe acts, like Six in the Mix, one of the bands out of the youth-oriented Intonation Music Workshop (they're featured at the beginning of the video, and are having a fundraiser on Thursday, October 11, 6-9pm, at Alhambra Palace, 1240 W Randolph). And The Arts of Life Band — a group made up musicians both with and without disabilities (also featured in the video) — run by the Arts of Life, a non-profit that depends heavily on donations to keep their art and music programs going; they're having a (free) fashion show fundraiser on Saturday, October 15 (2010 W. Carroll, 4-8pm) and their 3rd Annual Half Acre Charitable Chili Cook-Off is Saturday, November 5, 5-8pm, register here to buy $10 tickets, or if you want to be a chili-making contestant! Please support these awesome arts programs.
Your attendance at this online viewing is much appreciated, enjoy the ride!
This guy reminded me of what would happen if Robin had turned the Batmobile into a time machine and took off, and then came back. Can I use your mirrored facade for an eye-booger check, would you mind?
Ha, I kept thinking that Homer couldn't be far behind. (Speaking of beer, it was so bass-y that the taps were shaking and jerking like they do when they're about to sputter dead because the beer is gone, it was a par-tay...)
Meet Fred Flintstone!
North Coast is an all ages music fest.
Zebo rode a horsey stick, and the shoulders of some guy too, check out the real footage in my video further down.
The Chicago Reader had a cool live-painting outdoor art gallery.
The coloring of the pieces above and this garbage receptacle at the nearby corner store complemented each other well. That's to say that I think the trash can looks like a work of art, not that the art is garbage.
Speaking of art, I liked this guy's T-shirt. He said it featured a design by Jonathan Zawada. Spooky.
And there were a ton of goofball shirts, I think there was some contest I didn't know about, like who could wear the funniest totally absurd shirt, here are a couple faves.
So the guy below got knocked because he was "talking shit to some guy," he says. "Everyone's been telling me I need stitches, and I'm like, no..." I liked him. He danced with me at the Groupon Noise Refuge Personal Time Disco tent (where you were given headphones and everyone was dancing around listening to the same song for their own "personal time disco" it was awesome, you can see in a short clip in the video at the end).
I saw the hurt-foot guy below hobbling away from the grounds, and he was nice enough to pause for a photo.
This is Frank the Squirrel. You'll also see him in the video.
Here are some cool hats. (I am Ms Pac-Man queen champion btw).
Furry hats, don't leave for North Coast without them.
There were women in mustaches.
And men in dresses.
Lots of dollar bills. (Below is one of the members from The Arts of Life Band, Jean, she sings a song called "Shark Attack," which is so awesome, you can see some footage of it further down.)
And cool jewelry, too! The owner of this zebra ring said that CC Martini gave it to her, who makes music with the trumpet player from No Doubt? I guess they both had lion rings from Chinatown in San Francisco, which started an animal-ring fetish between them.
This owl ring was from the owner's cool gramma.
And cool glowy stuff.
And a lot of consumed beer.
Oh, and there were lots and lots of "shit sticks," as one of my beer-slinging counterparts, Theresa, named them. "They just get a stick and put some shit one it," she said.
Here is that video I keep talking about, I'm kind of proud of it, so if you could watch it all the way through that would be rad! It's under five minutes. And there's a rad Star-Wars-theme-Weezer sample sesh from Team Bayside High that's pretty awesome. Things started a little slow because of the rain, but that certainly didn't stop the party...
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