Lollapalooza
Perry Farrell’s 5 Favorite Lollapalooza Moments
Lollapalooza has defied the old F. Scott Fitzgerald adage from The Last Tycoon that “there are no second acts in American life.” Since 2005, Perry Farrell and partners have hunkered down in Chicago’s Grant Park (for the American version) to bring the once-alternative playground that spit in the face of the mainstream more into the mainstream. Though this year’s fest’s impact is yet to be known, there’s no doubt in the festival’s 30 years (on and off at various points), Farrell has seen it and been through it. So, what better way than to get the best stories from Lollapalooza’s history than from Farrell himself? However, just as we got rolling, the Jane’s Addiction/Porno for Pyros didn’t pull any punches and came out of the gates firing. In fact, he blamed SPIN for him n...
Lollapalooza 2021 Day 2 Recap: Tyler, the Creator Led a Great Day for Hip-Hop
Day 1 of Lollapalooza 2021 was a reminder that if we ever get the COVID-19 crisis under control, a climate crisis is lurking. But the oppressive heat of Thursday gave way to a wonderfully temperate Friday, as Chicago’s not-so-secret luxury, the lake effect, reasserted its dominance. Like Paris in springtime or New York in the fall, summertime Chi remains one of the great urban wonders of the world. The perfectly cool weather found its complement in an even cooler collection of beats. The discriminating ear of Tyler, the Creator led to a staggeringly fun set, Mick Jenkins made a powerful statement, while Kenny Mason, AG Club, and Jack Harlow explored different avenues of the same genre. Check out some of the highlights from a great day for hip-hop below. — Wren Grav...
Watch Steve Aoki Perform With All Time Low At Lollapalooza 2021
Steve Aoki is known for his high-profile, star-studded collaborations, which extend far outside the confines of dance music. But he’s outdone himself this time after performing with All Time Low at the 2021 edition of Lollapalooza. Aoki found himself trending on Twitter for a myriad of reasons—like he often does—but this time around, it wasn’t just for his onstage antics and penchant for walloping people with cakes. Aoki’s DJ set went viral after he brought out the iconic punk band, sending fans of the group into a tizzy. Fans were able to capture the moment after Aoki shared a few videos of the performance on his Instagram Story. One clip shows lead singer Alex Gaskarth singing a never-before-heard track—a rumored an unreleased collab with Aoki—while another sh...
Lollapalooza 2021 Opens in Full Force as COVID Looms Large
In the history of Chicago concerts, there has likely never been as much riding on a live music event as on Lollapalooza 2021. It’s been less than two months since the city fully “reopened” for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic sent it spinning into lockdown, and like elsewhere in the country, the rise of the Delta variant has been cause for alarm due to its implications for public health and local economies. Chicagoans are rightly concerned about what a massive outbreak related to a festival with roughly 100,000 attendees per day could mean for the safety, health, and livelihoods of the people who live and work in the city (Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke called Lollapalooza a “mistake waiting to happen”). And in the live music community in Chicago and beyond, which is just g...
Miley Cyrus Covers Temple of the Dog and Pixies at Lollapalooza: Watch
As Lollapalooza celebrates its 30th anniversary, long gone are the lineups of yesteryears packed with names like Temple of the Dog, Pixies, and Billy Idol. Leave it to Miley Cyrus, rock music’s cover song queen, to bring some of that music to Chicago’s Grant Park during her headlining set on Thursday evening. As Consequence News Editor Wren Graves noted in our day one coverage of Lollapalooza, “never cease with Miley Cyrus, who has matured alongside her audience and become one of the most exciting acts in music today.” Cyrus kicked off her Lolla set with a medley of “We Can’t Stop” and Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”. Just a few songs later, she brought out Billy Idol to perform their Plastic Hearts collaboration “Night Crawling” in addition to his own seminal hit, “White Wedding.” As the set ...
Lollapalooza 2021 Day One Recap: Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Eat World, and More
Lollapalooza has returned, a delight to fans and a test for public health officials. The beloved Chicago music festival is requiring proof of negative COVID-19 status for entry, and attendees certainly enjoyed the freedom this implied. Day one carried some of the manic energy of a party for the end of the world, as bewildered parents chased packs of feral youths, over-indulgers stumbled about like broken toys, and even veterans of the festival circuit found themselves swept up in the optimism. Live music is back. For the 30th anniversary edition of the festival — founded by Perry Farrell in 1991 — the exuberance could be witnessed both offstage and on. Rising artists like Flo Milli and Paris Texas made their triumphant Lollapalooza debuts, beloved veterans Jimmy Eat World celebrated ...
The What Podcasts on the Reality of Lollapalooza and Festivals Returning
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Radio Public | RSS It’s finally music festival season and The What Podcast has lots of twists and turns to discuss. Are we all ready for this? Are they ready for this? Lollapalooza begins now, and Brad and Barry are just as curious about how everything is going to work as you are. Pooling their years of experience plus insider information, they discuss the reality of returning to music festivals in a world that is still not entirely recovered from 2020. Advertisement Related Video The What Podcast originally launched in 2018 as a way for two Bonnaroo veterans to talk about the thing they love in life the most: Bonnaroo. Over time, the podcast has evolved to cover the rest of the North American...
On the Ground at Lollapalooza: How Are the Festival’s COVID-19 Protocols Holding Up?
When Lollapalooza announced its return to Chicago back in May, it felt like one more positive sign of a return to some kind of post-pandemic normal. Flash forward to this week, and the sentiment around Chicago has become far more ambivalent; stalling COVID-19 vaccination rates and the emergence of the dangerous Delta variant led prominent local music critics to label the festival a potential superspreader event. Jim DeRogatis of Sound Opinions went as far as to call for Lollapalooza’s cancellation. “They can’t control their own gates,” DeRogatis told Chicago’s WTTW. “Why are we supposed to believe that they are going to be diligent about checking for vaccination?” Lollapalooza’s COVID-19 mitigation plan is comprehensive on paper. The festival website’s Health and Safety section sets out a ...
Lollapalooza Ramps Up Personnel to Support COVID-19 Vaccine Screening Measures
Lollapalooza is just a couple of days away from kicking off its 30th annual event and preparations are in the final stages. Of course this year’s event proves to be especially unique. Following an online-only edition in 2020, Lollapalooza is returning to form with a plan that puts public health top of mind. This year Lollapalooza is staffing up particularly heavily to support the coronavirus screening efforts that will be taking place at the festival’s front gates. At the City of Chicago’s direction as well as the Department of Public Health, all attendees will need to produce a printed vaccine card or proof of a negative COVID-19 test in order to gain entry. Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival. Lollapalooza (via Facebook) Recommended Articles Acco...
Lollapalooza Set to Go Virtual with Hulu Livestream
Lollapalooza announced today that it has partnered with Hulu to livestream this year’s festival. It’s the first time the long-running Chicago event has teamed with the Disney-owned streaming service. According to a report from Billboard, subscribers to the streaming platform will have access to all four days of the 2021 festival, which is set to take place July 29th through August 1st at Chicago’s Grant Park. The livestream will be accessible each day from 11:00 a.m. PT to 8:00 p.m. PT. “We are thrilled to be partnering for the first time with Hulu for this year’s livestream and are excited that the Lollapalooza fans who cannot be with us in Chicago have such a great platform to experience the show,” read a statement from Courtney Trucksess, sponsorship director for the festival’s promotor...
Cumulus’ Troy Hanson Shares the Secret to Getting a Song on the Radio with The What Podcast
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Radio Public | RSS At some point or another in all of our lives, we’ve wondered how this song gets played on the radio and not that one. This week on The What Podcast, Brad and Barry talk to one of the guys who actually makes those kinds of decisions. Troy Hanson, head of rock programming at Cumulus Broadcasting, is our guest on the show that takes a deep dive festivals in particular, but music in general. The What Podcast originally launched in 2018 as a way for two Bonnaroo veterans to talk about the thing they love in life the most: Bonnaroo. Over time, the podcast has evolved to cover the rest of the North American festival landscape and touring industry as a whole. Related Video...
Chicago is Giving Out Over 1,000 Free Lollapalooza Passes to Vaccinated Residents
Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine could punch your ticket to one of the nation’s most iconic music festivals. As the city enters its final reopening stage, Chicago’s health department has announced plans to give out 1,200 free single-day passes for Lollapalooza‘s 2021 edition to anyone who makes an appointment at select vaccination sites on June 26th. The promotion is part of the Protect Chicago Music Series, which offers free tickets to concerts for vaccinated residents. According to city officials, Chicago will transform four of its vaccination sites into “Lolla Day” events, each offering a live DJ, custom Lollapalooza-branded giveaways, and a pass to the festival. Those who have already been inoculated will also have a chance to secure a free ticket....
