Lollapalooza a big draw in Chicago

Chicago -- Hundreds of thousands of people are in Chicago enjoying this year's three-day Lollapalooza music festival, event organizers said.

Attendee Ken Keenan, 51, said of the 11 Lollapalooza events he has attended, the festival that began Friday morning appears to have drawn the largest crowd, The Chicago Sun-Times reported Saturday.

"This is definitely the most crowded I've ever seen it," he said.

The popular weekend event began with a sold-out, first-day attendance of 75,000 and included performances by the Black Lips, Rogue Wave and Radiohead.

The annual summer musical gathering is expected to be visited by more than 200,000 people before it concludes Sunday, the Sun-Times said.

A total of 120 bands and acts will perform in Chicago's downtown Grant Park.

The newspaper said presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is represented at the festival by a merchandise booth offering T-shirts and signs supporting the Illinois senator.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.