There was a time when lollapalooza was just a word, Grant Park just a green space and August a mere month for beaches and tomatoes. But that time is a memory, as the Lollapalooza music festival has come to dominate the city’s late summer these last several years in ways both physically and psychically. By now, you know whether you’re going (Craigslisters and StubHubbers notwithstanding), but you likely have not yet completed your dance card: after all, you’ll be joining 270,000 other folks sorting out 130 performers on eight stages spread across the length and width of Grant Park.
This is not a festival suited for the lone rock critic espousing his choices to an obedient public; the permutations of schedule number somewhere around 69,293,021,885,203,871,012,298,422,845,822,803,287,591,970,060,789,350,400,000,000 according to my calculations. So we asked ten attendees—music critics as well as passionate aficionados—to tell us about their musical joneses, and to share their planned schedules. So feel free to mix and match at will, or simply find your musical soul mate and follow their guidance. I’ve included my schedule as well, so you can mock the old man.
Make sure you also read our Lollapalooza Survival Guide, written by two festival veterans. Even if you consider yourself an expert, keep in mind all that blasting music you’ve absorbed and those gallons of beer you’ve consumed may have addled your memory.
Don’t forget the after-sets and, for the first time, sets being performed at the Lollapalooza Pop-Up Shop at Van Buren and Michigan, where you can also buy official merch and a curated selection of offerings from local designers and artisans. I’ll be the guy downing coffee and donuts over at the Heritage Bicycles department. (Brian Hieggelke)
Departing the Comfort Zone: Ear Taxi Festival’s Ambitious Return In “Up High” two artists confront a shared fear of heights by performing on pedestals on the ninth floor of the penthouse of the Logan Center. One can only imagine what the rehearsals were like.
