Lollapalooza should be a tricky thing to plan. The producers have to book a wide variety of acts, including the following:
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Up-and-coming or cool artists that will be “mainstream” in a few years, but are still popular with the underground community
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A big name rap act
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An act to please an older age demographic (see: The Cure)
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Kid-friendly acts
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Crowd-pleasing EDM acts
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A big-name rock headliner that almost everyone likes (see: Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Usually the excitement for the festival is high, but this year there hasn’t been much “hype.” Is the lineup that bad? Of course that’s a subjective question, but a lot of opinions seem to think “yes, this year’s lineup is that bad.” The four headliners (Outkast, Eminem, Arctic Monkeys and Kings of Leon) aren’t particularly exciting, and regarding the rest of the acts, there isn’t much depth either, with Interpol just a shell of its former Turn On the Bright Lights self and Foster The People simply coasting on their “Pumped Up Kicks” fame. Music lover Tanya Calvin summed up the public opinion by saying, “I’m not going to be here [for Lollapalooza] and I’m not broken up about it one bit.”
Has Lolla lost some of its luster? The obvious answer to that would be no, consider how quickly the tickets sold out this year. But upon further inspection it seems like our community is feeling tepid about Lolla 2014. Junior Dylan Burke said, “I think [the lineup] is ok. I wish there was more rock or alternative music there.” He said that if he could choose one artist to add to the lineup it would be The Strokes, who are playing at Governor’s Ball in New York this year.
The Latin community is usually a big supporter of Lollapalooza. Students tend to go no matter what and that is still true this year, too, but something seems to have changed. One possibility is that the festival craze of the past few years could be wearing out, as festivals are becoming increasingly corporatized and the lineups are becoming more a reflection of popular radio than what’s “cool.” Maybe festivals aren’t the place to go anymore to see the best new music…Either way, here are three Lollapalooza sets that you should get excited for:
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Blood Orange (this is a must see!)
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Lorde
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Parquet Courts
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