Lollapalooza Festival 2014 - Eminem, Outkast and my dream.

Lollapalooza's announcement

Without trying to brag at the start of this post, I'm stuck in the UK, without any hope of hitting Chicago in
early August - but I'm still witnessing the great Andre 3000 & Big Boi this summer.

http://www.wirelessfestival.co.uk/line-up/poster - The 'Bruno Mars' is the day I'm looking forward to.

They're also headlining a local festival to me, in Birmingham, UK.  It's known as Wireless Festival and although it's not a completely new experience for me this year, it's a LOT closer to home.

Me and a good friend (@Ash_Forbes) hit up Hyde Park, London in summer 2012 (it was a sweet 18th birthday gift), mainly to again get an opportunity at seeing our (still to date) favourite artist - J Cole.

The trek to London, couple nights sleep in a Premier Inn were all more than worth it to see Cole owning the main stage.  A stage that also held none other than Rihanna and Drake, who headlined the weekend.

My memory is waiting and standing through a share of tedious acts, we weren't gonna miss Cole on the main stage, we were gonna get as close up as possible.



So as Tulisa (formerly of N-Dubz, w/ X-rated link) came and whined her thing, followed by X Factor 'star' Cher Lloyd and less than fire rap experience from UK duo Rizzle Kicks, it was finally the turn of Cole.

Now I'm not going to be naive and egotistical and reckon we were the only two fans in a city like LDN, but there was no one in our vicinity who even looked like they might recall a couple lyrics.

Cole in London, our experience

OK, OK, so when Work Out and Can't Get Enough - Cole's debut's mainstream hits - were blasted, it got a little livelier.  Credit Jermaine though, his set was greeted by the worst weather of the whole weekend, but it remains the best festival experience of my life.

WE GOT A LINK TO A BRAND NEW VERSE, still hanging around Cole's collection, still unreleased.

My mate Ash is sadly unavailable this year around, as we found out the Fayeteville rapper was again gracing the UK's summer scene, this time around as Wireless has enjoyed a shake up, being played across both London's Finsbury Park and Birmingham's Perry Park.

I couldn't miss out, not with the announcement of Cole's arrival, not with it being TWO damn train stops from my FRONT DOOR.

So again, in search of birthday gifts from the parents, I persuaded the Missus to hop along this time.

Let me tell you, there wasn't much persuasion needed, Bruno Mars headlines our day alongside Outkast, what some girls wouldn't do for that..and the little matter of UK songstress Ellie Goulding, the lady is fire, in every sense of the word.

Bruno Mars, Outkast, Ellie Goulding,
J COLEEEEEE

Back to Lolla, the acclaimed US hit festival, it's not exactly the home of hip-hop festivals, but it's more than that, again, it's the feel, surrounded by different genres, young and old, up and coming - most notably, the best that genre has to offer.

In the week this year's bill was announced, Eminem, the thought of seeing him do his thang over in the states is almost unbearable.

Funny - or not so - story with Shady actually.

It was a sort of, not so much dream, but goal and ambition in life to witness Em tearing up a crowd before he stops touring.  I sorta naively thought I'd never reach the dream.  Until it was announced he was showing at prestigious rock (!!) festivals Reading and Leeds in 2013.

I was online, on the phone at the ready, and then I found out on the date I was in Spain on holiday.  Blerghhhhhh.  The chance will come.

I got into J Cole sort've late 2010, early 2011.  My pal Ash had witnessed him live at Drake's first UK Tour as support, and we got to see Jermaine's first full solo tour in Birmingham, late 2011.

One vivid memory of being a fan was in the festival season of summer 2013, Cole had been invited along to Rock The Bells I peeped the setlist and sorted the time differences, the Cole fandom on Twitter were a help, set an alarm - and got up at 4am or whatever it was for Cole's set.

It was madness, to witness it then in my quiet, dark house - the rap buzz in US will always be a galaxy away, greater feel, greater atmosphere, greater appreciation, greater love.

The look of it, the sheer enjoyment of that hip-hop crowd was a sight.

Rock The Bells is a dream of mine

A year prior while we were seeing the real thing in London, Col was owning Chi-Town's very own Lollapalooza - again, there was me, up at night, jamming along in my bed.

Hopefully, within not so many years.  That'll be me, there, part of that moment.