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The lineup for the new (but not necessarily improved) Lollapalooza on July 23rd and 24th in Grant Park was released this morning and well...it’s a mixed bag. We’re really excited about some of the bands on this list and unmoved by others. Many of the bands you’d expect to be in the lineup are: Arcade Fire, Death Cab For Cutie, The Bravery, The Walkmen, World Leader Pretend, Louis XIV, VHS or Beta, etc. Problem is these are bands that are best suited to clubs, not fields. The energy of some of their performances will likely dissipate once it reaches your blanket.
The nostalgia bands seem calculated to pull in people who don’t normally go to live shows like Pixies and Billy Idol (because even though we love ourselves some Billy, we’re still scratching our heads about that one). Plus, where’s the metal and hip-hop? There are definitely bands worth seeing here but the eclectic nature of previous bills is lacking (though we’re thankful to see Digable Planets will be playing). By the way, you can place Widespread Panic and G. Love and Special Sauce in the Unmoved category for us.
Is it too much to ask for a Dig!-like showdown between the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols?
Finally, locals in the lineup include the previously mentioned Ms. Phair, Redwalls and the Changes. The Lolla site promises more bands to come though if we had our choice between seeing our favorite local band at say, Double Door or Lolla you know what we’d pick.
While we’re still mulling over how we feel about the lineup, there’s one aspect about this show that’s got us pissed off to no end: the graudated ticket price. First, tickets will start off at $85 for a two-day pass. But there’s a limited supply (no word on how many) and once those are gone, tickets will shoot up to $100. Then $115. And that doesn’t include a $9 service charge for each ticket or the $7 per order shipping charge. The math whiz next to you will tell you that 23 percent of your ticket cost will be eaten up by those fees. Don’t be fooled by the site’s suggestion that parking is included. That’s an additional $18 (though it’s a steal compared to what it normally costs to park downtown).
Those are our thoughts for now. Yours and the current lineup after the jump.
Pixies
Widespread Panic
Weezer
The Killers
Dinosaur Jr.
Cake
Dashboard Confessional
The Arcade Fire
Billy Idol
Death Cab For Cutie
Digable Planets
Liz Phair
G. Love and Special Sauce
Blonde Redhead
The Black Keys
The Bravery
The Walkmen
Louis XIV
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Z-Trip
Los Amigos Invisibles
M83
The Dandy Warhols
Tegan and Sara
VHS or Beta
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Soulive
Ambulance LTD
Shout Out Louds
Blue Merle
The Warlocks
DeSoL
World Leader Pretend
The Redwalls
The Changes
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yawn. what a disappointing lineup. totally agree that these bands are best enjoyed in a club. pixies sounds like a 10th choice for headliner. where's beck?
that intonation music fest is looking mighty impressive by comparison. and only $10 to boot.
It's called "indie yuppie" .
Jeez! Quit your bitching. It's a two day party n the city. What's not great about that?
I'm not too sure if there can be anything done about people hanging out at different locations in Grant Park and hearing the music for free. That may end up being the preferrable method of enjoying the music, since the odds of actually seeing the bands onstage at Grant Park are very low.
Right on Faith - yea, I wish it were a free two day party in the city, but come on...this could be a highlight of my summer (does that make me an indie yuppie?).
This festival is complete garbage. I mean, who wants to see this stuff, for like $100? What!?
Poor Arcade Fire have jumped on that green train to moneytown -- joining the walkmen and death cab for an imminent demise.
If you have a conscious, head over to Intonation -- a festival that was CREATED to help the city, not one that was created to make money, and then help the city when their permit was in jeopardy. Beyond that, there are actually good bands playing, and for all the right reasons.
Why the heavy ticket price when you know they're going to be selling $8 water anyhow? That price is not very inclusive.
I *would* like to check out Z-Trip though.
wasn't there some sort of problem last year with not selling enough tickets
because the bands on the ticket
were too "indie"
and I use that term loosely.
They had issues because the names weren't big enough
and diverse enough
to sustain it
so their solution was to keep with that template
and just make it 2 days
and not an entire tour.
and starting at $85 (over $100 when ticketmaster is done raping you)
they have a possibility of this being just as much of a bust, right?
If you think the ticket price is too high, then don't go- Undoubtedly there will be shows at the clubs about town all weekend featuring acts at Lollo that will be cheaper.
Anyone that's been to the Austin City Limits Fest that's organized by CSE knows about the high caliber organization that will make this fest a great event. Putting Kaiser Cheifs, Kasabian, Killers, Arcade Fire, VHS or Beta,and Louis XIV on one bill makes this event worth the $90 ticket for me. Plus, let's not overlook that City Hall has historically not been amenable to having massive rock shows in the city's front yard- let's hope this is the start of what would be a great regular event.
So far, it's better than last year's Lollapalooza. But that could change.
I love Kim and Frank with all my heart, but my fix in November may force me to dump the tix that I bought pre-lineup announcement. I really thought that by putting on only ONE weekend of music, they'd be able to put together a group of artists that would rival the first 2 Lollapaloozas. Is it simply that this music genre isn't what it was in the early 90s?
I actually don't think the price is that high, when you compare how many bands you are getting vs. other concerts with just one main band and an opening act for a three hour show. I mean, the Buffett concert at Wrigley had more expensive tickets. Plus, if you like even 5 of the bands, and think if you pay $10 a piece to see them separately at the smaller venues, I think it is a pretty good deal.
I love all the indy-rocker, hipp(st)er-than-thou hatred for Widespread Panic that I've been hearing since this lineup came out (especially from the chicagoist people who I'm almost always 'unmoved' by whenever I check this site). Most of the haters have never heard them, but they're positive they sound just like the Dead or Phish. Take a look at the google sponsored adds between the article and this message board. Panic is the only band on this lineup that consistently sells a lot of tickets, and the Lolla people are banking on it.
I like the Dead and Phish, and good number of this year's non-Billy Idol participants, but Widespread is a horrible, boring, live act with no sense of dynamics whatsoever. The group literally maintains the exact same volume level for an entire show.
Lolla will be a good time and a nice chance to pay one price to see a bunch of bands that I wouldn't normally pay $15 a piece to go see.
Overall, I am not too upset with the lineup for Lollapalooza. I have been to all of them and think that for the price of 85 is not too bad, if you get them at 85. The 100 is a bit high and after that, FORGET IT, not to mention the fact that now you are not only going to have to get around all the chicagoans but also the rest of the country; remember this is only two days this year, and it isn't touring.
I don't think that paying like 10 bucks for each of these bands is that high and you get a great deal with the cheaper tix, the thing is that everybody at this festival is doing it for exposure instead of playing to play. Why do you think that the festival is so expensive? Bands on these kinds of things are money hunger, or at least their labels are. You never have these kinds of things happen with tours like Warped Tour. No one headlines, everyone gets the same amount of time onstage, and you can see a possible like 85 bands in ONE day. And when I say see, I mean you can SEE them, not just hear them. Yeah, you have to watch getting pushed and stuff but that is because it is harder music and you expect it, but you never have a problem seeing any of the bands. In addition, you get to meet alot of the artists because they generally enjoy meeting their fans, not sitting back in their busses in the air conditioning. PLus, they just love playing, they dont care who is there or not, and they dont care how much exposure they get.
And how much do you pay for these tix? 22.50 (with service charge included), hmm, sounds interesting to me.
I love all music festivals but man could they stick to people anymore with things like this?
I do have to ask, Widespread Panic? HUH?!?!
Fits? Not really.
I just found this AP wire story from a TV station in Moline. I am amused by their incorrect pronunciation of Lollapalooza and the description of the Redwalls as a "blue rock" band. Do they mean blues rock? Cos then it's...well, still wrong.
I bought my ticket as soon as they had the press release this morning. For all the bands, even in a a club atmosphere, add up separate prices and service fees and 101 bucks total, what I paid with shipping and taxes, and IT ISN'T THAT BAD! If you don't like the line-up, don't go. That simple. I will be there having a ball, and the fact that it is basically in my backyard is awesome.
I don't think there's any reason to pay any money to see Liz Phair.
It's pretty hysterical that she blew off her indie roots, blew off Chicago, and is now playing at Lollapalooza. I sincerely hope that there are other, better acts playing while she's on a stage with her warmed-over, hopelessly outdated Avril Lavigne crap pop.
And then Billy Idol... a half-hearted attempt at bringing in the tail end (and I do mean tail end) of the 80's nostalgia craze. It's so over. You want to go after that same demographic? Forget it. Try bringing in Naughty By Nature - yes, "O.P.P." would resonate a lot stronger than schlock like "Rebel Yell." I mean, if you're going to do bad pop from the past at least do it right, you know?
On the other hand I wouldn't mind seeing some of these bands. Cake, for one. I like Cake.
And, Lisa: "If you don't like the line-up, don't go. That simple."
But complaining about things is the backbone of the internet!
Is 30 really, really old? In high school, we rocked out with the top down to J Mascis and Black Francis, and when we heard their respective bands were calling it quits (not to mention Lolla's creator's band, one Jane's Addiction,) we cussed and swore for being too young to check out their shows in bars we would never get to see. I would pay 100 bones to get 45 minutes out of the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. all by their lonesomes. "Sounds like a 10th choice for headliners..." Sweet Jesus, were you alive when Doolittle came out? You cynical monkeys, sounds like the wind in your city might decrease if you quit bitchin and shell out for a second shot at two of the best bands America offered up as an alternative to, uh, well, yes, Billy Idol.
(And you better believe I'm jazzed to hear "Rebel Yell" live.)
The pixies are one of the best rock and roll bands of all time... Beck would probably agree with that! I hate effin teenagers! You have no idea about the music that came before 1995... ...ridiculous! If you ever have the chance to see the Pixies you should be so lucky! They haven't played together in over twelve years, and when I saw them, it was like no time had passed at all. They have inspired more musicians then any of these cookie-cutter piss-ant effin emo bands ever will!!
Most of that line up is lame, but I would pay any amount of money to see, The Pixies AND Dinosaur Jr. in the same show... you guys have no idea what your talking about!
You are lucky enough to be living so close to such an awesome show!
M,
Houston, TX
how about more hip hop, rap and r&b artist.
The line up is crap!
Although i would spend at least a 2 day pass because of the atmosphere. I had a blast last year! I was into the people more than concerts n the line up last year was pretty good.