Variety's Abe Burns reports from the front lines at this weekend's Lollapalooza festival in downtown Chicago.

Cansei de Ser Sexy aka CSS (above; their name is Portuguese for "I got tired of being sexy"), led by eccentric vocalist Lovefoxxx, threw more of a party than a typical show. Multi-colored balloons and streamers filled the air, leaving only a sea of hands and floating colors. The six-piece Brazilian band animated every note from the iPod-approved "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex" to the sinister new single "Rat Is Dead (Rage)". Mid-set, Lovefoxxx instructed the crowd in synchronized dance moves as an homage to their friend/fellow Lolla artist Duffy, and the masses gave in.

Two hours before Radiohead were to take the stage there was already a sizable crowd securing their highly coveted front row spots. Pushed against metal railings and beaten by the heat and humidity, they still came in droves. The lights brightened, and another group of English rockers entered -- Bloc Party (left). While contemporaries like The Arctic Monkeys, Maximo Park and the Kaiser Chiefs have practically fallen off the radar, Bloc Party has managed to make a dent in the U.S. The crowd greeted their intense and epic songs like "Banquet," "I Still Remember" and "Helicopter" with excitement, while heralding the song "Hunting For Witches." With the addition of an amped-up light show and stand-in bass player, they also threw in the new U.K. buzz-single "Mercury" (think a grimey Gang Of Four).

8:00 p.m. Time for Radiohead (above). Looking out into the crowd you could no longer see green grass or the baseball diamonds underneath each stage, just bodies. Hundreds Thousands gathered, taking up every available inch, and the air was condensing. This is what everyone was waiting for. One low growl, resembling a kick drum, came from the huge front-house speaker. The crowd roared. Then another -- the band had just begun, surrounded by what looked like long fiberglass pipes (actually geo-friendly LED's, specially installed for the band). It was "15 Step." Red flashes of light, and one huge screen showcased each band member in haunting black and white, followed by images of the Chicago waterfront. "Airbag" and "There There" came with the same intensity as did the rest of the setlist, which focused on more of the bands "In Rainbows" material. See Radiohead's set list.

(Photos by Angeline Vuong/Variety)