I’m flying to O’Hare at 4:30 to go to the second two days of Lollapalooza in Chicago. Having never been to a music festival before, let alone Lolla, and having anticipated this weekend since May (when I left college— i’m also visiting my pseudo-boyfriend on this trip, so it’s extra anxiety-inducing/exciting) I’m going to write about what I envision this weekend to be.

Lollapalooza will be a hellish plane ride on a shitty airline.  Spirit airlines gives you the least amount of leg room that is legally allowed.  I’m departing from the atlantic city airport and I live in Philadelphia.  This means an hour and a half car ride, two hours with traffic.  Spirit has no customer service whatsoever.  If I’m held up by anything, I could potentially miss Lollapalooza completely.

Lollapalooza will be in an architecturally stunning Midwestern city (that I’ve never visited, save college visits to Northwestern/Uchicago which don’t count).  The food will be great.  It will be really hot. People will be sweaty and gross.  But they’ll be friendly! It’s the midwest! I come from the east coast— people are so rude here.  In Philly, you get yelled at when you hesitate making a food order at Pat’s cheese steaks and booed at if you perform for us.  Even if you’re Santa Claus. What’s up with Philly???

Lollapalooza will be really good people watching.  People will be fashionable! Aren’t people fashionable at these music festivals? Sometimes pictures come up on my news feed from Coachella or Ultra, and people are either dressed like a crazy celebrity on a lot of prescription medication in huge sunglasses and a fringe-y top, or something crazy and rave-y that makes them look ridiculous and usually a little fat.  Even if they’re not.  I’m not planning to dress like that, but I know it’ll be swelteringly hot, so I am going to wear a bathing suit top under my clothes.  Am I buying into the ‘music festival aesthetic?’ Am I conforming to the branding?

Lollapalooza will be good music that I probably won’t be able to enjoy because of the heat and the sweaty bodies.  I know this is a pessimistic way to look at it but I get migraines and I know that a day of standing around in the heat is going to affect me negatively.  However, I’m very excited for some of the acts and I think that doing certain drugs (and not drinking alcohol, which makes me really sick in heat) will get rid of my misanthropic people-hating mindset.

Lollapalooza will be awkward because I’m sleeping for five nights at Daniel’s house in Evanston. Ugh, I’m so socially anxious about this part.  I have to meet his parents and little brother.  Hey mom and dad, this girl is going to sleep with me for the next five nights! Hope you’re cool with that! And by the way, we’re spending our weekend rolling and tripping at lolla, hope you’re cool with that too! Hopefully I can keep my shit together enough to impress them like I usually do with adults with my impressive knowledge of literature and current events.  Also, they are coming back from France today, and I know French! That’s impressive, right? Plus my sister just studied abroad in Paris last semester? So there’s some common ground.  Okay, I’m fucked, whatever…

I’ll do a follow up post at some point but I’m going to Vegas (???!!) to celebrate my grandmother’s 80th birthday (looool) so it may be extra delayed.