Lollapalooza, the tour, the legend, the celebration of musical and cultural eclecticism at its finest. In other words, if you have your finger on the pulse of artistic expression, you've found yourself craving to partake in this festival of summertime liberation, and Shoutweb surfaced at the Camden, NJ date on July 27th at the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront.

Billy Talent, hailing from Canada, were one of the first acts of the day, playing the side stage right after The Distillers, fronted by Brody Armstrong, crucified on the main platform giving a bloody, daredevil punk-o-rama vibe to the earlier part of the festivities. Billy Talent, the four-piece, were clearly steeped in a Black Flag foundation with hints of a Hanoi Rocks sense of glam, and vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz also proclaimed their affection to a fan wearing a Fugazi shirt in the well-sized crowd for their early exhibition.

Billy Talent live is an explosive burst of fun-filled energy. Copyright (c) 2003 Therese McKeon/Shoutweb.com

The all-girl quartet, The Donnas, continued to praise the punk rock doctrine with more concentration on whirling and raunchy solos thanks to guitarist Allison Robertson. The amphitheater was already three-quarters occupied by a crowd that stretched from hip-hoppers to Mohawk cuts to people who were clearly still trying to exit the Tweeter Center venue from last year's Ozzfest. Confetti started to shower within the first few songs of the garage crisp opuses that The Donnas omitted through songs including "Do You Want To Hit It," "All Messed Up," "Hyperactive" and their version of the KISS classic "Strutter."

Boysetsfire, the five-piece from Delaware, were practically playing to their hometown crowd, but their rave response wasn't begotten because they might have been playing to some of their high school classmates. The perpetuators of abrasive chords, indie rock and metal-mind dominance accentuated by Nathan Grey's cringing screams that often dive into melodies pioneered by Ray Cappo of Shelter fame were the victor of the spoils. Even before Boysetsfire actually went on, the music that prefaced the gig, "Surprise You're Dead" from Faith No More and the poignant speech that declared, "The only way to end violence is through love" [may sound hippie-ish, but the voice projecting it was convincing and commanding] let everyone know that there were two messages that this Wind-Up Records act were promoting: firstly, musical daring and cunningness with polish and secondly, a zero-tolerance stance against ignorance. They backed both with one of the angriest, hardest, and memory-snagging songs of the year "Release The Dogs" from their latest CD, Tomorrow Come Today. "Last Year's Nest" was also a memorable episode.

Boysetsfire, flawless magic on the second stage. Copyright (c) 2003 Therese McKeon/Shoutweb.com

The powerhouse rap group Jurassic 5 hit the main stage, and their bombastic word twirling, outstanding DJ tricks are so impressive that they have to be the crossover act of the tour. Yes, even those that cringe at the thought of being stuck at an Emimen or 50 Cent show can appreciate the way this group's conviction can bring the party. Four MCs, two DJs and a deep sense of funk that set the groove helped melt the Sunday afternoon away.