Jump to content

Lollapalooza: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary
Line 15: Line 15:
==History==
==History==


Perry Farrell conceived of the Lollapalooza festival in 1990 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction. The name Lollapalooza means "something outstanding or unusual"; Farrell heard the word in a [[Three Stooges]] short film and liked the sound. Lollapalooza was also a [[shibboleth]] used by American soldiers to identify Japanese during [[World War II]] due to their difficulty with pronouncing the L's.
[[Perry Farrell]] conceived of the Lollapalooza festival in 1990 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction. The name Lollapalooza means "something outstanding or unusual"; Farrell heard the word in a [[Three Stooges]] short film and liked the sound. Lollapalooza was also a [[shibboleth]] used by American soldiers to identify Japanese during [[World War II]] due to their difficulty with pronouncing the L's.


During the Summer of 1990 "[[A Gathering of the Tribes]]" festival was a successful collaboration between legendary concert promoter [[Bill Graham (promoter)|Bill Graham]] and [[Ian Astbury]] - lead singer to the band [[The Cult]]. This festival played only two dates, both in California. The concerts were held in San Jose and Los Angeles. This festival set the mold of a mix of diverse musical acts and a progressive/alternative marketplace.
During the Summer of 1990 "[[A Gathering of the Tribes]]" festival was a successful collaboration between legendary concert promoter [[Bill Graham (promoter)|Bill Graham]] and [[Ian Astbury]] - lead singer to the band [[The Cult]]. This festival played only two dates, both in California. The concerts were held in San Jose and Los Angeles. This festival set the mold of a mix of diverse musical acts and a progressive/alternative marketplace.

Revision as of 04:54, 4 December 2006

Lollapalooza
GenreAlternative rock, Rap, Punk rock
DatesJune, July, August
Location(s)North America touring (1991-1997, 2003) Chicago (2005-present; scheduled through 2011)
Years active1991-1997, 2003, 2005-present

Lollapalooza is an American music festival featuring alternative rock, rap, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. Organized in 1991 by Perry Farrell, singer for the band Jane's Addiction, Lollapalooza ran annually until 1997, and was revived in 2003. The festival encapsulated American youth culture for the 1990s much as Woodstock did for the 1960s; Lollapalooza Generation is sometimes used as a synonym for Generation X.

From its inception through 1997, and a revival in 2003, the festival toured North America. After poor ticket sales forced the 2004 tour to be cancelled, it was retooled for 2005 into its current format, as a weekend destination festival in Grant Park in Chicago.

History

Perry Farrell conceived of the Lollapalooza festival in 1990 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction. The name Lollapalooza means "something outstanding or unusual"; Farrell heard the word in a Three Stooges short film and liked the sound. Lollapalooza was also a shibboleth used by American soldiers to identify Japanese during World War II due to their difficulty with pronouncing the L's.

During the Summer of 1990 "A Gathering of the Tribes" festival was a successful collaboration between legendary concert promoter Bill Graham and Ian Astbury - lead singer to the band The Cult. This festival played only two dates, both in California. The concerts were held in San Jose and Los Angeles. This festival set the mold of a mix of diverse musical acts and a progressive/alternative marketplace.

The musical acts signed to perform at the festival included: Iggy Pop, Soundgarden, Queen Latifah, The Cramps, The Indigo Girls, Lenny Kravitz, Joan Baez, Steve Jones (of the Sex Pistols fame), and Public Enemy.

Perry Ferrell attended the Los Angeles concert and decided the time was right for a national version of such a diverse touring festival

Unlike previous music festivals such as Woodstock, The Gathering of The Tribes, or the US Festival, which were one-time events held in one venue, Lollapalooza was a touring show – a modern-day Chautauqua – that travelled across the United States and Canada. Instead of drawing music enthusiasts from around the country to one spot, Lollapalooza came to them – bringing West Coast and East Coast underground culture to cities in the heartland. Because of this, many more people saw, and participated in Lollapalooza than had been to any previous music festival. It was an important vehicle for disseminating the alternative music of the period.

The 1991 lineup was also daringly eclectic, drawing in headliners from rap such as Ice-T as well as industrial music such as Nine Inch Nails. Crossing popular music's rigidly-drawn genre lines gave the festival an air of independence from corporate rock.

Another key concept behind Lollapalooza was the inclusion of non-musical features. Performers like the Jim Rose Circus Side Show, an alternative freak show, or the Shaolin Monks stretched the boundaries of traditional rock culture. There was a tent for display of art pieces, virtual reality games, and information tables for political and environmental non-profit groups. Lollapalooza's charter was not just a super-star rock jam – it was a cultural festival, albeit for the newly-formed 1990s counterculture.

After 1991, the festival included a second stage (and, in 1996, a third stage) for up-and-coming bands or local acts. It began a churning effect for alternative music – as underground bands broke through to the mainstream, they drew listeners to Lollapalooza, who would then see the next generation of underground bands on the second stage. Many of the bands that played second stage at Lollapalooza later had more widespread commercial success.

Success and decline

The explosion of grunge music in the early 1990s propelled Lollapalooza forward; the 1992 and 1993 festivals leaned heavily on grunge acts. Punk rock standbys like mosh pits and crowd surfing became part of the canon of the concerts. These years saw great increases in the participatory nature of the event. Booths for open-microphone readings and oratory, television-smashing pits, jungle-gyms and group-musical pieces, and tattooing and piercing parlors made the event seem more like a county fair than a concert.

In 1994 the side stage premiered many important and legendary poetry acts including Jeffrey McDaniel, Chris Stroffolino, David Baratier, and others.

1994 was the high-water-mark of the grunge era and a year of tragedy for the Lollapalooza. Nirvana, the Aberdeen, Washington band that had kicked off grunge's breakthrough into mainstream music, was scheduled to headline the festival, but Kurt Cobain declined the invitation. He died shortly thereafter. (The Smashing Pumpkins headlined instead.) Cobain's widow Courtney Love made surprise guest appearances at several shows (usually taking time given to her by Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan), speaking to the crowds about the loss. Increasing numbers of accidents and unruly fans at the shows were beginning to erode the feeling of community.

In its final years, Lollapalooza began to lose its focus. Farrell, who had been the soul of the festival, quit the organization to concentrate on his new festival project, ENIT; most of his financial interest was sold to the William Morris Agency. Ideas and musical genres that had been edgy and risque at the beginning of the 1990s were now mainstream or passe. Many fans also saw the addition of Metallica in 1996 as going against the practice of featuring "non-mainstream" artists. Efforts were made to keep the festival relevant; including more eclectic acts such as country superstar Waylon Jennings and emphasizing more heavily electronica groups like The Prodigy. By 1997, however, the Lollapalooza concept had run out of steam, and in 1998 failed efforts to find a headliner willing to do the show rang the deathknell for the festival tour.

Revival and rebirth

In 2003, however, Farrell reconvened Jane's Addiction and scheduled a new tour. The festival schedule included venues in 30 cities through July and August. The 2003 tour achieved only marginal success with many fans staying away because of high ticket prices and heavy corporate sponsorship. Another tour scheduled for 2004 was to break the mold a bit, with each tour stop consisting of a two day festival. It was canceled in June due to weak ticket sales across the country.

Farrell partnered with Capital Sports & Entertainment, which co-owns and produces the Austin City Limits Music Festival, to produce Lolla and co-own the Lollapalooza brand. CSE – along with Charles Attal Presents – resurrected Lollapalooza as a two-day destination festival 2005 in Grant Park, Chicago, with an even greater variety of performers (70 acts on five stages) than that of the touring festival. The festival was generally successful, attracting over 65,000 attendees, despite a 104 degree Sunday heat wave. (Only 3 people were hospitialized for heat related illness.) It returned to Chicago from August 4-6, 2006. On October 25, 2006, the Chicago Park District and Capital Sports & Entertainment agreed to a five-year, $5 million deal, keeping Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago until 2011.[1]

Lollapalooza lineups by year

1991, July 26

Main Stage: Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails, Ice T & Body Count, Fishbone, Butthole Surfers, Rollins Band, Violent Femmes.

1992

Main Stage: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ministry, Ice Cube, Soundgarden, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Pearl Jam, Lush, Temple of the Dog.

Side Stage: Jim Rose Circus, Sharkbait, Archie Bell, Porno for Pyros, Basehead, Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Sweaty Nipples, Arson Garden, Seaweed, Seam, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., The Look People, Stone Temple Pilots, Vulgar Boatmen, Truly, Skrew, Tribe, The Authority, Samba Hell, Rage Against the Machine, Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder

1993

Main Stage: Primus, Alice in Chains, Dinosaur Jr., Fishbone, Arrested Development, Front 242, Babes in Toyland, Rage Against the Machine

Side Stage: Tool, Sebadoh, Cell, Unrest, Mercury Rev, Mosquito, Free Kitten, Royal Trux, Tsunami, Mutabaruka, The Coctails, Scrawl, Luscious Jackson, Genitorturers, Truly, Eggs, Girls Against Boys, Thurston Moore, Glue, Karl Hendrick's Trio, Hurl

1994

Main Stage: The Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, George Clinton & the P.Funk All-Stars, The Breeders, A Tribe Called Quest, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, L7, Boredoms (first half of tour), Green Day (second half)

Side Stage: The Flaming Lips, The Verve, The Boo Radleys, The Frogs (first six dates only), Guided By Voices, Lambchop, Girls Against Boys, Rollerskate Skinny, Palace Songs, Stereolab, FU-Schnickens, The Pharcyde, Shudder To Think, Luscious Jackson, King Kong, Charlie Hunter Trio, Shonen Knife, Blast Off Country Style, Souls of Mischief, Cypress Hill, Black Crowes

Several of the artists, including Green Day and Cypress Hill, skipped at least one Lollapalooza tour date in order to appear at Woodstock '94 instead. Nirvana was scheduled to headline but decided to pull out.

1995

Main Stage: Sonic Youth, Hole, Cypress Hill, Pavement, Sinéad O'Connor (first few shows; bowed out due to pregnancy), Elastica (replaced O'Connor, as did Moby for a few shows), Beck, The Jesus Lizard, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Side Stage: Coolio, Doo Rag, Possum Dixon, Poster Children, Yo La Tengo, Brainiac, The Coctails, The Geraldine Fibbers, The Dambuilders, Laika, The Pharcyde, Tuscadero, Built to Spill, Helium, Redman, St. Johnny, Dirty Three, Mike Watt, Versus, Hum, Blonde Redhead, The Roots, Blowhole, The Zeros, Pork Queen, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, Sabalon Glitz, Psychotica, Patti Smith, Overpass, Moby, Superchunk, Beck (acoustic, generally)

1996

Main Stage: Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Cocteau Twins, Waylon Jennings, Cheap Trick, Violent Femmes, The Tea Party, Wu Tang Clan, Steve Earle, Devo, The Ramones, Rancid, Shaolin Monks, Screaming Trees, Psychotica

Side Stage: Beth Hart Band, Girls Against Boys, Ben Folds Five, Ruby, Cornershop, You Am I, Soul Coughing, Sponge, The Melvins, Satchel, Jonny Polonsky, Fireside, Ass Dildo

Indie Stage: Chune, Moonshake, Lutefisk, Capsize 7, The Cows, Long Fin Killie, Thirty Ought Six, Varnaline, Crumb

1997

Main Stage: Orbital, Devo, The Prodigy, The Orb, Tool, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tricky, KoЯn, James, Julian and Damian Marley and the Uprising Band, Eels, Failure

Side Stage: Summercamp, Artificial Joy Club, Jeremy Toback, Radish, Old 97's, Inch, Porno for Pyros, The Pugs, Lost Boyz, Agnes Gooch, Demolition Dollrods, Skeleton Key, Molly McGuire, Orbit

2003

Main Stage: Jane's Addiction, Audioslave, Incubus, Queens of the Stone Age (7/5-8/13), A Perfect Circle (8/15-8/23), Jurassic 5, The Donnas, The Distillers, Rooney

Side Stage: Steve-O, Burning Brides, Cave In, Kings Of Leon, Hierosonic, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Music, Mooney Suzuki, Fingertight, MC Supernatural, Boysetsfire, Billy Talent, Campfire Girls, Mondo Generator

2004 [Cancelled]

A two-day festival was planned for each city. The following acts were scheduled, but the tour was cancelled due to low ticket sales: Morrissey, PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, The Killers, The Flaming Lips, The Von Bondies, String Cheese Incident, Modest Mouse, Le Tigre, Gomez, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Danger Mouse, Polyphonic Spree, Broken Social Scene, The Datsuns, Bumblebeez 81, The Secret Machines, Brayndead Freakshow, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Elbow, Wheat, The Coup, Wolf Eyes, The Dresden Dolls

2005

Location: Grant Park, Chicago

SBC West Stage
Saturday: Weezer, Primus, Cake, Liz Phair, M83
Sunday: Widespread Panic, Drive-By Truckers, Dinosaur Jr., The Ponys.

SBC East Stage
Saturday: Pixies, Billy Idol, Dashboard Confessional, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The (International) Noise Conspiracy
Sunday: The Killers, The Arcade Fire, The Satellite Party, Kasabian, OK Go.

Budweiser Select Stage
Saturday: Digable Planets, The Black Keys, The Bravery, Kaiser Chiefs, The Warlocks
Sunday: Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon, Brayndead Freakshow, Ben Kweller, Louis XIV, Saul Williams.

Parkways Stage
Saturday: The Walkmen, Blonde Redhead, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Ambulance LTD, The Redwalls
Sunday: The Dandy Warhols, G Love & Special Sauce, Tegan and Sara, Blue Merle, The Changes.

Planet Stage
Saturday: Mark Farina, Z-Trip, B-Boy Breakdown Royale, Mash Up Circus, DJ Muggs, VHS or Beta, The Dead 60's, HARD-Fi
Sunday: Derrick Carter, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Soulive, Los Amigos Invisibles, DeSol, Cathedrals.

Kidapalooza
Saturday: Gwendolyn & the Good Time Gang, Daddy a Go Go, The Candy Band, Peter Distefano and Perry Farrell
Sunday: The Candy Band, Gwendolyn & the Good Time Gang, Saul Williams and Ladybug of Digable Planets (performing an impromptu set), Daddy a Go Go, Ella Jenkins.

2006

Location: Grant Park, Chicago (artists listed from earliest to latest set times)

Dates: August 4-6

AT&T Stage
Friday: The Subways, Panic! At the Disco, Umphrey's McGee, The Raconteurs, Ween
Saturday:Living Things, Coheed and Cambria, Gnarls Barkley, Common, Kanye West
Sunday: Sparta, Ben Kweller, Matisyahu, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Budlight Stage
Friday: Blue October, Eels, Ryan Adams, My Morning Jacket, Death Cab For Cutie
Saturday: Nada Surf, Built to Spill, Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, Manu Chao
Sunday: The Redwalls, Nickel Creek, The Shins, Wilco

adidas-Champ Stage
Friday: Deadboy & the Elephantmen, Aqualung, Stars, Iron & Wine, Sleater-Kinney (Second to last show before "indefinite hiatus")
Saturday: Matt Costa, Feist, Calexico, The Dresden Dolls, Thievery Corporation
Sunday: Mucca Pazza, The Frames, Andrew Bird, Poi Dog Pondering, Blues Traveler

Q101 Stage
Friday: Sound Team, Editors, Cursive, The Secret Machines, The Violent Femmes
Saturday: Tonedeff (Last Band Standing Grand Prize Winner), Be Your Own Pet, The Go! Team,Wolfmother, Smoking Popes, The New Pornographers
Sunday: Boy Kill Boy, The Hold Steady, 30 Seconds to Mars, She Wants Revenge, Broken Social Scene

Playstation Stage
Friday: Midlake, Anathallo, Ohmega Watts, Jeremy Enigk, Lady Sovereign
Saturday: Sa-Ra, Sybris, Peeping Tom, Lyrics Born, Blackalicious
Sunday: Trevor Hall, The Burden Brothers, Hot Chip, Pepper, Reverend Horton Heat

AMD Stage
Friday: Mates of State, The Cankles (Last Band Standing Finalists), Ghostland Observatory, Husky Rescue,The M's, Mute Math
Satuday:Rainer Maria, Cold War Kids, Oh No! Oh My!, Particle, Disco Biscuits
Sunday: What Made Milwaukee Famous, Manishevitz, Benevento/Russo Duo, The New Amsterdams, Of Montreal

BMI Stage
Friday: Bon Mots, Cameron McGill and What Army, Makeshifte, Kelley Stoltz, Jon McLaughlin
Saturday:Musical Outfits, St. James Inc., Lanz, Elvis Perkins, Kill Hannah
Sunday: Katie Todd Band, Catfish Haven, Manchester Orchestra, Moses Mayfield, Assassins, Deadsy

Mind Field Stage
Friday: Playstation Competition 1 : Singstarr, Battle Royale 1, The Second City (Comedy), Battle Royale 2, Mission Improvable(Comedy, Playstation Competition 2: Guitar Hero, Battle Royale 3, Mindfield Mini Movies, Schadenfreude [2] (Comedy), Battle Royale 4, Mindfield Electronic Ambush VHS or Beta DJ
Saturday:Playstation Competition 1 : Singstarr, Battle Royale 1, The Second City (Comedy), Battle Royale 2, Mission Improvable (Comedy), Playstation Competition 2: Guitar Hero, Battle Royale 3, Mindfield Mini Movies, Schadenfreude [3] (Comedy), Battle Royale 4, Mindfield Electronic Ambush-DJ Rashida
Sunday: Playstation Competition 1 : Singstarr, Battle Royale 1, The Second City (Comedy), Battle Royale 2, Mission Improvable, Playstation Competition 2: Guitarhero, Battle Royale 3, Super Sunday Superhero Pageant, Mindfield Electronic Ambush-Mix Master Mike, Mixin' Marc

Kidz Stage
Friday:ScribbleMonster, Kelly McQuinn and KidTribe, Candy Band, Alvin Ailev Dancing Workshop, Remo Drum Circle, Peter DiStefano, The Blisters
Saturday: ScribbleMonster, Kelly Mcquinn and KidTribe,Candy Band, Alvin Ailev Dancing Workshop,Ella Jenkins featuring Asheba, Remo Drum Circle featuring Asheba, Justin Roberts, Distefano's Guitar Workshop,Chutzpah, breakdancing with the Brickheadz, Remo Drum Circle
Sunday: School of Rock, Kelly McQuinn and KidTribe, Farrell and DiStefano, Patti Smith (surprise appearance), The Candy Band, Q Brothers and Chutzpah, Asheba, Remo Drum Circle

2007

Lollapalooza is set to kick off in Grant Park, Once again in Chicago, for the date of August 3rd until August 5th. Lollapalooza will stay in Chicago for atleast another five years, as a contract was just signed. More information can be viewed at lollapalooza.com

"Palooza" has become a kind of suffix to describe any similar large-scale event, particularly in fiction:

Trivia

  • Ice-T debuted Body Count at the first Lollapalooza.
  • The festival played Pine Knob Music Theater in Detroit, Michigan, in its first two years before complaints from nearby residents of noise and grassfire damage; management refused the third festival and the event was held at Milan Dragway. Pine Knob invited Lollapalooza back for the fourth and subsequent festivals.