|
Written by WENDY WOLLENBERG
|
|
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 |
Everyone knows if you’re cool, you go to Lollapalooza. But, if you’re too cool, you bypass Grant Park altogether and head to the after-parties. Since Chicago became Lolla Central back in 2005, the city’s clubs and other venues have capitalized on the influx of music-minded movers and shakers. The Lollapalooza after-party scene is now so sprawling, you really need a nap before embarking on all of the post-show debauchery.
| | |
Belve Music Lounge Presented by Belvedere Vodka
|
W Chicago City Center
Chicago, IL
August 5-6, 2011
|
| | |
The W Chicago City Center, the Theater District hot spot with an old Hollywood vibe, was this year’s Lolla After-Party Headquarters. The Belve Music Lounge, a “VIP retreat and media hub” hosted by Belvedere Vodka at the W City Center, had all of the Lollapalooza after-party prerequisites: It hosted festival acts in an up-close-and-personal setting, it had free-flowing alcohol, and it was harder to get into than a Target parking lot on a Saturday afternoon.
Held from 10pm until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights during the Lolla weekend, the Belve Music Lounge featured live performances and DJ sets in the hotel’s second-floor event space. As the line outside attested, these were some of the festival’s most buzzed-about acts, including Two Door Cinema Club, Fitz and the Tantrums, DJ White Shadow and a DJ set by Grace Potter on Friday night. Saturday’s lineup featured Black Lips, Skylar Grey, Mia Moretti and Caitlin Moe, along with some surprising celebrity DJ appearances (main Hobbitt Elijah Wood and DJ Mom Jeans, a.k.a. Danny Masterson from That ‘70s Show).
Word must have spread about the caliber of Lolla talent appearing at the Belve Lounge because both nights the W was a mob scene. By 11pm on Friday night, the venue was at capacity, disappointing the line of guests cooling their stiletto heels out front.
Those who were lucky enough to gain access enjoyed customized Belvedere Unfiltered 80 cocktails, such as the Belvedere Gimlet, the Pepper Collins and the appropriately named Intense Sunrise. Lounge areas were set up around the perimeter of the hotel’s two event spaces, offering prime perches for people watching. Withered festival goers even got to freshen up at the Benefit Cosmetics stations set up outside the stage area.
Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
