Paste's Guide to Lollapalooza 2010

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Dear Readers,

By now, tens of thousands of you are on your way to (or are already in) Chicago for Lollapalooza 2010. But even though most of us are staying close to Paste HQ in good old Decatur, Ga. this weekend, that doesn’t mean we can’t help you make the most of your Lolladays (sorry), including our picks for the increasingly-popular after-shows.

Check out our custom schedule here and our handy-dandy guide below. And, as always, if you’re going, drink plenty of water, use sunblock and have an awesome time.

Love,
Your Totally Jealous Friends at Paste

Thursday, Aug. 5

9 p.m. — After rolling into Chicago for the weekend, head to legendary Schubas Tavern (CTA Brown Line to Southport) for a pre-festival show with Young Galaxy and Cymbals Eat Guitars.

Friday, Aug. 6

11:30 a.m. — Bust through those entry gates and head straight for hooky, hip-hop goodness, courtesy of Atlanta’s own B.o.B. And yes, we know that “Airplanes” song is sort of inevitable, but you’ll live. (adidas MEGA Stage)

12:15 p.m. — Can’t go wrong with either main-stage act: You’ve got the sun-drenched Cali fuzz of Wavves (Budweiser Stage) on one side of the park and the cross-cultural dance party of Balkan Beat Box (Parkways Stage) on the other. If it’s energy you want, though, go with the latter.

1 p.m. — Venezuela’s Los Amigos Invisibles turned out to be a surprise crowd favorite during Lolla’s first year as a stationary festival in Chicago and now, five years later, they’re back (now with 100% more Latin Grammys!) to bring their spaced-out, porn-groove funk once more. (PlayStation Stage)

1:45 p.m. — Feed your afternoon buzz with the bright, bouncy, piano-tinged indie-pop of one of our favorite new acts, Philly trio Jukebox the Ghost. Bonus points if they break out a crowd-pleasing cover of Donna Lewis’ “I Love You, Always Forever” like they did in the Paste studio not too long ago. (BMI Stage)

2 p.m. — Friday morning is a glut of blog-buzz bands, so it’s time to escape the hipsters and take in some old-school soul, courtesy of blues and gospel icon Mavis Staples. We’re still secretly hoping for a surprise appearance from fellow Chicago musician Jeff Tweedy, who produced her upcoming album, but either way, Staples is an essential. (Budweiser)

3 p.m. — Just across the field from Mavis, Drive-By Truckers will be starting. And you’d be hard pressed to find a rocking-er rock band at this year’s festival than Muscle Shoals progeny Patterson Hood and his Alabama crew. (PlayStation)

4 p.m. — Retro-future-avant-garde-genre-benders Devo were the talk of the 2009 SXSW festival and Coachella this past spring. Even if you’re just going to hear “Whip It,” or for the silly kitch-futuristic attire, do yourself a favor and experience what Akron, Ohio has to offer other than certain overhyped basketball plays…er…we’ve said too much. (Parkways)

5 p.m. — Keys-and-drums power-pop duo Matt & Kim have a stage show energetic enough to power a small country. If you’re determined to dance on stage while at Lollapalooza, their set might be your best bet. (adidas MEGA)

6 p.m. — Hot Chip (Parkways) and Jamie Lidell (6:30 @ Sony bloggle Stage) are both pretty excellent options, but for a solid loud, boozy festival rock set, we’d go with Ohio duo The Black Keys. (Budweiser)

7:15 p.m. — Mellow out with incomparable reggae legend Jimmy Cliff for a little while before making the Ultimate Friday Night Headliner Decision. (PlayStation)

8 p.m. — This is where it gets tricky. You have two great options for headliners: Lady Gaga on one side of the park (Parkways) and a reunited The Strokes (Budweiser @ 8:30) on the other. Both shows will inevitably be packed and have more than their fair share of ravenous fans. President Gaga’s got sheer theatrics on her side (she dropped a cool quarter-mil on her Lolla stage show), but the reunion element and the scarcity of U.S. tour dates make a compelling case for The Strokes. Or, you could try to do the marathon trek and check out both sets, especially with Gaga starting half an hour earlier. Godspeed.

10 p.m. — The tourist-chic River North neighborhood not far from Grant Park is where it’s at tonight for the Precision Guided Musicians dance party, featuring sets from Lolla founder Perry Farrell, Dark Wave Disco, CASPA, a DJ set from Chromeo and more at Sound-Bar (Brown Line to Chicago; Red Line to Grand).