The Sky Above, The Mud Below, A Mass Of Music Maniacs In Between -- The Steamy Essence Of Lollapalooza

SILVERDALE, Kitsap County - You had to be down there in the muddy mosh pit near the stage with a few thousand pogo-ing fans as Ice Cube cut loose with one of his searing raps to understand the true meaning of the word Lollapalooza.

Ice Cube led the crowd in a one-fingered salute to the authority figures he damned with coarse wit and power. The crowd jumped up and down in the mud. Sweat sopped through their $23 concert tee-shirts. They passed some of their howling number above them. And steam slowly rose from the moshers.

A milky mist of hormones and rock and roll and rap and release, the sifting steam was nothing less than the essence of Lollapalooza itself.

Quite apart from the politically correct information tables, the "smart drinks" bar ("100 percent natural Cyber Buzz!") and even the masochistic circus that accompanies this traveling event, it was the music that the kids came to hear.

They came from California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and, aboard packed Washington ferries, from the Seattle area.

"Pearl Jam was great - they were the best," said Lee Anne Roach, 19, of Portland.

"I came to see Ice Cube - he stuck out the most on this bill," said Wayman Robertson, 21, a student at the University of Oregon.

"Why am I here today?" said Mike Johns, 24, of Olympia. "Soundgarden. Soundgarden. Soundgarden."

Like Soundgarden, the tight Seattle band that could drown out a squadron of 747s, other bands at Lollapalooza '92 did not disappoint those who paid $29 to attend yesterday's event at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. The concert featured seven groups and lasted almost nine hours. It was the second year for Lollapalooza, a 30-city tour.

Promoters and police said 27,500 people showed up.

No major problems ensued. Several arrests were made. A couple of drunks (although no alcohol was sold on the grounds) got unruly. A few people who refused to leave when they failed to get inside also got surly, said Sgt. Cameron Mandeville of the Kitsap County Sheriff's Department.

Traffic became gnarled when fans showed up several hours earlier than expected, Mandeville said. Some people camped overnight Tuesday. Others arrived at the gates as early as 6 a.m. yesterday, which caught organizers unprepared. Deputies were were directing thick traffic from the site 'way past midnight.

Special shuttle buses to and from the Bremerton ferry dock helped somewhat to ease the traffic. Carpoolers also got a $3 break on $8 parking for the concert, in keeping with the event's environmentally conscious spirit. Displays inside a fairgrounds building preached conservation and recycling.

Other booths had information on safe sex, legalizing marijuana, protecting abortion rights and sup

porting local musicians.

At the "Wheel of Safe Sex," contestants paid $1 to spin the wheel for a chance at backstage passes, or a condom, or a cassette tape. "Don't Give AIDS a Chance," a sign read.

"You just donated a dollar to AIDS research, which is cool, very cool," said a barker to a loser. "And, you're sowing good karma, by the way."

In the "Crush Cage," passersby were encouraged to take sledge hammers and smash various appliances. When it was over, two TVs had been reduced to shards of plastic and glass. A circa 1950s refrigerator, however, sustained only cosmetic damage.

The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow, which has drawn a lot of attention to Lollapalooza, featured unique performers. They included Mr. Lifto, who lifted heavy objects suspended from his nipples, his ears and . . . well, imagine an intimate body part from which virtually no man would choose to swing a cinder block, as did the good Mr. Lifto.

Also, a man performing as The Torture King generously pierced himself (throat, cheeks, chest) with many pins, some of which he cleverly wired with small light bulbs, which he plugged in. Also, a Mr. Sluggo ate what he said were - and what looked to onlookers to be - handfuls of maggots, slugs and worms.

Perhaps Mr. Sluggo was very hungry and simply did not want to wait outside in any of those lengthy food lines.

Lollapalooza organizers would do well next year to put more space between the food booths, where a permanent wall of people existed. The variety of food booths amounted to a miniature Bite of Seattle - vegetarian burritos, burgers, bratwurst, strawberry shortcake, pizza and teriyaki everything.

After all this, if you're still hungry for the meaning of Lollapalooza, a dictionary definition might sound like an understatement: "something or someone very striking or exceptional."