Picture a four-day concert featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Death Cab For Cutie, The Raconteurs, The Flaming Lips, Ween, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Shins, Kanye West, Wilco, and Manu Chao. These unique bands— the majority of which are alternative or rock genres— were the 2006 headliners playing at Lollapalooza, an annual festival hosted at Grant Park in Chicago.
In the past, Lollapalooza has featured progressive alternative and indie bands at the festival. However, in recent years, Lollapalooza has shifted its focus towards featuring more rap and pop genres.
“What made Lollapalooza so great, and what built its reputation, was its focus on alternative music, with a lot of smaller indie bands during the day. Every once in a while, they would have a major pop or rap act as headliners, but those were not the norm,” English and Film teacher Mr. John Wanninger said, who attended Lollapalooza from 2008 to 2014.
This change in band choice can be attributed to several factors, including changing music trends. However, Wanninger believes that there is another factor that underlies Lollapalooza’s decision to shift away from big alternative, rock, and indie names.
“Since Lollapalooza is now a corporate money machine, I do not see them changing their focus back to alternative or indie ever again. That time has passed, so other festivals have taken up that cause,” Wanninger said.
It is not uncommon for festivals, such as Lollapalooza, to prioritize monetary success over returning to their roots. This sad reality has wrecked many festivals that have historically beat with intense drums and impressive guitar solos.
“To me, I feel like Lollapalooza has become very mainstream,” senior Megan Lawniczak said.
This year’s Lollapalooza lineup is no exception to the “mainstream” branding. Tyler, The Creator, Luke Combs, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Korn, Rüfüs Du Sol, Twice, and A$AP Rocky are the headliners this summer, and these bands have no doubt been deemed very trendy. To some, this lineup is ideal. But to others, they wish Lollapalooza would rekindle its roots.
“I wish Lollapalooza would have less focus on big-name pop acts than they do now. The paradigm is now reversed, so they now have the occasional alternative act mixed in with the pop and hip hop,” Wanninger said.
Although Lollapalooza will continue to be one of Chicago’s most attended music festivals, only time will tell whether it will return back to its origins.
