The idea for Lollapalooza was conceived in 1990 by Perry Farrell - then front man for alternative rock icons 'Jane's Addiction' - who wished to stage a festival, as a farewell for the band, who had decided to split up. The inaugural event saw acts as diverse as Public Enemy and Lenny Kravitz perform on the same bill and Farrell quickly realised that with alternative rock and, more specifically, grunge set to explode into mainstream consciousness, the timing was perfect to take Lollapalooza on the road.
The first tour of its kind, Lollapalooza quickly became successful, mostly due to the fact that while most festivals attempted to draw crowds from all over the U.S to one place, Lollapalooza took East and West coast culture to the heart of America, thus more people witnessed the event than any other "standard" festival. Perry Farrell also made several conceptual decisions regarding the event to differentiate it from the other American festivals at the time, most of which relied on corporate sponsorship while his didn't. Non-musical performances also quickly became a key concept in the promotion of the event as a cultural festival, rather just another rock show.
After the success of Lollapalooza in 1991, a second stage was added to the festival in '92, specifically for new bands to have a chance to shine in front of much larger crowds than they were used to. Many of these acts (including 'Rage Against The Machine' and 'Cypress Hill') went on to have great commercial success, a feat that would have been almost impossible without the platform of Lollapalooza to elevate them. Around this time, alternative rock grew rapidly in popularity throughout the United States. Fans camped outside Ticketmaster outlets for hours, sometimes even days, in the hope of getting to go to Lollapalooza, now officially the hottest ticket of the summer.
However, many attendees of 1992's Lollapalooza complained about not only the high ticket price, but also what they saw as extortionate prices for food and water. Frustrated fans caused thousands of dollars worth of damage at one of the dates near Detroit, ripping up chunks of sod and grass to throw at each other and the bands onstage. After the sun went down the chaos continued, with many impromptu bonfires being lit all over the lawn and concert-goers climbing up the lighting rig. These events were a disturbing precursor to the violence that marred the revived Woodstock festival a few years later.
As the years went on, the popularity of Lollapalooza waned, with many fans complaining that the newly-inked deals with corporate sponsors - including car finance companies and commercial radio stations - went against everything the festival set out to achieve. The booking of acts that were considered "too mainstream" was also a controversial move with most festival attendees balking at the idea of the 'Prodigy' and 'Metallica' playing the festival. By 1998 a headliner for the tour couldn't be found and, for the first time since its inception, the tour was cancelled.
The Lollapalooza festival was resurrected in 2003, with a $5 million deal being struck in 2005 to have the two day festival held at Grant Park in Chicago every year until 2011. The 2008 event, which takes place in August looks set to be another great year of music and attractions, with 'Pearl Jam', 'Muse', 'Iggy and the Stooges' and 'Snow Patrol' already confirmed to perform as well as the usual array of bizarre sideshow attractions and stalls, sure to appease even the most ardent of alternative rock fans.
Matthew Pressman is a freelance writer and frequent flyer. When not travelling, he enjoys golf and fishing.
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