Living in a city that has a music festival (or two) nearly every weekend through out the summer you have to be selective when it comes to your time and money. When you look at this years line-up for the annual mega-fest known as Lollapalooza you begin to wonder what the ultimate goal of the festival is. Yes, a main part of the fest is to buzz market for Bud Light, Sony, BMI, Google, and all of the other sponsors and vendors. However, for the festival goer it seems like at Lolla, unlike a fest like Pitchfork, the goal is not to hear or discover the newest and best in music.
If you head out early each day to Grant Park, which most ticket holders do not do, you can discover gems like Yellow Ostrich, Bowerbirds, First Aid Kit, FIDLAR or Chicago’s own JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound or Kid Color. However, most arrive late and camp out at a certain stage to see a Red Hot Chili Peppers or Jack White or Black Sabbath and ignore all else.
I suppose the point of a big commercial fest like Lolla is to present a little something for everyone, and on paper it seems like they fail every year. Yet, when you find yourself in center of a crowd pressed up against a metal railing pumping your fist at Twin Shadow or Passion Pit I am sure it will all be worth it.
Enjoy your weekend Lolla goers!