Well damn, Lollapalooza.

It\’s the beginning of a new week as we wrap up another unforgettable Lolla; the weekend was a clash between good music and overcrowded mud pits full of sweaty, intoxicated people. Unfortunately, those two don\’t mix very well.

The damages were inevitable due to the bipolar Chicago weather; it has become a normal thing in this city to see the sun out while it\’s raining cats and ravers. Entering the festival Friday afternoon, I thought the dance-filled Perry\’s stage was already a muddy wreck. The on and off downpour on Sunday made things even worse.

\”Due to heavy rains on Sunday, we\’re seeing more damage to portions of the park than in 2013. We will not know the full extent of the damage until all stages and activations are loaded out, at which point we will do a thorough walk through with the Chicago Park District to assess the damage and create a remediation plan that will leave Grant Park at or better than its pre-festival condition.\” – Lollapalooza

According to this official statement, the beloved Grant Park was left a war zone. Check out a few pictures that make it seem like there was never a patch of green grass on the ground:

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Photos courtesy of NBC Chicago

C3 Presents, Lollapalooza\’s primary promoter, has the park rented out for a few more days which means restoration is at a halt. The Chicago Park District is guaranteed a minimum of 1.5 million dollars taken from ticket sales.

It is estimated to cost around $300,000 to fully restore the park this year. This was a big increase in repair costs compared to 2013, but fell shy to 2012\’s $350,000 bill and 2011\’s whomping $1,000,000 damages. Heavy storms hit Grant Park both in 2011 and 2012 during the festival; Lolla is no stranger to insane weather.

It was way worth the battle if you spent your day at Perry\’s; the stacked Sunday lineup included a bass-filled set from Crizzly, a genre-blending hour of GTA, groovy techno beats from Gesaffelstein, the best Flosstradamus performance I\’ve ever witnessed, a mainstage-worthy Sebastian Ingrosso set, and a proper closing experience featuring Chicago\’s Chance The Rapper.

Over by the Bud Light stage, it stopped raining during the beginning of Childish Gambino\’s performance; the sky began to come clear as the massive crowd stretching all the way back to Buckingham Fountain prepared for a monstrous Skrillex experience. It\’s safe to say that Skrillex made the muddy ground worse with an unforgettable act full of energy and a bit of sorrow as Lollapalooza came to an end.

If you\’re already suffering from Lolla withdrawals, you can relive some of the weekend\’s sets we\’ve recorded; at least you\’ll hopefully be dry while listening to them.

The heavy rain took a toll on my buddy Kelso. Don\’t worry, we will be repair him in time to join us at North Coast. See you there.

Featured image courtesy of Red Bull

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