Lollapalooza schedule pits Coldplay vs. Muse, Eminem vs. My Morning Jacket, Foo Fighters vs. Deadmau5
Lollapalooza will announce its schedule Tuesday and here’s how the headliners will shake down: Coldplay and Muse on Aug. 5, Eminem and My Morning Jacket on Aug. 6, and Foo Fighters and Deadmau5 on Aug. 7.
Single-day tickets ($90) also go on sale Tuesday, so concertgoers will now be able to choose which day to attend the three-day 20th anniversary festival in Grant Park. Three-day passes ($215) went on sale a few months ago and the lineup was announced in April.
In an effort to dissipate some of the massive crowds that have congregated near the main stage in recent years, Texas-based promoters C3 Presents will offer fans more options throughout the festival until closing time.
The Perry’s stage – dedicated to DJs and electronic-music performers – will feature a closing set by Girl Talk on Aug. 5, Pretty Lights on Aug. 6 and Kid Cudi on Aug. 7, all playing opposite the main-stage headliners. Perry’s will occupy a new, larger location than in past years: a large softball field on the west side of Columbus Avenue in the Southern half of the park, which can accommodate about 15,000 fans. At the northern end of the festival, Ratatat (Aug. 5) and Beirut (Aug. 6) will play late sets on the first two nights opposite the big main-stage acts.
If that’s not enough, eight stages will host more than 130 performers over three days, packing in about 10 hours of music daily. So which day offers the most bang for your buck? Here’s a quick assessment:
Aug. 5: Usually the headlining slots are about contrast, but on this night the similarities outweigh the differences. Coldplay vs. Muse? It’s more a matter of degree for two U.K. bands that specialize in arena-sized anthems. Muse skews more bombastic and Queen-like, without the sense of humor. Coldplay would like nothing more than to be the next U2, with their weight-of-the-world philosophizing. Chris Martin’s crew should be advertising its forthcoming album, though the first single (the musically unremarkable and lyrically laughable “Every Tear is a Waterfall”) is not a promising start.
The best spectacle of the night might belong to Girl Talk, the one-man dance machine who churns up samples from decades worth of hits and usually unveils some new theatrical gimmick to rev up the crowd (everything from floating on a raft atop the audience to building a five-story house on stage). The early part of the day includes some choice up-and-comers, including Wye Oak, the Vaccines and Reptar. A Perfect Circle rarely tours, so this side project of Tool’s Maynard James Keenan is certain to be a big draw. It’s also a great day for co-ed duos that blend hooks and mayhem: The Kills, Crystal Castles, Sleigh Bells. Top Chicago draw: Check out Kids These Days, a big band that blends old-school soul and hip-hop.
Verdict: Go for it. Above-average early lineup, skip the headliners to party with Girl Talk.
Aug. 6: The two names atop the lineup present a clear-cut choice for the fans, with a fairly traditional rock act going against a hip-hop icon. Eminem hasn’t headlined in Chicago in years, and tours rarely, so his headlining appearance is sure to pack the park on a midsummer Saturday night. His commercial comeback with last year’s “Recovery” album has coincided with his reinvention as an almost-cuddly mainstream celebrity, featured in not one but two Super Bowl ads. Opposite him is My Morning Jacket, whose latest album, “Circuital,” is not the breakthrough long predicted for this Louisville band, which nonetheless remains a strong live act.
The early lineup includes a few bands deserving of a wider audience: Portland orchestral-popsters Typhoon, Chicago drone-rock masters Disappears (with Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley on drums) and Australian co-ed duo An Horse. Big Audio Dynamite, Mick Jones’ post-Clash electro-rock band, will be making its Chicago debut. Also on the must-see list, Swedish singer Lykke Li and quirky dance-rock band Local Natives.
Verdict: For Eminem fans only. This might be your only chance to see him until the next album cycle. Otherwise, only so-so.
Aug. 7: The headliners pit a dance-club hero (Deadmau5) against an alternative-rock veteran (Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters). The overlap between these two acts is zilch, so maybe the big Hutchinson Field area in front of the Foo Fighters won’t be quite as jammed as it has been in past years for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam.
Besides Deadmau5 (Toronto progressive-house star Joel Zimmerman), it’ll be a good day for the dance and hip-hop crowd in general with Jay Electronica, Busy P and Kid Cudi all playing at Perry’s stage.
Two words of advice if you want to be rocked: Arrive early. Guitar army Titus Andronicus is sure to provide the sonic equivalent of a caffeine injection during their 12:45 p.m. kickoff slot. Otherwise it’s a pretty drowsy day for rock fans, even with the Cars scheduled to perform (their Riviera set a few weeks ago was pretty robotic). Best of the remaining bunch are California indie-pop band Best Coast, epic instrumental specialists Explosions in the Sky, and Brits Arctic Monkeys, a huge hit at the festival in 2009.
Verdict: Club-music addicts, this is your night. If you’re not there to dance, the rock lineup isn’t quite as strong as on previous days.
greg@gregkot.com
Couldn't they have put Muse and Coldplay on different nights? They need to spread out the lame bands so the rest of us have less conflicts.
Posted by: M Meyer | June 07, 2011 at 07:37 AM
Thanks Greg. Fantastic information and analysis, as always.
Posted by: Tom | June 07, 2011 at 07:46 AM
This is terrible. I would have been happy if they chose any other headliner to play during eminem... Looks like I'll be able to get a nap during My Morning Jacket
Posted by: Andrew | June 07, 2011 at 08:27 AM
Muse vs. Coldplay WHYY
Fix this, Kot
Posted by: Jeff | June 07, 2011 at 08:48 AM
Seriously, Muse vs. Coldplay? What the hell are they thinking?
Posted by: Kevin | June 07, 2011 at 09:10 AM
Greg - When is Ween on the schedule
Posted by: Jake | June 07, 2011 at 09:20 AM
Once again, Pitchfork blows Lolla out of the water. Muse are o.k., but the other headliners, snoooozzzzeee. If there's a less interesting "popular" band than Foo Fighters, I'd like to avoid them as well. Their anthems are so insipid, they make me want to hurl.
Posted by: Marco from Tropoje | June 07, 2011 at 09:23 AM
Haven't you read reviews on coldplay shows? Maybe you should before bashing them #1 live show in the world
Posted by: john | June 07, 2011 at 09:29 AM
... any day at Lollapalooza... is better than a day NOT at Lollapalooza.
Posted by: Darrin Searancke | June 07, 2011 at 09:44 AM
Good info Greg; this will hold me over until the actual schedule is released today.
@ Andrew. You apparently have not seen My Morning Jacket live. Even the energy on their slower songs kick you in the face; good luck napping!
Posted by: tizzy | June 07, 2011 at 09:47 AM
"Opposite him is My Morning Jacket, whose latest album, “Circuital,” is not the breakthrough long predicted for this Louisville band"
This is a joke, right? Circutal is an incredibly strong follow-up to Evil Urges. Why even include your negative opinion in this article?
Posted by: Dave | June 07, 2011 at 09:59 AM
How do you know this already?
Posted by: Gerald | June 07, 2011 at 10:00 AM
no mention of Ween? fail
Posted by: Boognish | June 07, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Weakest Lollapalooza lineup ever! 20th anniversary show, and not one "first-generation band to be seen??!?!
Coldplay? weak. Eminem? maybe. Last year we had Lady Gaga at her pinnacle, this year, they try to pass off My Morning Jacket as a headliner.
C3 should have re-animated the corpses of Kurt Cobain and/or Brad Nowell and brought them back with their original bands to make this a special event.
Instead, this is the first year that I'm not going. Better throttle up for next year's show, because I'm personally offended by this offering.
Posted by: Joaquin Falcon | June 07, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Foo Fighters vs Deadmau5 sucks! I want to see both badly!
Posted by: billeh | June 07, 2011 at 10:44 AM
+1
Terrible scheduling this year.
Posted by: Will | June 07, 2011 at 10:46 AM
Muse vs. Coldplay is the dumbest conflict in Lolla's history. The two arena rock bands at the same time? MMJ isn't nearly as big as either band, yet they are opposite to the only Hip-Hop headliner? Why wouldn't Just a horrible schedule.
Posted by: Nicholas | June 07, 2011 at 11:04 AM
Can't believe you didn't mention Fitz & the Tantrums on Saturday. Maybe I'm crazy, but they're the sole reason I'm buying a one-day pass.
Posted by: Elizabeth | June 07, 2011 at 12:34 PM
Worst lineup I have ever seen. This is like the anti-Lolla festival. So far off of what this festival was all about. Epic Fail all the way
Posted by: K Johns | June 07, 2011 at 01:36 PM
How is Coldplay considered arena rock? When I get a massage, the therapist plays their music as atmosphere. They may as well be Air Supply.
Posted by: Mike | June 07, 2011 at 01:45 PM
Coldplay vs. Muse is disappointing.
Would have expected more from lollapalooza.
Should have switched Muse and My morning jacket or something like that.
Posted by: ichirostyle | June 07, 2011 at 02:21 PM
For some reason, this festival, though having more acts, just doesn't feel as deep as other years past. Before i could come in at 12 and know where to go. Now in either day i feel no need to come to the festival before 3, and even then i feel left with "Meh" at options.
Eminem better play some classics or i am going to be MAD. MMJ puts on an amazing live show and i already know i gotta miss them for Em. So if em plays his crappy latest music, im mad.
The only REAL reason i got tickets for this festival was for Foo Fighters, everything else is a pretty thin icing on the cake.
I could honestly care less for Muse or Coldplay so i think I'll take Kot's advice and hit Girl Talk at that time.
Posted by: Ty | June 07, 2011 at 03:34 PM
Lollapalooza: You gonna have to make a tough decision...
Me: i hear you...
Lollapalooza: You gonna have to choose between Coldplay and Mu-
Me: Coldplay!
Posted by: David | June 08, 2011 at 03:01 AM
EMINEM is going to perform new Bad Meets Evil songs with Royce DA 59; I feel sorry for the saps that will miss him !
Posted by: matthew | June 08, 2011 at 05:51 AM
Why don't you people that are complaining about the lineup try and discover some new bands. That's actually what it's all about.... My Morning Jacket will melt faces too.
Posted by: Mark | June 08, 2011 at 08:07 AM