Well, there it goes, another Lollapalooza. Easy come, easy go, right? Not so fast. Three days with your favorite bands, surrounded by fellow music fans, unique local food, and plenty of other goodies may sound dynamite on paper…however, nothing ever goes 100% according to plan. There’s always an outside element that throws you off track.
Like, for instance, rain.
If you haven’t read in our coverage already, it rained on Sunday. A lot. Not just lightly. We’re talking about a torrential downpour, the sort that ruins fields and threatens visibility. Okay, so it’s a gift from the gods above for sweaty, sticky festivalgoers, but for writers who have to use pen and paper, and especially expensive cameras, it’s something to worry about.
Yesterday, after rounding the corner towards the Bud Light stage, trying to catch what would end up being a raucous performance by Cage the Elephant, the CoS team looked up to see dark, ominous clouds hovering above the northernmost point of Grant Park. It was something out of an old Mickey Mouse cartoon: thousands of party animals, an aural whir of music and shouting, and an endless stream of dancers and passersby.
So, we hit up the AccuWeather app on our Windows Phone, and found it would be raining for the next hour. Great. We planned accordingly by finding some refuge, keeping close enough to catch Best Coast’s set. Problem solved. (Well, not technically. Have you ever walked around in a muddy pair of Converse sneakers? It feels like you’re walking with Play-Doh in your socks. Gross.) But something wild happened…
The sun returned. Just as Bethany Cosentino sang the last notes of “When I’m With You”, a streak of gold raced through the trees, igniting the mud people bathing in the fishing pond that used to be the festival grounds. Many rejoiced, some ate pizza, but the festival kept going. As we strolled away, we looked over at Buckingham Fountain, only to see – we kid you not – a double rainbow. Internet meme aside, this is a moment you had to remember. With no photographers around, we snapped a few shots (thank god for that easy-to-use camera button on the side of the Windows Phone), and then worked them over with the Colorizer and Apict apps we downloaded. Here’s the winner…
Pretty snazzy photo, huh? All from a single mobile phone – can you believe it? This is just one of many shots, too. If you want to see more, be sure to read our Lollapalooza coverage.
But, not so fast. If you have a crazy story from this past weekend involving your own mobile phone, let us know in the comments below. We’ll choose our favorite and send you a new Windows Phone to help you out in the future.
Fair trade? Start dishin’ the goods.