After the flashy beats and rhythm-focused first day of Lollapalooza, things returned to a form of sorts as the second day came into focus amid the continuing ideal weather. The crowds didn’t seem to be as thick as the mobs of sold out previous years, but that didn’t stop a steady stream of gate crashing attempts (with varying degrees of success) from those on the outside, and in truth the extra personal space may have been as much due to the expanded grounds, additional stages as it was to smaller numbers.

The added space turned six-lane Columbus Drive into a pedestrian walkway allowing a bottleneck free passage between stages, and the new layout gave every stage more room to let the sound breath and thus cut down on bleed. And of course the focus of the weekend was those sounds. For day two the line-up drifted back closer to the original outsider rock sounds that Lollapalooza embraced back in its traveling carnival days of the 90s.

The buzz around haze-rock trio The xx has gathered to become as thick as their drifting songs, but a 3 p.m. timeslot in a sunny park seemed like it might be a challenge for their sound. Well if it was, the band showed no sign of being out of place, instead bringing a touch of airy darkness to the afternoon. Taking the stage in all black and mumbling through bits of stage banter, they let the songs claim the focus and showed that music that works brilliantly in claustrophobic spaces can retain its impact when opened to the world in the afternoon sunlight.

Across the park the sonic polar opposite to The xx took the stage in the form of gypsy punk icons Gogol Bordello. Rather than swaying, they had a crowd bouncing, dancing and slamming and surfing as they ramped up the tempos and never let the energy dip beneath a tepid frenzy. Mixing accordion and fiddle in with the guitars, drums and bass elevated the mayhem level of the proceedings and it became exceedingly difficult not to get swept up in their powerful excitement.

The synths were back from and center when Metric made their appearance with Emily Haines providing enough charisma to win over the entire field before her. Rarely planted behind here synthesizer station for longer than required to hit the keys she needed, Haines strutted, skipped and posed along the front of the stage and generally took the audience wherever she wanted to go. Sure the synths were in play, but Metric’s rock tendencies were in control for this set and it seemed well tuned to the venue to which it was delivered.

Up next on the other side of the field straightforward indie rock was being served up by Spoon. Again the power of the lead singer was key to the set and frontman Britt Daniel clad in all white started things off solo and acoustic before being joined by the rest of the band. Daniel writes great songs and can be an amazing performer, but sometimes the sets drift out of focus either due to poor song choice or inconsistent performance. Well on this day the songs were on point and even some missed cues and lyrics delivered off–mic by Daniel didn’t slow the momentum much as the band showcased the revved up side they’ve honed throughout their seven albums.

It was probably due to being scheduled opposite headliners Green Day, that Cut Copy were met by one of the smaller crowds for a late day mainstage act, but it’s doubtful that many bands were greeted by the same level of enthusiasm as Australia’s reigning champions of dance-pop. Starting off with uptempo juggernaughts from 2008’s In Ghost Colours, the crowd quickly took to singing the fills and frontman Dan Whitford danced a gestured emphatically while the band worked through their jams. While the crowd was there for the songs they know and love already, with a new album on the horizon, Cut Copy was not going to waste their chance to test out choice new cuts and they demoed songs from the new album that both stayed true to form and showcased new turf for the band as they ventured into bits of psych-rock, but always with a hefty beat backing everything up.

The task of headlining at the north end of the festival for day two was handed to French rockers Phoenix who opened with their mega hit “Lisztomania” in front of a banner bearing the title of their most recent album and set among flashing lights. As headliner stage set ups go, this was a low-key arrangement, and it suited the band quite well. Aligned at the front of the stage, they delivered the songs the crowd was ready to hear in a nice arrangement for all involved.

A far more theatrical end to the night was in store over at Perry’s, the impromptu dance club stage where DJs generally rule the weekend. Australian dance-rock duo Empire of the Sun brought elaborate stage settings, costumes and a troupe of costumed dancers to help them keep the gathered masses dancing until the end of the night. The bass was big, the guitars and synths sharp and the pageantry on stage was something to behold.

So while guitars and rock certainly took over once again during the second day of Lollapalooza, the main thing that united all the sounds and shows was the power of the performers themselves. Charisma goes a long way toward winning over a crowded field and the line up for day two proved once again to be up to the task. Check back tomorrow for the run down on the final day of the fest.

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