The Lolla Line-up Is Out, Is It Worth It?
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 26, 2011 12:00PM
As the line-up to the 2011 installment of Lollapalooza last night was announced, it became obvious that the once visionary booking of year's past have given way to a mixture of festival fatigue and necessary economic caution. The full roster of headliners and higher billed acts includes expected titans and a few (largely nostalgic) surprises, including Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5, A Perfect Circle, The Cars and Big Audio Dynamite. Perry's stage, dominated by DJs and related dance acts, is doubling in size and the booking choices reflect that move by favoring crowd favorites like Girl Talk and KiD CuDi in headline slots. So, is it worth going?
We predict lots of grumbling online from music fans about this year's Lollapalooza line-up, but we still think it will see healthy sales. The fiscal reality is that the headliners alone would be enough to get Joe or Jame Q Average Public to shell out between $50 and $75 for a stadium show, so why not pay close to the same for -- what many see as -- an all day party? We are in the camp of people that honestly had higher hopes for this year's Lollapalooza but a look at the festival landscape sees other events suffering from the same malaise; we're running out of bands to book that will a) keep things fresh and b) put butts on the lawn. And while we're scratching our head at a move like putting Muse and My Morning Jacket in a headline slot again so soon after their last Lolla appearances we are pleased to see a band like Big Audio Dynamite get its due. And, c'mon, how is it not going to be a blast watching the Foo Fighters tear it up? And yes, as we move further down the line-up it looks more and more like Pitchfork's music fest is beginning to be a conduit feeding Lolla's ballsier moves with the inclusion of bands like Death From Above 1979, Black Lips, Sleigh Bells and Titus Andronicus.
So back to our original question, is it worth going? You tell us.
Lollapalooza is August 5-7 in Grant Park, $215 three-day passes are on sale now.
Here's the full line-up so far.
Eminem
Foo Fighters
Coldplay
Muse
My Morning Jacket
Deadmau5
A Perfect Circle
Cee Lo Green
Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley & Nas
The Cars
Ween
Bright Eyes
Arctic Monkeys
Big Audio Dynamite
Deftones
Beirut
Explosions in the Sky
Death From Above 1979
Ratatat
Crystal Castles
Flogging Molly
Atmosphere
Cold War Kids
Lykke Li
Cage the Elephant
OK Go
Local Natives
The Kills
White Lies
Portugal.The Man
Two Door Cinema Club
Ellie Goulding
Delta Spirit
Beats Antique
The Mountain Goats
Sleigh Bells
Manchester Orchestra
Smith Westerns
Best Coast
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
The Drums
Black Lips
Fitz & The Tantrums
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
City and Colour
Cults
Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses
Noah & The Whale
Sam Adams
J. Roddy Walton And The Business
Tinie Tempah
Lissie
Dom
The Vaccines
Foster the People
Titus Andronicus
Mayer Hawthorne & the County
Chico Trujillo
The Naked and Famous
Phantogram
Rival Schools
Friendly Fires
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Reptar
Maps & Atlases
Fences
Tennis
An Horse
Young The Giant
Los Bunkers
Imelda May
Grouplove
Wye Oak
The Joy Formidable
Lord Huron
Disappears
Walk the Moon
Gold Motel
Iration
Ryan Leslie
TAB the Band
Skylar Grey
Christina Perri
Black Cards
The Pretty Reckless
Boy & Bear
Patrick Stump
Kids These Days
Young Man
The Kingston Springs
Lia Ices
The Chain Gang of 1974
Ximena Sariñana
Typhoon
Electric Touch
Kerli
Ruby Jane
Julia Easterlin
DJ Mel
Perry's Stage
Girl Talk
Pretty Lights
KiD CuDi
The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 1977
Afrojack
Modeselektor
Skrillex
PerryEtty vs Chris Cox
Chuckie
The Glitch Mob
Busy P
Joachim Garraud
Super Mash Bros.
Jay Electronica
12th Planet
Daedulus
Feed Me
Jackmaster
Collie Buddz
Savoy
Kyle Lucas & Captain Midnite
Ana Tijoux
Midnight Conspiracy
L1ght
Lady D