The last day of Lollapalooza was looming in the distance Sunday morning. I wasn’t glad to see it end, but three days of scorching sunlight was getting to me.

Opening on the main stage was The Joy Formidable, bringing their sonic assault to the masses early to start with a bang. After tearing though 45 minutes of their noisiest material, lead vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan smashed her guitar into a gong while the other members finished out their single ‘Whirring’, leaving a large impression on the eager crowd.

Indie band Noah and the Whale were up after The Joy Formidable with a rather calming set compared to their metal-enhanced predecessors. With violinist Tom Hobden center stage, the crowd swayed in the heat to the mellow jams and deep vocals provided by Charlie Fink.

On the opposing smaller stage was City & Colour, Dallas Green of Alexisonfire fames mellow project. Interspersed in the fantastic set of mainly new material, he entertained the crowd with his hilarious commentary, such as, “I don’t know how to thank you guys, so I’m not going to. But know that I mean it.”

Traversing Grant Park, we set out to the second main stage to briefly watch The Cars, who ran through their classic material like the year was still 1980, playing classics like ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’ and ‘Good Times Roll.’

Portugal. The Man was slated to start at 5 PM, so we arrived early to the Sony Stage to get a close spot up front for what was bound to be a great set from the Alaskan band. Playing a hefty amount of old material, the crowd jammed along regardless of knowing the songs or otherwise.

Within a half hour, the skies had turned from blue to a deep gray. As Portugal. The Man closed out their set with ‘People Say’ and seamlessly transitioning into a cover of Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger,’ the sky spilt hard cold rain over the park.

We ran for cover near the media tent, one of the many perks of our wristbands while the rest of the festival attendees ran in the flooded streets.

The rain cleared within a half-hour, bringing the show back into action. Arctic Monkeys teared through their set due to their late start, giving fans a fast pace to stomp about in the muddy field. The band even created a mosh pit, the first one we witnessed over Lollapalooza.

While we waited impatiently for mega house DJ Deadmau5 to close out the show, the rain reared its ugly head again. Kevin and I took refuge in the glamorous port-a-johns while waiting for the rain to pass, but after we heard the opening chords of Deadmau5 starting regardless of the downpour, we knew we had a job to do.

I ripped my shirt off and kicked open the stall door and ran through the streets to the main stage, fist-pumping the entire way while stomping through lakes of mud. We emerged to a massive crowd of fans raving to the thunderous boom of bass provided by Deadmau5, equipped in his glowing mouse helmet with a devilish grin, guaranteed Joel Zimmerman behind the mask was doing the exact same.

The event was a massive success, and the hoards of raging fans walking through the Chicago streets drenched in mud are sure to feel the same. For Kevin and I, Lollapalooza was an amazing three day spectacle we are both grateful to have gone through.

To check out photos from Lollapalooza, click here