The Shins play the most passionate background music ever to grace my ears. Sure, they’ve got a few dancy numbers, but as a whole it’s melodic poetry that sits on the border between highly connective and background. It’s a strange place to be, but then again so is Lollapalooza. With a mixture of teenage dubstepping party rockers, black painted parasol toting goths, tank top sandal spotting bros and plaid pasted hipster wannabes, Lollapalooza welcomes all who at the core love music enough to pay nearly $300 for few days of live tunes. Standing in front of the stage that elevated The Shins on Friday afternoon it was really surprising to see the mixture of their fan base. But as mentioned, they play highly passionate music for passionate people. And their Lolla performance was tight. The sweetness in James Mercer’s voice lofted on waves over the field. Jessica Dobson’s complementary riffs only surpassed in elegance by her beauty. It was the sort of set that gives you shivers and makes you think about beautiful things the way a child would.
