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Will The 'Ice Man' Successfully Sneak into Lollapalooza Again This Year?

By Mark Konkol | August 4, 2015 6:04am | Updated on July 21, 2016 2:56pm
 After sneaking into Lollapalooza in 2014 by posing as ice delivery men one of the scammers returned this year and got in free by posing as a Kind Bar promoter.
After sneaking into Lollapalooza in 2014 by posing as ice delivery men one of the scammers returned this year and got in free by posing as a Kind Bar promoter.
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DNAinfo/Mark Konkol

Lollapalooza is less than a week away and I can't help but wonder ... will the "Ice Man" strike again?

Last year, I shared with you details of a crafty South Sider who used the art of disguise to scam his way into Lollapalooza two years in a row.

In 2015, the Ice Man and a pal successfully bypassed security by posing as ice delivery men. He repeated the caper last year disguised as a member of a street promotions team giving away Kind snack bars.

I won't know if the master of low-budget disguises successfully sneaks his way into the four-day music festival (which starts July 28) until after the show is over.

Until then, here's a look back at the criminal, yet charming, adventures of a Canaryville character.

(Previously published Aug. 4, 2015)

CANARYVILLE — Well, the "Ice Men" of Lollapalooza did it again.

Last week, I told you about a couple crafty Lollapalooza gate crashers who scammed their way into the festival last year by posing as ice delivery men, pushing a dolly and carrying a clipboard.

After the three-day music extravaganza, I spotted an email from one of the Ice Men who wrote, "My partner, the guy you did the interview with, was too hung over for Friday, so I had to go solo and pretend I was promoting Kind bars to sneak in this year. Keep anonymous please."

The Ice Man even attached a picture as proof.

Mark Konkol breaks down the scam and discusses a conspiracy theory:

On Monday, we had a little chat about how the mind of a creative gate crasher works with the understanding that I wouldn't reveal him as a source.

"You know, I knew the Ice Man thing wasn't going to work again. So I looked up some Lollapalooza sponsors. I didn't want to pick something like Budweiser. But I saw that Kind bar was on the list," he said.

"So, I had a shirt made for about eight bucks at this place by my house. I got some goofy looking sunglasses that looked like a goofy Kind bar uniform, bought a box of Kind bars for 15 bucks and stopped at the dollar store to get a clipboard for $1.09."

With $24.09 plus a CTA ride invested in the con, the former ice delivery imposter turned fake Kind bar promoter launched his new scam in the Lollapalooza entranceway just before paying customers showed their wristbands to get inside.

"I handed out the Kind bars until I ran out," he said. "Then, I started asking people if they wanted to sign up to get Kind bar apparel, which nobody did because nobody wants Kind bar apparel."

Then, he chatted up a Lolla security guard.

"I was like, "Hey, wanna sign up to get some Kind bar apparel and a chance to get a box of Kind bars sent to your house?" the phony Kind bar man said.

"He said, 'No, but can you get me a Kind bar. I'm kinda hungry.' "

The Lolla scammer didn't hesitate delivering this winning line: "Sure, no problem. I'll go in and get you one right now."

"And I never came back," he said proudly. "I got to see Alabama Shakes and Paul McCartney, who definitely killed it."

By late Monday, the Chicago police had not broken down the stats on how many people got cited or arrested for trespassing. All that's certain is the Kind bar guy didn't get busted.

And that should teach Lollapalooza's organizers one valuable lesson: A hungry security guard is like a gap in the fence.

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