This was the first time Lollapalooza had hit the road since 1997 (the time Tool melted my brain) and would be the last time it was a touring festival before making Grant Park in Chicago its permanent annual home. This would also be my second and last time to White River Amphitheatre. I went to this show with Earl, Marvin and Ben. I remember getting drunk before getting even more drunk (someone was feeding me whiskey after many beers). At some point we ran into Shane from Loudermilk and talked to him for a little since he played hockey with Marvin and Ben.

The first band I remember wanting to check out was 30 Seconds to Mars. Someone burned me a copy of the first album and I thought it was pretty good. I was curious to see if Jared Leto was the real deal or not and much to my surprise they were really good. They had a unique style both visually and musically. I remember seeing Kings of Leon on that stage in passing because they looked like they were straight out of 1975. This was many years before they gained super popularity.

This was the second time within two months that I missed the band Cold (Endfest). They were slated to be a part of Lollapalooza and dropped out at the last minute for some reason, so the first band playing that I was really there to see was A Perfect Circle. They were about to release their second album less than a month later and the lineup now had James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins on guitar and Jeordie White (Twiggy) from Marilyn Manson on bass. Maynard was now comfortable embracing his role as front man from the back of the stage as he played the first song or two shadow dancing from behind a curtain. At this point I am certain Marvin basically just walked into the floor section (the beginning of a long history of walking into things for free) while the rest of us watched from the lawn.

Incubus played next and were still touring for the album Morning View. This was the fifth time I saw them but nothing stands out in my memory about this performance (maybe the whiskey?).

Up after that was Audioslave, which I was also excited to see. This band was a no-brainer since I love both Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine. Chris Cornell kicks ass as a singer and Tom Morello is a guitar wizard. They rocked through almost all songs on the debut album and had the crowd whipped into a frenzy. I also remember a moment when Maynard came out to duet with Chris Cornell for a song.

Jane’s Addiction closed the show. I am not a huge Jane’s fan but like a handful of their songs. This was the first time I got to see them and I remember thinking how comfortable they looked onstage. Perry Farrell was in a crazy looking suit and Dave Navarro looked the part of a rock star wearing a boa and sunglasses with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.