Are you going to Lollapalooza? Do you wish you were? Did you know that it’s in Chile this year, April 2nd and 3rd? Should I consider that a celebration of when I will have been in Chile for seven years? It’s so nice of those thousands of people to stand together in Parque O’Higgins, not far from my current or future home (YES! I am moving, it is a miracle, I am hoping the Rio Mapocho will run clear in miraculous accompaniment) for many hours on end, absorbing the sun with their upturned faces as much loud music wafts over them.
But I will probably not be going. It’s not that I have anything against Parque O’Higgins, I’ve been many times, usually around the national holiday (September 18th) to catch stuff like this going on.
It’s an okay park, if a bit of a peladero (literally, bald thing, but what I mean is that it’s mostly untreed, and the parade grounds are a giant parking lot scar in the middle of the park). And it has this little lagoon of dubious cleanliness, where children splash and swim, despite signs indicating that they should not.
It also has this quirkly little Pueblito thing, which is a fake little huaso (Chilean cowboy)town, and Fantasilandia, an amusement park, and fairly newly, a skatepark with the possibility of doing a 360 through a tube.
But I will (almost definitely) not be there for Lollapalooza. Oh, I get it that it’s a big deal, the first time the festival takes place outside of the United States. And friends repeatedly tell me that the Killers are getting back together. The Killers! And I think about how old and doddery I’ve gotten and how much I enjoy acoustic music like Nano Stern who I saw at Teatro del Puente (remember that?)
Or Donavon Frankenreiter, who came to a bizarre, very poorly-organized concert at Mall Sport on the lagoon there. (Seriously, the crowd control was mythically bad, a cluster idiocy of even post-Chilean proportions, in most other countries there would have been a riot, and sorry for being bringing up the political, but man I hope Egypt gets their way).
But Donavon was fabulous, and gave a tremendous show, and he and his accompanying guitar guy even pulled up closer to the audience when they felt they were too far away, and threw mikes into the crowd for people to sing along, and he was just generally all lovey, and he sang the song for us that he wrote for his son, and he muddled along in Spanish and I thought about how I should have offered interpretation services so he could have talked to the crowd, but really most everyone up there understands enough English that he could have spoken more, but anyway, yay, concert! And yay acoustic music, and yay Donavon coming closer, and yay newish camera that pulls light from nowhere, and yay Kyle (on location this week) for asking the seminal question “but do you really plan to take photos at night?” which encouraged me to buy said camera. And yes, and with vigor. Or much clickage.
And yeah, I like many things, among them, photography and quietish music. And I think I’m really going to like my new apartment. Though I will miss this view:
But I can’t wait to get the keys and dance around to folky music at a moderate volume and show you all what the new place has to offer.
New Apartment – yay! Congratulations
I will most likely go to Lollapalooza, but I pretty much hate all big concerts in Santiago because the crowds and pushing and scarce water for sale make it difficult to enjoy them as I'd like to (relaxed, happy and enough room to not panic about getting smushed by the crowd).
Also, I think the line-up is pretty lame, especially considering all of the fuss over Lollapalooza coming to Chile. BUT with all my b*tching and moaning, I'd still like to be there to see a few of the acts, hehe.
I do share your love of quietish folk music, however, I like the loudish stuff, too!
Maybe I'll just hope for an invite to your new digs and listen to it from there 🙂
Isabel, come on over. I'm not sure if I'll be able to hear it from there, but maybe I will. It's on Vergara, so what's that, like ten blocks away? Who am I kidding, you will totally be able to hear that concert from everywhere. We can pedal around and drink copious amounts of water. You're totally invited. And yes, see my point about crowd control at this concert, and there were less than 1,000 of us. Very bad, makes me panicky. And the water thing, too. Cultural differences, I guess.
I will not be going to Lollapalooza either, but I wanted to congratulate you on finding a new place! Good luck with the move.
Umm, yeah, I usually coveer Lollapalooza since it's been in Chicago for the last 5 years! How did it wind up in Chile?
Thanks for the depto props, Emily! Very glad, though still haven't quite finished the move. Accepting flete reccs from anyone who has them!
And FlyGirl, I think you should try to cover it from Chile! I know someone who could help you get around, and who lives pretty close to the concert!
Thanks for the heads up, I am completely out of the live music loop. Great that this music festival would come to Chile and I'd love to see Ben Harper but the mass crowds and lack of water would be a turn off. And all the Chileans smoking, if that's allowed!
Good luck with the move!
Great photos…I felt like I was taking a walk right there with you!
Congrats on the new apartment! I hope you enjoy it.
Yay new place! Yay new camera! Yay new shiny toys 🙂
Yay! New apartment! Bigger kitchen?
I wish my hubs and the truck could assist, but he is OOT.
Most assuredly NOT going to lollapalooza, I am old and doddery too, have been since birth, and have never really liked big loud concerts
Two things. Hooray for your new digs, please send your new address. Because I'll be sad if I'm in a taxi at your OLD address.
And this: New Camera? What did you get?