Coldplay, Muse open Lollapalooza; Eminem coming Sunday (Video)

The unique music experience that is Lollapalooza opened last night as British bands Coldplay and Muse brought the 90,000-strong crowd to a frenzy. This year’s indulgence also features the Foo Fighters, Wye Oak and Eminem.

The opening night showcased The Vaccines and Crystal Castles, and Muse indulged the capacity crowd with a special rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ Another stage boasted Pete Wentz, who played a tight set with his new band ‘Black Cards.’

“It’s really exciting, because I’ve never played Lollapalooza before, and to be able to play and hang out with my friends and family and have them see me play is really cool,” he told media reps.

Coldplay treated fans to hits like ‘Yellow,’ ‘In My Place,’ and ‘Clocks.’ But they capped their show with a tribute to Amy Winehouse. Chris Martin covered Amy’s song ‘Rehab’ before segueing into ‘Fix You.’

Nestled in its traditional home of Chicago’s Grant Park this year’s show boasts no less than 140 bands on eight separate stages. Tickets are changing hands for $215 a piece and the site grew by 35-acres to meet the demand. The food got an upgrade as well – this year sees the debut of lobster corn dogs. 15,000 of them.

The organizers also announced plans for a new foreign franchise – Following their previous expansion in Chile a second international version will be debut in San Paolo, Brazil on April 7 next year.

“The Brazilians have a very rich history of celebration,” Lolla’s founder, Perry Farrell told the press in a statement. ”If we at Lolla can rub together with them, there’s no telling what heights that party will reach.”

And the show’s current profile is best seen in an acerbic endorsement by Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak;

“I love Lollapalooza because it’s the one festival even my grandparents know what it is,” she told fans.

Three days of glorious sounds will be capped by Sunday’s headline show featuring Deadmau5, Kid Cudi and the Foo Fighters whom the organizers expect to raw record-breaking crowds.

Here are some highlights of last night to see what you missed…

CM