Every year at Lollapalooza there are always great alternative bands that headline the Budweiser stage. Phoenix, a band who has been present in the alternative scene for about ten years, was welcomed to headline the stage this year on Saturday night. Their ambient music was a nice counterpart to the opposing band, Green Day,  playing a few hundred yards across the park. Before their latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, their fan base in America included french following indie trendsetters, but with their latest album, their sound and lyricism has expanded. Now they have are one of the most popular bands in  mainstream music. They have acquired new fans without losing their unique sound that made them independent in the first place. Their performance at Lollapalooza was not as groundbreaking as their music, it was reserved as far as live performances go. Fans were pleased to hear the similarity between the live performance and the tracks on the album, but their was hardly an additional accent that came from the musicians in their live set. The members did not step out in front of the crowd to show something that is not already in their music. Maybe they have reached their edge.  Still, it was still a pleasure to mellow out and recover for day three of Lollapalooza with Phoenix.

Every year at Lollapalooza there are always great alternative bands that headline the Budweiser stage. Phoenix, a band who has been present in the alternative scene for about ten years, was welcomed to headline the stage this year on Saturday night. Their ambient music was a nice counterpart to the opposing band, Green Day,  playing a few hundred yards across the park. Before their latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, their fan base in America included french following indie trendsetters, but with their latest album, their sound and lyricism has expanded. Now they have are one of the most popular bands in  mainstream music. They have acquired new fans without losing their unique sound that made them independent in the first place. Their performance at Lollapalooza was not as groundbreaking as their music, it was reserved as far as live performances go. Fans were pleased to hear the similarity between the live performance and the tracks on the album, but their was hardly an additional accent that came from the musicians in their live set. The members did not step out in front of the crowd to show something that is not already in their music. Maybe they have reached their edge.  Still, it was still a pleasure to mellow out and recover for day three of Lollapalooza with Phoenix.

If it’s August, and you’re in Chicago, you know it’s hot. If you’re in Grant Park between Friday and Sunday, it’s even hotter. And bigger, too. This year’s Lollapalooza, Chi-town’s biggest annual music festival, has clearly evolved into a massive, well-oiled machine, welcoming near 100,000 music fans a day from across the country. Lolla’s creator, ex Janes Addiction lead-man Perry Ferrel, has expanded the grounds to encompass nearly all of Grant Park with two new stages. With a party this size you’d expect the trash-cans to be overflowing, the lines too long, and the masses almost unbearable, but Lollapalooza has managed to keep up with it’s ambitious aim to provide a larger and better experience. Throughout the day volunteers and employees pick cans off the grass, deliver ice to vendors, and keep the restrooms sanitary. When it got too hot, a shady and unoccupied space was never hard to find. Finding a good place to eat was our last worry with two cuisine-filled streets on the North and South sides of the park. The one thing we did have to worry about was how we would see our favorite acts between seven stages, with up to five of them blasting at once.

As always, the festival hosted some of the biggest acts around. Most events have a handful of head-liners, but Lollapalooza’s list can be best described as a collection of who’s been who in the past three decades of music, with Lady Gaga, Green Day, Phoenix, The Strokes, Soundgarden, ¬Arcade Fire, Cypress Hill, Blues Traveller, Jimmy Cliff, Social Distortion, and MGMT to name a few.

Greenday

The rock trio that brought us the stoner-garage-punk-laden Dookie (1994) is still at it in the wake of their well received and heavily promoted 2004 American Idiot release. Their scheduled two hour and fifteen minute set, which singer Billie Joe Armstrong promised to break, stretched fifteen minutes past the festivals nightly 10:00 conclusion. Green Day’s set was filled with the same poignant and youthful energy that made them famous. They played a mix of old and new with songs like Longview and Boulevard of Broken Dreams , appeasing what we estimated was the largest crowd for any performer during Lollapalooza – filled with both tweens and older adults. A set filled with synchronized fireworks, tight riffs, and dexterous fills from drummer Tre Cool kept it rocking. While the theatrics of Armstrong often took precedence over the music they managed to hit all of the bases (even playing a cover of Hey Jude). The band ended their two and a half hour performance with Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) to tuck Saturday’s Lollapalooza into bed. Their stage presence has not diminished with time and Green Day was truly a memorable performance that codified their position among the biggest rock acts on tour.

Soundgarden

After a thirteen year hiatus the ultra-heavy grungers of Soundgarden are back in the studio again and, even better, back on stage together. For frontman Chris Cornell, who has directed Audioslave and recorded three solo records in the meantime, there was no better place for this reunion to occur. “I’ve played more shows in Chicago [than anywhere else],” said Chris, alluding to his affection for The Windy City. In their younger years, Soundgarden treated the city as a base-of-sorts because of Kim Thayil – guitarist and life-long Park Forest, Chicago resident. That Sunday, it was a sweet feeling tinged with sour. The old-guard was definitely there, as forty-somethings pushing ear-muffed toddlers in strollers was a common sight, and a few of the younger fans managed to pull themselves away from The Arcade Fire for this performance. But to put it simply there was a simultaneous vibe of awe and nonacceptance. During their famous Black Hole Sun, the crowd managed to chant out the refrain, but many of the lesser-known tunes left people gently swaying or bobbing their heads trying to keep up with Kim’s arpeggios and bassist Ben Shepherd’s rumbling notes. Cornell’s vocals were powerful but off at times while drummer Matt Cameron (who drums for Pearl Jam, as well) delivered in timely fashion as he always does, banging along with the wildly orchestrated, off-beat, and jazz-influenced slamming rhythms he’s known for. A few folks in the crowd insisted that they sounded like it was still 1997. Others were delighted to hear one of the heaviest bands in rock and roll back together. It was an experience any true Soundgarden fan could easily enjoy, but a show somebody unfamiliar with the group would have had trouble digesting.

Soundgarden

After a thirteen year hiatus the ultra-heavy grungers of Soundgarden are back in the studio again and, even better, back on stage together. For frontman Chris Cornell, who has directed Audioslave and recorded three solo records in the meantime, there was no better place for this reunion to occur. “I’ve played more shows in Chicago [than anywhere else],” said Chris, alluding to his affection for The Windy City. In their younger years, Soundgarden treated the city as a base-of-sorts because of Kim Thayil – guitarist and life-long Park Forest, Chicago resident. That Sunday, it was a sweet feeling tinged with sour. The old-guard was definitely there, as forty-somethings pushing ear-muffed toddlers in strollers was a common sight, and a few of the younger fans managed to pull themselves away from The Arcade Fire for this performance. But to put it simply there was a simultaneous vibe of awe and nonacceptance. During their famous Black Hole Sun, the crowd managed to chant out the refrain, but many of the lesser-known tunes left people gently swaying or bobbing their heads trying to keep up with Kim’s arpeggios and bassist Ben Shepherd’s rumbling notes.  Cornell’s vocals were powerful but off at times while drummer Matt Cameron (who drums for Pearl Jam, as well) delivered in timely fashion as he always does, banging along with the wildly orchestrated, off-beat, and jazz-influenced slamming rhythms he’s known for. A few folks in the crowd insisted that they sounded like it was still 1997. Others were delighted to hear one of the heaviest bands in rock and roll back together.  It was an experience any true Soundgarden fan could easily enjoy, but a show somebody unfamiliar with the group would have had trouble digesting.

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Earth Day Network is galvanizing millions who make personal commitments to sustainability. Earth Day 2010 is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, corporations and governments to join together and create a global green economy. Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.

Start planning your Earth Day event and take action!

www.earthday.net/earthday2010

There tends to be a lot of green vibes floating around during this three day music and arts festival, and at Lolla there was an entire street dedicated to it. Lollapalooza has been one of the few progressive festivals to add eco-friendly causes to the festival experience. To start off, fresh fruit samples were offered to all passerby’s at one of the local farmer’s market stations. Concert goers recharged and supported their local markets with each ad every purchase. The market included apples, cheeses, smoothies, yogurt, and an assortment of vegetables. But beyond this small import of local farm food, there was a large team of volunteers who picked up the sea of cans scattered throughout Grant Park. Lollapalooza features a rock&recycle program which dispenses trash bags to those who individuals who wish to clean up their mess and who later will be rewarded for their actions; when they return with a bag full of trash they are then eligible to win a bicycle and then walk away with a free Lolla shirt. What made the biggest environmental impact this year at Lollapalooza were the H20 water bottles. Individuals could refill these water bottles, available at $2 a piece, and fill them up at one of the water stations, cutting down the amount of water bottles used down by thousands. This year was another remarkable leap towards giving back to Grant Park and to giving the environment the kind of authority it needs in our every day partying lives.

The Ocean Heroes Award was created by Oceana in 2009 to recognize an exceptional personal commitment to ocean conservation.

The first winner, announced on World Oceans Day, June 8, 2009, was John Halas, a marine biologist and manager of the Upper Region of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Halas, who won a $500 Nautica gift certificate and an outgoing voicemail greeting by Ted Danson, has been working to protect coral systems in Florida since 1981. He developed an environmentally friendly anchor and mooring buoy system that prevents damage to coral reefs and has worked to implement this anchorage system in 38 countries.

Bob Schoelkopf was the runner-up for his work rescuing and rehabilitating seals, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine animals in New Jersey. Shark expert Andy Dehart earned the third most votes for his work educating the public about sharks.

Other finalists included Girl Scouts Chanel Gemini, Nika Kashyap and Sabina Van Tilburg from Hawaii; teenage anti-pollution activist Emily Goldstein from Louisville, KY, South Florida coral reef steward Lynora Indiviglio, legendary ocean educator Jeff “Mr. Fish” Sandler from Maine and Casey Sokolovic, an 11-year-old grassroots sea turtle activist from North Carolina.

You can learn more about the 2010 contest at http://oceana.org/heroes, where you can take a pledge for ocean conservation and vote on this year’s incredible finalists.

For information about sponsorships opportunities, please contact Jon Frank at jfrank@oceana.org or call 202-467-1949.

Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than ten years in the making,Avatar marks Cameron’s return to feature directing since helming 1997’s Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of eleven Oscars® including Best Picture. He transforms the environments and characters into photo realistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.This is a movie that will entertain the whole family over and over again –© 20th Century Fox