Euro Trip 2017: Day 5 - Foo Fighters Day at Lollapalooza Berlin

It was gray and overcast in Berlin on the first day of Lollapalooza, but the sun finally came out on Day 2. By the time I stepped out of the hotel and walked to the S-Bahn, I was already feeling like a local. I found a food stall in Ostkreuk train station that was selling Asian food (my beloved kanin-and-ulam combo) and filled my tummy up there before heading back out to Hoppegarten.

A glimpse of the Molecule Man on Berlin's Spree River

It wasn't even noon yet but people were already starting to make the trek to the festival, although it wasn't as crowded as the day before. There weren't any acts that I was particularly looking forward to seeing that day, save for the big headliner, who weren't scheduled onstage until early evening. So I just walked around and eventually chose to hang out at the press center where I started writing the story for Esquire.

Early bird view of Lolla Berlin

I liked this giant mural enough to take a photo in front of it

Flower crown girl at Lolla

At around 2 p.m, I went to the VIP lounge for a special backstage tour that organizers promised. A German rap duo was there to liven things up. They sang a German version of "Here Comes the Hotstepper" that was strangely transfixing.

Forgot their name but I admit to being entertained by their brand of German rap

Unfortunately, photographs weren't allowed during the tour, but it was way cool to be walking along the pathways backstage at Lollapalooza. We got a peek at the artists' area, although we were quickly shooed away, apparently because the Foo Fighters were making their way there at that very moment.

The best part was actually going up onstage and looking out onto the crowd while an artist was performing. I've never even done that in Manila or anywhere else, and to be able to experience it during a Lollapalooza show, with tens of thousands of eager faces looking up in pleasure and even ecstasy, was a pretty special feeling. 

Afterwards I decided to spend the rest of the day just taking it all in. I walked around the sunny field with an ice cream in hand and enjoying the views of people enjoying themselves. 

I'll always look back at that afternoon walking around Lollapalooza

People in line for some food

Dressing the part

Managed to catch the set of London Grammar

The Foo Fighters' set started exactly as planned (this is Germany, of course). I was a bit bummed that I didn't get to take photos at the pit, but watching the show with tens of thousands of people was good enough. I couldn't believe my luck that, just a month before that day, I had never seen them live. And then, for some reason, I can now say that I saw them twice in a span of a few weeks. (I was in Singapore to see them just before they flew over to Europe to continue the rest of their tour).

Foo Fighters!

Dave and company were as lively and fun as the last time I caught them in Singapore

I got a bit paranoid about sticking around long enough to catch the waves of people taking the train back home so I made the very difficult decision to leave before the band finished their set. But I got what I went there for, which was to experience Lollapalooza in Berlin. I really couldn't have asked for more.

Til next time

Next: A splash of the good stuff in Cologne