From a good half mile away I could start to hear the din of the festival off in the distance as I wove through the streets of the south loop. As I got to michigan avenue and the western edge of the park i could see pufts of smoke coming up from the concessions row, and immediately got a taste for a boneless rib sammich, one of the delicacies that sustained me through the 3-day festival the past several years when I actually bought a pass to get inside. But not this year.

I pedaled across the bridge that spanned above the south shore train line and coasted down towards Columbus avenue which formed the western border of the festival. Temporary steel barricades and chainlink fences lined the east side of the street, containing what was probably 70,000+ strong inside. But I was surprised to see what looked like already a hundred or so people on the west side of the street lined up with blankets and backpacks & such.

We were the freeloaders. Sacrificing the proximity and sightlines which the festival goers inside had the benefit of for the thrifty option of listening to the music from across the street for free. We took what we could get.

I slowly pedaled north on Columbus looking for a good place to park my bike and take in the atmosphere. There's one area in Grant Park that has tennis courts and sand volleyball courts, and this was where most of the people seemed to congregate (i thought it would have been cool to get a volleyball game going, but sadly didn't bring a ball). The sound was pretty good considering we were off to the side of the stages, and some lucky few even had a good sightline of the video screens of the stage. But most of us had a better view of the port-a-jons lining up on the other side of the fences which, sadly, some festivalgoers inside occasionally felt the need to not wait in line for their turn and decided to go relieve themselves behind the toilets, often to stern talking-to's from security & the Chicago PD. And even more sadly, it wasn't just the guys standing up and relieving themselves either... several 'ladies' decided to squat down and give it a try as well. I don't think they realized out open and in-view they actually were.

So with that, the evening wasn't perfect, but there was another incident that really made it worth riding down to witness. By the time Rage hit the stage, there were easily a couple hundred people in the park where i ended up, and quite a few young Rage fans. There was some singing along with de la Rocha, some marching around and fist-pumping... although i'm sure no where near as much as was going on inside. A few times the band stopped playing and Zach pleaded with the crowd inside to take it easy and step back 5 or 6 steps (I've been in those situations in the past, so i know exactly what crowd-crushing activities were going on in there). But with the angry music Rage throws down, you almost have to expect that... as well as expect what was about to happen.

Across the street was a media entrance. Occasionally we'd see cameras go in and out, as well as some ladies who didn't look they were dressed to be down front amongst the sweaty throngs of lollapaloozers. But the point is, there was an opening to get in and out of the chain link fence. then, on top of that, about 45 minutes into Rage's set, some security staff unhinged some of the steel barricades as well. i can only think this was because Rage was the final act of the evening, and soon tens of thousands of people would be streaming out of the park and they wanted to open the area up to ease the congestion. i don't think they completely thought things through though, as they had not only opened up a way for people on the inside to get out, but there was now an opening for the outside people to get in.

And what happened next was fantastic. It wasn't just a couple brave kids that decided to chance it, no. Dozens, if not a hundred strong, seized the opportunity and stormed across Columbus and tried to penetrate the media entrance. i could only imagine the word was being spread and they joined in unison, feeling they had the numbers to give it a try and made a break for it in organized chaos. A few lucky ones i think made it inside before the mounted police and security busted things up and shut down the opening, leaving a few who tried but failed still on the outside.

From my vantage point, it seemed to go off peaceably. The crowd caught the police and security with their pants down, but all recovered pretty quickly. The scene had the potential to be really ugly, as a helicopter above flooded the street with a spotlight and paddywagons, squads, and police atv's swarmed in from north and south. But although several people who didn't get in were disappointed and had some choice words for the authorities (what else would you expect at a Rage Againste the Machine show after all?), order was restored pretty easily.

I'm sure the people inside had a good time (at least those who didn't get crushed near the stage)... and I'm sure it was all worth every penny. I know i got my money's worth for the evening.