It’s cliche to start any introduction by defining a word, but in this case it seems appropriate. After all, how many people actually know what “lollapalooza” means? Sure, by music festival standards, we know it as the annual event put on in Chicago each August by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell. But its true definition, at least according to Merriam-Webster, is “one that is extraordinarily impressive,” and while we can’t be sure Ferrell envisioned today’s version of Lollapalooza when he first named the festival 20 years ago, its title has never proved more true.
Sure, especially recently, some criticisms are warranted. The overlapping of headliners with other festivals, weaker mid-tier acts, and overcrowding are a few that come to mind. But at the end of the day, in an era when festivals are as popular as ever, Lollapalooza continues to be among the country’s best. More than 130 acts will play Lollapalooza this year, ranging in genres from hip hop to electronica. Four of those said acts are among the biggest names in all of music, a claim few festivals on Earth could even dream of making. There will also be long sought-after reunions, as well as a slew of heralded fresh faces looking to become headliners of tomorrow.
But how’d Perry Farrell’s pet project get to be where it is today? With the festival celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer, we figured now would be the perfect time to share our favorite memories, and in the process, illustrate how Lollapalooza went from the a dirty, grungy traveling festival to a three-day, stand-alone pop-tastic extravaganza.
-Alex Young CEO, Publisher, Consequence of Sound
Lollapalooza is born… (1991)
Lollapalooza “1” was originally slated to be the farewell to for Jane’s Addiction. When the tour hit the DC Metro area in the summer of 1991, it landed at Lake Fairfax fairgrounds, and tickets were $35. The Rollins Band kicked off events just after noon, the sun blazed away high in the sky, and the heat had yet to become unbearable. Henry Rollins, who talked about the “grouchiest man in D.C.” (possibly Ian MacKaye?) and spouted out lines like “You must think you’re gonna live forever,” set the bar pretty high for the remainder of the lineup. But the others kept the intensity going. Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes fired a shotgun repeatedly throughout his set, Ice T and Body Count ruffled Living Colour’s feathers by throwing the word “nigger” around, Trent Reznor performed in the day (to the detriment of his strobe effects), Siouxsie and the Banshees survived an endless beat down of water bottles, and Jane’s Addiction brought everyone to Oz (or at least the stage appeared that way). It wasn’t a perfect day. Hours into the festival, the heat had turned so bad that water was a necessity. The choices were slim, with vendors selling either watermelon slices or water bottles for $3-4. Some waited in long lines for a small paper cup of water or near the water cannons on the off chance that they would hit them–not the optimal conditions of today. Also, there was no second stage, no freak shows, and many of the tents simply provided information on groups such as Greenpeace or PETA. Oh, how things have changed. -Len Comaratta
Body Count creates a media frenzy (1991)
“I’d like to take a cop right out here in this parking lot and shoot him in his motherfucking face. You know why? Because I’m a cop killer.” That introduction would take thrash rockers Body Count from being a part of the lineup for 1991′s inaugural Lollapalooza tour right into immediate scrutiny amidst a media frenzy. But it would also begin a cult following that continues to this day. The band was essentially the heavy metal counterpart to what founding member and frontman Ice-T was already doing on his own gangsta rap records but with a twist. Ice told it like it was through sociopolitically charged lyrics that were backed by some sludgy riffs — specifically with controversial track “Cop Killer”, which would later turn more heads on their 1992 self-titled debut. Despite the negative attention “Cop Killer” would receive in the press and throughout the country, Body Count was consistently regarded as one of the highlights of the first chapter in the Lollapalooza book. Kinda hard to forget. -Megan Caffery
Pearl Jam define “grunge” in Fairfax, VA (1992)
1992: Pearl Jam‘s still supporting its breakthrough, chart-topping debut, Ten, but also sharing a Lollapalooza lineup with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Stone Temple Pilots, and Ministry. What do they do? They define themselves. With Dave Abbruzzese on drums, the performance is already a rarity unto itself; however, there are other factors that turn this into something “unreal.” Fans toss mud onstage, a few make their way on (only to jump right back off), bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready spring off the monitors countless times, Eddie Vedder dives into the fans (and chucks his mic into the floor), guitarist Stone Gossard smashes his guitar to pieces, and Abbruzzese disassembles his kit with his legs. This is the band that solidified themselves as a must-see forever onward–and it happened at Lollapalooza. -Michael Roffman
Nirvana never plays Lollapalooza (1994)
To date, there are still plenty of festivalgoers who believe Nirvana performed at Lollapalooza. But they never did. Originally, they were slated to headline in 1994, but due to a series of incidents were forced to pull out. The most obvious is the fact that frontman Kurt Cobain committed suicide April 5, 1994, but even before his death, there were rumors of the band’s split, which had taken them off the lineup (conspiracy theorists discuss plenty of ties between his death and Lollapalloza; if you’re looking for intriguing reads, go look them up). The festival continued with headliners Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, George Clinton & the P Funk All Stars, and even a young Green Day. Actually, amidst a few Pumpkins performances, Courtney Love–widow to Cobain–came out onstage to discuss the late singer’s death. Because Lollapalooza is so ingrained in the ’90s culture, it’s still sort of shocking that Nirvana never performed at the festival; however, the band’s name still gets tagged with the festival’s history. For that, you can’t ignore it. -Michael Roffman
Pavement vs. mud (1995)
In 1995, Perry Farrell invited alternative torchbearers Pavement onto the tour. Well, Farrell invited Pavement for the 1994 tour, but purportedly Billy Corgan stated that if Pavement were on the lineup with The Smashing Pumpkins, Corgan would pull out of the festival (Stephen Malkmus just didn’t understand what The Smashing Pumpkins meant–and could really have given a f*ck). But the cards were in Pavement’s favor the following year–at least for a little bit. It was evident Pavement’s aesthetic wasn’t meshing with the Lolla vibe on or off the stage. While other bands brought big semis, tour buses, and huge crews, Pavement hitched along with two mini-buses and a two-member crew. And while the band abided by drinking whiskey with The Jesus Lizard and doing New York Times crossword puzzles with Courtney Love, things came to a head in the middle of the tour in West Virginia on one of the hottest days of the festival. Pavement hit the stage mid-afternoon, playing to a spotty, antsy, recently hosed-down crowd who wanted anything but “Range Life”. It wasn’t long before the mud began to fly, and not in a fun-loving Green Day at Woodstock kind of way. As soon as a big cake hit Malkmus square in the chest, the band turned on their heels and left the stage. The grand finale? Scott Kannberg flipped the double bird and mooned the crowd, to which the crowd thought, “Oh, now you’re a rock band.” -Jeremy Larson
The Ramones’ close-to-final hurrah (1996)
On August 6th, 1996, The Ramones called it quits. However, that summer had seen the godfathers of punk parading across America with Lollapalooza–following what was previously considered their “farewell” tour. So, basically, if you wanted to see the boys before it was all over, you had to hit up Perry Farrell for tickets. Admittedly, this wasn’t the group in its top form (Dee Dee wasn’t even present), and their popularity had waned in the mid-’90s, but in hindsight, it’s one of the most cherished summers–especially for punk rock fanatics. Less than five years later, Joey Ramone would pass away from lymphoma. -Michael Roffman
Electronica finds its place at Lollapalooza (1997)
After a pretty metal-heavy year, featuring the likes of Metallica, Soundgarden, Cocteau Twins, Melvins, and Rage Against the Machine, Farrell & Co. decided to turn the key a bit… and add some electronic music. By far one of the more eclectic lineups up until that point, the 1997 incarnation featured headliners like Orbital, The Prodigy, and a young Beck. Other notable head turners included Tool, Devo (who appeared on select dates in 1996), Eels, Radish (Ben Kweller, anyone?), and, well, Korn (see above). But it’s the outward inclusion of electronica in acts like Orbital, The Prodigy, and The Orb that really sparked some change in the direction the festival was taking. Perhaps it wasn’t the best-selling lineup in the festival’s history, but it’s certainly paid off. Think of it this way: Perry’s Stage, which houses electronica and techno acts throughout the day, has now been upgraded to a full-fledged area for 2011. Sometimes a spark takes awhile to start a fire. -Michael Roffman
Lollapalooza arrives in Chicago,
Billy Idol performs in the rain (2005)
It felt so sudden: Lollapalooza returns! Bright orange and blues washed over everyone’s screen. The internet erupted with activity. Bands floated over the words: Chicago, IL – July 23rd & 24th, 2005. Wait, what? After a brief return in 2003, featuring the likes of Audioslave and Incubus, and a failed lineup in 2004, which remains quite impressive today (Moz? Sonic Youth? Hello?), the festival took a year off, ditched the wheels (ahem, touring), and found a home in Grant Park. Now, here’s a fun fact: In 2005, the then two-day festival only utilized the first half of Grant Park, and it crammed four stages into a field that only houses two now. Given the lower attendance, at least in comparison to today, it actually worked out quite well–despite the bleeding sound. And although it remains one of the hottest weekends in recent memory–especially the Sunday of that weekend–Saturday saw some rain fall during the opening festivities. Performing his greatest hits to precision, Billy Idol kept the wet Chicagoans alive and in great festival spirit with rousing anthem “Rebel Yell” and a charming (and very, very fitting) cut of “Eyes Without a Face”. Personally, the set remains one of the best moments experienced in Grant Park. -Michael Roffman
Arcade Fire “keep it real”
amidst record-breaking heat wave (2005)
It’s almost hard to believe that Arcade Fire have only been around for eight years. Now that they’ve won a Juno for Alternative Album of the Year for Neon Bible, an Album of the Year Grammy for The Suburbs, and a bunch of other critical accolades, it’s kind of hard to believe they were once a bunch of upstart indie kids from Montreal. But, two years into their tenure, they found a big slot on Sunday in the first Chicago-based Lollapalooza and embraced it with the fervor we’ve all come to know and love. Then, with a much smaller profile, the sort of enthusiasm and community that the band engendered was nothing short of religious (especially in the blazing heat and swirling infield dirt).
The band, clad in the suits, ties, and dresses they were rocking on the Funeral tour, played all but two songs from that breakout album. “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” kicked and hummed, “Rebellion (Lies)”, likely being the most familiar of the band’s tunes at the time, had people bouncing around like maniacs, but nothing topped opening with “Wake Up”. The big, wordless melody pummeled through the field, and the line “children, hold your mistake up” led to a sea of lifted hands. Lead singer Win Butler wound up in the crowd with his mic stand, engulfed in the new fan base just then realizing what a rare beast they were first getting to experience. -Adam Kivel
Broken Social Scene vs. Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006)
After leaving Grant Park with a blitzing nine-song set featuring each and every member of Canada’s favorite indie super group (the girls included), Broken Social Scene were bombarded with screams for an encore. Eventually, a chant also materialized, one which saw the 2,000 or so faithful who had yet to venture to the main stage in hopes of getting a good spot for the Red Hot Chili Peppers joined in unison, shouting, “Let them play!” And when it became clear that these pleas would not be answered, the chant evolved into “Fuck the Peppers.” Some five festivals later, this remains one of the most memorable moments of Lollapalooza (at least to me). That small little indie band, who played their hearts and souls out for 50 minutes, asking one of the world’s biggest bands for five more minutes. It seemed like 20,000 were chanting by the time Broken Social Scene took the stage again. Only this time they were sans instruments, instead resorting to waves and claps to thank those who remained. It was never quite clear who made the final decision to deny the band those final five minutes–Lollapalooza folklore seems to fault the Peppers themselves–but the band’s performance remains their most defining one to date. Just listen to the bootleg; from the sheer intensity of “Cause=Time”, Feist and Amy Milan’s performances on “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl”, and the track titled “Goodbyes”, it’s pretty much the greatest thing you’ll ever hear. -Alex Young
Wilco becomes a headliner (2006)
Wilco‘s homecoming performance at Lollapalooza 2006 served as a perfect end to not only a beautiful summer day but a fantastic three-day festival that included sets from Kanye West, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sleater-Kinney, and Ween. Coming off a packed northern tour, Jeff Tweedy took the stage with a grizzly man beard to a massive, engrossed hometown audience who were skipping out on Queens of the Stone Age to catch their set. Wilco glided through a setlist of familiar favorites, forgoing a bit of their usual wilder, noisier leanings to play a set perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon following a long, hot weekend. Wilco also gave many fans their first chance to hear a few new numbers, including “Impossible Germany”, “What Light”, and “Walken”, which would appear nearly a year later on Sky Blue Sky. “This song is a good one to sing together, raise up our voices to the summer sun as it sets in the west, and show our solidarity with each other as human beings,” Tweedy explained before launching into “Jesus, etc.”, as the sky dimmed over the Chicago skyline–a fitting endcap to a successful weekend. -Austin Trunick
Sleater-Kinney performs third-to-last show (2006)
When Sleater-Kinney announced they were going to be going on “indefinite hiatus”, each and every last show on their schedule seemed like a must-see. Before adding two hometown shows in Portland, Lollapalooza in 2006 sat at the very end of that list, lurking like a proper sort-of-final show should, epic moments on one of the festival season’s biggest stages. One year after the release of The Woods, an album brimming with punk and classic rock fury, Corin Tucker, Janet Weiss, and Carrie Brownstein were ready to show off a fun, rip-roaring, career-spanning set. Woods standout “The Fox” kicked things off, quickly followed by The Hot Rock hit “Start Together”. The one-two punch of new tracks “The Wilderness” and “Jumpers” (Tucker’s repeated screaming out of “four seconds was the longest wait” was impeccable) pushed things wilder. While most non-Woods tracks were from One Beat or All Hands on the Bad One, the trio closed the set out with a true deep cut, “Turn It On”, digging back all the way to 1997′s Dig Me Out. Howls of “Do I sound crazy/ well I just might” pulsed with the same energy they had from the record. Sleater-Kinney never missed a beat, and this show hit so many highlights that it seemed impossible to believe that they would be gone for as long as they have been. -Adam Kivel
Daft Punk’s pyramid lands in Grant Park (2007)
Ask any Lolla veteran today who they want back at the festival. Odds are they’ll say Daft Punk. There’s a reason for that. Four years ago, the French “robots” descended upon Grant Park with plenty of mystery. Well, they had a pyramid, for one. They also were coming off plenty of buzz from Cannes, where they had debuted their first film, Daft Punk’s Electroma, earlier that May. Word from the west also carried over that their 2006 performance at Coachella was life changing. Keep in mind, Alive 2007 hadn’t hit stores yet. (That would come in November.) But once the opening demands of “Robot Rock” rang out, the strobe lights ricocheted across awaiting fans, and the dusk became night…Lollapalooza saw its first real raging dance party – one that made you think, “It’s okay if I die in this.” You didn’t even have to be there to feel that; hell, the videos alone prove that. So, when are they playing again? -Michael Roffman
Iggy Pop invites his fans onstage (2007)
Iggy Pop is pretty fucking scary. Have you ever seen The Crow: City of Angels? (No, you haven’t.) Well, there’s a reason they cast him as a villain. He looks like one. With a muddy face, a straggly body, and a homeless man’s hair, Pop supports the theory that you shouldn’t talk to strangers… even if you recognize them from your favorite album of all time (Um, Raw Power?). That didn’t stop hundreds of fans in 2007. During a sludgy performance of “No Fun”, a handful of fans hit the stage at the request of the aging garage-rock legend, and countless more joined in. It wasn’t dangerous or anything, but pure, adulterated fun. Plus, it made you forget how god awful 2007′s The Weirdness was… if only for a few minutes. -Michael Roffman
My Morning Jacket and the Chicago
Youth Symphony Orchestras (2007)
Preceding headliner Pearl Jam on the third day of Lollapalooza 2007, KY’s My Morning Jacket transformed themselves from a raucous five-piece into a 20-plus-member live outfit with the help of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO). Dressed in matching purple tuxedos, Jim James and Co. took to the AT&T stage with “Anytime”, and after an extended jam to end “Off the Record”, festival founder Perry Farrell jumped onboard to introduce the hometown high school orchestra, asking the crowd to take out their cell phones and cameras to record the show, “to make sure this [wasn't] a dream.”
The reprised collaboration (MMJ had tapped the CYSO for an October 2006 Windy City performance) then broke into an inspiring and eardrum-rattling performance of “Gideon”. But it wasn’t just one and done for the orchestra; the youngsters remained onstage to provide support for the remainder of the 12-song set. To add an extra layer of audience appreciation, MMJ closed the hour with a cover of “Move on Up”, first written and performed by Chicago’s own Curtis Mayfield in the summer of 1970. -Derek Staples
Jim James finds the “Rainbow
Connection” at the Kidz Stage (2007)
Many Lollapalooza sets throughout the years have been great. Many have even been unbelievably incredible. But very few reach the ranks of “magical.” Back in 2007, as Lady Gaga was taking the Lollapalooza stage for the first time (we all know what happened a few years later), something even more special was happening on the other side of Grant Park, at the shady Kidzapalooza stage. The schedule simply read “very special guest” for the 3:15-3:45 time slot–and that turned out to be perfectly true. Not long before the set started, the secret was revealed via text that My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James would be taking the Kidzapalooza stage for a special solo performance. Armed with just a banjo, James came out and performed a great (and sincere) version of “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”. The real highlight, however, was a tremendously moving rendition of the Muppets‘ classic “Rainbow Connection” that left very few dry eyes among the adults in the audience and kept the kids mesmerized. Even now, it remains one of the most legendary sets in My Morning Jacket’s history–one of those that everyone claims to have seen. But for those of us who actually were there, it will live on in our hearts as one of the most special moments in Lollapalooza history. -Carson O’Shoney
Fireworks magically appear behind Radiohead (2008)
Okay, we get it… the fireworks weren’t intentional. They just so happened to be a part of the summer experience in Chicago. However, that didn’t stop them from magically coating what already was an awe-inspiring performance by Radiohead. With nobody scheduled against them, Thom Yorke & Co. performed to one of the largest crowds in Lollapalooza history, taking up two solid hours with a knockout set. The crowning moment arrived when those aforementioned fireworks erupted behind Yorke as he belted out the rousing chorus to “Fake Plastic Trees”. It’s the sort of moment that movies capitalize on. It’s the sort of feeling Henry David Thoreau wrote about. Yeah, really. -Michael Roffman
The fences come down during Rage Against the Machine (2008)
2008 was a great year for Lollapalooza festivalgoers, as it marked the return of Rage Against the Machine (RATM) to the lineup for the first time in 12 years. The crowd was already worked into a frenzy well before the quartet were set to take the stage, and fans were about to get crazier. Barricades and fencing were jumped in an effort to get as close to the front of the stage as possible. Just after finishing up a heavy-as-hell cut of “People of the Sun”, frontman Zach de la Rocha noticed the melee and asked the crowd to please move back and look after one another in an effort to keep everyone safe: “We got enough problems out there in the streets with these fucked up politicians and cops. Save that shit for the streets.” The crowd didn’t listen and pushed back harder this time. People were getting seriously hurt, while others forcibly entered the concert site by any means necessary. Rather upset, de la Rocha warned that RATM’s set would end unless peeps could learn to coexist. The message finally got through, and RATM were able to finish up an intense, picture-perfect set that would be one of the highlights of the festival that year. And to think it was almost cut short–and by the fans, no less. -Megan Caffery
Yeah Yeah Yeahs replace the Beastie Boys (2009)
Any band would be crazy to ask for the pressure of filling in for a legendary group like the Beastie Boys, who were forced to cancel Lollapalooza 2009 at the last minute because of MCA’s illness. Especially a band that had yet to headline a major festival. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs had sold out Chicago’s nearby Aragon Ballroom, but it was fair to question whether the “Maps” trio had the chops or the popularity to hold down one of the biggest fests in the nation, not to mention to appear opposite to none other than Tool. All Points West (remember All Points West?) chose not to bump up Yeah Yeah Yeahs in a similar situation and instead brought in Jay-Z–who had something to prove in his own right–to fill in for the Beasties, but C3 decided Karen O and Co. were ready to play alongside established acts like Kings of Leon and The Killers. How did it work out? Let’s just say C3 had them sub for the Beasties again (yep, they were supposed to be everywhere that summer) two months later at Austin City Limits. The band capitalized like champs on the Lollapalooza gig, despite Karen O forgetting the words to her most well-known song. MCA’s misfortune was truly a blessing in disguise for both C3 and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. -Harry Painter
