Lollapalooza 2010: Bigger than ever, but will it be better?
At East Congress Parkway and Michigan Avenues, union stagehands work atop a support structure on August 2, assembling a sign at the entry to this weekend's Lollapalooza concert. (Tribune photo by Chris Walker)
Lollapalooza had maxed out. For the second straight year in 2009, the festival sold out and 75,000 fans a day turned Grant Park into a mass of sun-baked humanity. Something had to give, and I argued in my ’09 wrap-up story for a smaller festival with fewer stages, fewer bands and a lower ceiling on attendance.
Did the powers that be listen to me? Of course not. This year’s festival has the potential to be even bigger, with the attendance capacity bumped to 95,000 a day.The good news is that the festival will now have significantly more room for its eight stages; two of the stages will be moved westward across Columbus Drive, and the total acreage assigned to the festival will increase to 115 from 80. Theoretically, this will alleviate some of the bottlenecking that occurs around Buckingham Fountain each year and significantly reduce sound bleed between stages.
Charlie Jones, one of the co-owners of Lollapalooza promoters C3 Presents, says that he will likely sell fewer tickets than allotted this year to gauge the impact of the expanded festival on the fans and the park itself. He says it’s unlikely that the festival would approach capacity, and if it did, he would cut off sales short of the goal.
We’ll withhold judgment until we see for ourselves whether Lolla presents a more fan-friendly environment in its first significant expansion since it went to three days from two in 2006. One thing’s for certain: Lollapalooza is the most scrutinized music event in Chicago each year, for multiple reasons. Not the least of which is that it draws so many fans, but also because it resides on a revered slice of city property, contributes millions of dollars to city coffers and spikes the local economy to the tune of about $20 million annually.
As usual, we’ll be out in force covering this weekend’s events. And, while we gear up, here’s a look back at how the festival has evolved since its inaugural year in Grant Park:
2005: Remember when the festival was booked for only two days, and drew about 33,000 people a day? In its first year, Lolla still is a pretty mellow deal, and rock is still relatively untested on a large scale in Grant Park. There’s actually room to stretch out and roam. One thing hasn’t changed: The weather on the final day is oppressively hot. Into this oven steps the Arcade Fire dressed like undertakers in the cast from "Six Feet Under" but frolicking like schoolchildren at recess. The nine-piece band draws one of the largest crowds of the weekend, transcends the recordings on their debut album, "Funeral," and establishes themselves as future arena-level stars (they’ll headline this year’s Sunday finale, and I can’t think of a more appropriate choice).
2006: Kanye West becomes the first hip-hop act to headline the festival. His performance is galvanizing, a mixture of generosity and bravado, and above all a celebration of Chicago hip-hop. He invites Common, Lupe Fiasco and Twista to share the stage with him and perform their own songs. The rapper delivers dramatic versions of "Jesus Walks," "Gold Digger" and "Crack Music" with a large band that includes a seven-piece string section outfitted as masked bandits. West also briefly reprises the Gnarls Barkley hit "Crazy” – the song of the summer and of the festival itself, performed no less than four times by West, the Raconteurs, Tapes ‘N Tapes and originators Gnarls Barkley. West is in a celebratory mood. The ex-South Sider looks over at his mother, longtime Chicago educator Donda West, watching from the wings, and beams. "See, mom, I told ya," he says. "I told ya I wanna rap. It works!" It was a great moment for mother and son, all the more poignant because Donda West died the next year from complications after cosmetic surgery.
2007: Pearl Jam stirs controversy when singer Eddie Vedder’s commentary on then-President George Bush are censored on the Internet simulcast by AT&T. But the weekend belongs to Iggy Pop and the Stooges, who invite 250 fans to join them onstage for a chaotic version of “No Fun.” The prancing, squirming Pop embodies the Stooges' proto-punk attitude, a sound that has only grown in stature since the band’s epochal 1969 debut. He may be the oldest performer in Lollapalooza’s brief Grant Park history (he had just turned 60 that April) but he makes everyone else on the bill seem safe and static in comparison. The man born James Osterberg is as charismatic and terrifying as a wild animal just released from its cage, his dirty blond mane whipping in the wind. And, oh yeah, a performer named Lady Gaga makes her debut on a smaller stage to a mostly indifferent audience (going out on a limb here, but I’m betting the reaction will be different Friday when she headlines the main stage).
2008: Lolla sells out for the first time, packing in 225,000 people over three days. With fans standing shoulder-to-shoulder as far as the eye can see to watch Radiohead, Grant Park starts to feel claustrophobic. The newfound popularity is generated in large measure by a killer group of headliners, including Radiohead (reprising its magical performance on the same field in 2001), Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco and a return visit by Kanye West. During Rage’s set, the crowd is in a frenzy and several dozen fans watching outside the festival rush through an open gate as a bus exits.
2009: The headliners can’t compare as major draws to the previous year’s lineup. Rain turns Friday into the wettest in Lolla memory, and Depeche Mode’s headlining set is equally soggy. Filling the void are strong sets by midlevel acts such as Santigold, Arctic Monkeys and Dan Deacon, who draw big, boisterous mid-day crowds. In general the festival lacks the impact moments of previous years, yet sells out anyway.
--Greg Kot
greg@gregkot.com
jane's addiction killed as the sunday headliner last year forgiving a brutal hot 3 days! They were amazing!
Posted by: perdida35 | August 03, 2010 at 07:54 AM
Lady Gaga is a slap in the face of everything Lollapalooza is supposed to represent. We've jumped the shark here, fellas.
Posted by: mike | August 03, 2010 at 09:10 AM
The Killers were amazing last year!
Posted by: Carrie | August 03, 2010 at 11:08 AM
mike, that comment is so naive it's adorable. you make it sound like it's this generation's woodstock or a civil rights march, when it's just a money making venture that involves music.
Posted by: mnjoe | August 03, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Imagine what would happen if the 95,000 people spent the day helping underpriviliged others rather than wasting their time listening to music.
Posted by: Robert DeJulian | August 03, 2010 at 11:40 AM
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Posted by: Molly | August 03, 2010 at 11:48 AM
Greg, you're not the first person I've heard refer to Depeche Mode's performance last year as mediocre. Nonetheless, I don't understand this assessment. I thought they were darn good. Contrary to the statement above, Jane's Addiction was awful.
Posted by: Mark | August 03, 2010 at 11:59 AM
Mike: What is Lollapalooza supposed to represent?
Posted by: CT | August 03, 2010 at 12:02 PM
How bout the fact that Daft Punk rocked it in 2007?
Posted by: bill | August 03, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Mike, where was your complaint when she played in 07 or 08 (I forget the exact year) on a small side stage?
Posted by: Kevin | August 03, 2010 at 12:51 PM
Robert, I can't believe you're worried about 95,000 people coming together for one 3-day event to "waste their time listening to music" when every weekend, millions of Americans "waste time" sitting on their couches watching sports figures and team owners make MILLIONS a year in tax-payer funded stadiums! Oh, and for me, Lollapalooza represents real artists (for the most part) creating real music with a real message rather than feeding the comatose 'American Idol' sheep the same crap.
Posted by: UpBeat | August 03, 2010 at 01:41 PM
"acreage increased from 115 to 80"?
Nice math.
Greg replies: that's not what I wrote.
Posted by: Jeff | August 03, 2010 at 01:58 PM
after atteneding 4 out of the 5 years of the festival (missed the opening year, but did attend the late-night Les Claypool show at the Vic, which was by far the best Claypool solo show i'v ever been to,(seen him over 15 times solo). I loved Ween in 06, but DAFT PUNK in 07 was BY FAR the best show I'v seen in all the years of attending the festival. NIN in 08 sucked due to the fact you could hear Kanyne accross grant park better than you could hear NIN at the north stage. I'm only going Sunday this year for Soundgarded, and I'm REALLY pissed PRIMUS never got added (they are touring with Gogol this summer, who's playing saturday at the Lolla). Going to DEVO Thursday night at the Congress, who I highly reccomend seeing.(saw them for the first time in Kansas City 2 weeks ago and they stole with show (Bend Folds and Silversun PU's headlined over them, and were quite boring compared to DEVO). Should be a fun week in Chicago!!!
Posted by: Anthony | August 03, 2010 at 03:10 PM
Green Day? Helllllooooooo? Mr Kot, what is your problem with the best friggin' band playin' Lolla? Really? Not even worth a mention? Hmmmmmm . . . . .
Posted by: party pants | August 03, 2010 at 08:35 PM
Yo, Senor party pants, Green Day blows. You're probably just out of diapers, but Sex Pistols = real punk, Green Day = d-bag pop.
Posted by: S Vicious | August 04, 2010 at 06:17 AM
LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk, back-to-back was the best setup ever. Grant Park was the biggest dance floor I've ever seen.
As for Green Day, though they are more famous then ever now, as soon as American Idiot came out I lost all interest. Phoenix for sure Saturday night!
Posted by: Nathan | August 04, 2010 at 08:28 AM
CT, I'm not your research department.
Posted by: mike | August 04, 2010 at 02:39 PM
Nathan hit the nail on the head. Friday night, 2007, LCD leading into Daft Punk was by far the best Lolla experience I've ever had. Let's hope Daft makes it back to Lolla 2011. I wish LCD was playing this year but they were awesome at Metro and Pitchfork, truly one of the best live acts around.
Posted by: Jon | August 05, 2010 at 12:13 AM
Looking forwards to it!
Posted by: Toni Cappella | August 05, 2010 at 12:31 PM
Last year TOOL rocked so damn hard it was great. RadioHead and WEEN and Rage Against the machine were great a few years back. Saw Lou Reed and Pattie Smith and Iggy Pop not back to back but still all were awesome. Love and Rockets one year. looking forward to DEVO as well. I am not a fan of Lady Gaga but I dont understand why anyone would complain so much great music to see you dont have see every act. Love this music festival and will try and go every year that I get a chance. Always a great time.
Posted by: Stuart | August 05, 2010 at 01:13 PM
"wasting their time listening to music," says the man spending his time posting on Greg Kot's message board. LOL.
Posted by: ryan | August 06, 2010 at 08:22 AM
Arctic Monkeys?! REALLY!? Dude who cares? How do you mention the Arctic Monkeys and omit Tool from your summary of 2009?
Headliners didn't compare? What planet are you living on? Tool are simply the biggest rock band on the planet right now. They rocked the faces off everybody there, and they alone made Lolla 2009 worth attending.
Posted by: PanicOffice | August 07, 2010 at 06:40 AM
Using the term "music" with anything associated with this gathering of fools is comical!!!!
Posted by: Fred | August 07, 2010 at 01:40 PM
p.s. keep up the good work on Sound Opinions :) I never miss it.
Posted by: PanicOffice | August 07, 2010 at 01:53 PM
Bigger is NOT better. This will be my last Lollapalooza (and I went to the first two in '91 and '92) as the crowds keep increasing in size while the stage sizes/areas remain the same. The North End is ridiculous. Thumbs down, unfortunately.
Posted by: Jay | August 08, 2010 at 12:17 PM