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Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival
From the New York Times bestselling authors of Nothin' But A Good Time, the definitive, no-holds-barred oral history of 1990s alt-rock festival, Lollapalooza―told by the musicians and industry insiders who lived it.Spawned in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction, Lollapalooza was a nomadic spectacle, stopping in more than twenty cities across North America. A sweeping success, it offered a diverse ensemble of bands, breaking the barriers of genre and uniting alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip hop, and even electronic dance music under one grand event. Unorthodox not just in music, Lollapalooza also spotlighted visual arts, nonprofit organizations, and political outfits, offering a tantalizing cocktail of culture, art, and activism that reached epic proportions. Echoes of its impact reverberate strongly today – cemented by annual sell-outs, an estimation of 400,000 attendees each July, and a spot among the world's largest and longest-running music festivals. It showcases the transcending power of music through the decades. Bestselling authors Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock draw from over two hundred author interviews with members of Jane’s Addiction, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, Ice-T, Rage Against the Machine, Patti Smith, Metallica and many more to tell the no-holds-barred history of this iconic music festival.
409 pages, Hardcover
Published March 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
January 30, 2025
My go to reading genre is the rock biography, and I do love the oral history format with the various participants involved just talking. Full disclosure: the grunge era is something that I dabbled in where I loved certain songs from groups like King's X, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Drowning Pool, Faith No More, Puddle of Mudd, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains- but it wasn't anything I was passionate about like the previous metal hair band era that I absolutely love. It was just enough to download a singular song I liked from these bands for my iPod. There were some narrators I was much more interested in than others such as guitarist Dave Navarro from Jane's Addiction; this band's leader Perry Farrell spearheaded the idea of Lollapalooza to showcase a rack of about 7 bands playing in more obscure areas with informational tents to expose people to different politics, food, and a hodge podge of other oddities. The bands Nine Inch Nails and Red Hot Chili Peppers really became well known as a result of this tour. Ice-T was an interesting addition to the tour where he both rapped and performed with his metal band creation Body Count. I probably enjoyed his narrations more than anyone's as his observations were so intelligent. There were a lot of narrators that were hard to keep track of from roadies, managers, et al with a lot of stories to tell. I wasn't receptive to a lot of it like excessive drinking, drug use, smashing guitars, and other unsavory hijinks. This is probably the first case of an oral history book I've read where I might have preferred a straight biography written by someone else. While I did enjoy this, I think this book would be better digested by someone who is heavily into this kind of music and is more receptive to it and the people involved.
Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
August 15, 2025
**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour for an ARC of this book!**
The word Lollapalooza is officially defined by Merriam Webster as "extraordinarily impressive," or "an outstanding example." For most music lovers, however, this word is synonymous with its very own 'Holy Trinity': drugs, debauchery, and of course, rock and roll. From the wild to the weird, what started as a sort of hybrid mega concert, performance art, and political movement experience has morphed and transformed over the years into a mega festival, now permanently held in Chicago's Grant Park, with a star-studded alt music lineup that at least gives a sly nod to its subversive roots. At the height of its popularity, however, Lollapalooza was THE place to hear and see acts like Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, Sonic Youth, Hole, Metallica, Patti Smith AND the sideshow insanity of the Jim Rose Circus while you were at it. So how did this cultural juggernaut take flight?
Well...it's up to authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour to describe...or at least to ATTEMPT to describe with some level of clarity and cohesion. Having read a few other rock biographies, I felt fairly excited to hear about the years of Lollapalooza I was too young to appreciate at the time and to get an insider's look at the wild, the weird, and the wonderful. But when I saw that the first few pages of this book had not a character list, but a NARRATOR list, with the seeming disclaimer that 'you'd better look at this giant list a LOT to remember who all of these people are...because you're going to need it.' (and no, that is not a direct quote...but perhaps it should have been), I was pretty sure I was in for a long ride...and sadly, this ride was a LOT longer than I could have ever anticipated.
To be clear, I love the CONCEPT of having everyone from promoters to roadies, journalists to band members, and to music historians of sorts chiming in to paint a picture of all that Lollapalooza is, was; in theory, this makes absolute sense. Where this idea began to fall apart, however, was trying to READ this as a book rather than absorb it in literally any other medium...and if there's one thing an oral history should demand? It's to be told ORALLY. Trying to keep track of all of the people involved simply stopped being worth it at all by about 25% of the way through the read: I had enough trouble just trying to keep focus on what year we were in, what the lineup was for that year, and forget about trying to read this as a cohesive non-fiction book. Try as I might, I could not stop wishing I were WATCHING this as a documentary, complete with clips and still photographs from the festival inter cut with all of the interviews. Not only would this have given all of these stories more of a recognizable voice, it certainly would have been helpful to put a face to a name...aside from the most obvious, of course. (And yes, after reading this I discovered there already IS a documentary streaming on Paramount+ called Lolla that released in 2024...perhaps these authors just missed a phone call or two?)
The cover of this book boasts that the authors sourced this material from over 200 (!) interviews, so its no small wonder this oral history gets a bit out of hand. I guess perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this book is that while it benefits from occasional short chapters, any benefit provided by these hints of brevity is erased by an overall loss of clarity. Since this book feels more like the world's busiest book report, it doesn't really have a theme or a thesis...and all the more reason I have a feeling it would have functioned best as a visual documentary rather than an oral history told on the page. Also be warned that many of the stories here are not for the mild mannered and are probably just as gross as you would anticipate...think Steve-O from a certain MTV program, but 'turn the volume up' to 100000. Everything from bodily fluids to uh, weights hanging off of body parts (you can fill in the appropriate blanks) is fair game here. (Okay, I could also live without seeing those parts). 🤢
And while I'm glad to have gotten an inside look at one of rock's most iconic festivals...there's quite a difference between looking through a giant stack of sheet music for an instrument you can't play...and FEELING music course through you in the front row at a concert.
...I think you know which one I'd pick, every time.
3 stars
The word Lollapalooza is officially defined by Merriam Webster as "extraordinarily impressive," or "an outstanding example." For most music lovers, however, this word is synonymous with its very own 'Holy Trinity': drugs, debauchery, and of course, rock and roll. From the wild to the weird, what started as a sort of hybrid mega concert, performance art, and political movement experience has morphed and transformed over the years into a mega festival, now permanently held in Chicago's Grant Park, with a star-studded alt music lineup that at least gives a sly nod to its subversive roots. At the height of its popularity, however, Lollapalooza was THE place to hear and see acts like Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, Sonic Youth, Hole, Metallica, Patti Smith AND the sideshow insanity of the Jim Rose Circus while you were at it. So how did this cultural juggernaut take flight?
Well...it's up to authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour to describe...or at least to ATTEMPT to describe with some level of clarity and cohesion. Having read a few other rock biographies, I felt fairly excited to hear about the years of Lollapalooza I was too young to appreciate at the time and to get an insider's look at the wild, the weird, and the wonderful. But when I saw that the first few pages of this book had not a character list, but a NARRATOR list, with the seeming disclaimer that 'you'd better look at this giant list a LOT to remember who all of these people are...because you're going to need it.' (and no, that is not a direct quote...but perhaps it should have been), I was pretty sure I was in for a long ride...and sadly, this ride was a LOT longer than I could have ever anticipated.
To be clear, I love the CONCEPT of having everyone from promoters to roadies, journalists to band members, and to music historians of sorts chiming in to paint a picture of all that Lollapalooza is, was; in theory, this makes absolute sense. Where this idea began to fall apart, however, was trying to READ this as a book rather than absorb it in literally any other medium...and if there's one thing an oral history should demand? It's to be told ORALLY. Trying to keep track of all of the people involved simply stopped being worth it at all by about 25% of the way through the read: I had enough trouble just trying to keep focus on what year we were in, what the lineup was for that year, and forget about trying to read this as a cohesive non-fiction book. Try as I might, I could not stop wishing I were WATCHING this as a documentary, complete with clips and still photographs from the festival inter cut with all of the interviews. Not only would this have given all of these stories more of a recognizable voice, it certainly would have been helpful to put a face to a name...aside from the most obvious, of course. (And yes, after reading this I discovered there already IS a documentary streaming on Paramount+ called Lolla that released in 2024...perhaps these authors just missed a phone call or two?)
The cover of this book boasts that the authors sourced this material from over 200 (!) interviews, so its no small wonder this oral history gets a bit out of hand. I guess perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this book is that while it benefits from occasional short chapters, any benefit provided by these hints of brevity is erased by an overall loss of clarity. Since this book feels more like the world's busiest book report, it doesn't really have a theme or a thesis...and all the more reason I have a feeling it would have functioned best as a visual documentary rather than an oral history told on the page. Also be warned that many of the stories here are not for the mild mannered and are probably just as gross as you would anticipate...think Steve-O from a certain MTV program, but 'turn the volume up' to 100000. Everything from bodily fluids to uh, weights hanging off of body parts (you can fill in the appropriate blanks) is fair game here. (Okay, I could also live without seeing those parts). 🤢
And while I'm glad to have gotten an inside look at one of rock's most iconic festivals...there's quite a difference between looking through a giant stack of sheet music for an instrument you can't play...and FEELING music course through you in the front row at a concert.
...I think you know which one I'd pick, every time.
3 stars
May 10, 2025
Before Alt-Corporatization
In 1991, Jane’s Addiction was on the verge of breaking up. In conjunction with its farewell tour, singer Perry Farrell came up with the idea of a touring music festival, Lollapalooza, showcasing alternative bands. In addition to Jane’s Addiction, the original lineup included Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T, Living Colour, B***hole Surfers, and the Rollins Band. Perry also envisioned including booths for organizations ranging from the NRA to PETA. They were to feature alternative food, art, and offbeat entertainment, specifically excluding mainstream offerings.
Lollapalooza's second year showcased emerging bands like Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Soundgarden. 1993's festival featured Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and Alice in Chains. In 1994, Nirvana was rumored to headline for $10 million, but Kurt Cobain's death led to Smashing Pumpkins headlining instead, with support from the Beastie Boys and George Clinton. Despite Perry Farrell's opposition, Green Day also performed on the main stage that year (he hated them).
In “Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival,” authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour have compiled quotes and interviews from a wide range of participants from performers to crew members. The book chronicles the festival's escalating significance, fueled by the success of its early years, attracting increased attention, financial investment, and major label interest. Ultimately, this growth led to the festival's decline as Perry Farrell's original vision was corrupted by commercialization.
Lollapalooza's history and cultural impact are interesting, but the backstage stories are the real entertainment. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam famously worried people with his risky climbs on scaffolding and his crowd dives. Courtney Love's behavior was notoriously erratic. Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins was widely considered “unpleasant” (the mildest way to put it). Fueled by unbridled drug use and the eccentricities of some of the personalities involved, each day unfolded like a chaotic roller-coaster.
As the alternative music scene lost some of its momentum, the festival found itself scrambling to redefine itself. The resistance against “selling out” came to a head when the monstrous Metallica was signed to headline in 1996. Metallica drew its own fans, most of whom showed little interest in the diverse lineup of the other performers, ranging from Soundgarden, the Ramones, Rage Against the Machine, Devo, Wu-Tang Clan, and even Waylon Jennings. This booking highlighted the festival's struggle to maintain its original vision.
After crashing and resurrecting a number of times, Lollapalooza has currently morphed into a four-day festival in Chicago and hosts events worldwide. The authors have captured amazing stories here, before Corporatization set in, before Lollapalooza became a Brand.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Lollapalooza #StMartins
In 1991, Jane’s Addiction was on the verge of breaking up. In conjunction with its farewell tour, singer Perry Farrell came up with the idea of a touring music festival, Lollapalooza, showcasing alternative bands. In addition to Jane’s Addiction, the original lineup included Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T, Living Colour, B***hole Surfers, and the Rollins Band. Perry also envisioned including booths for organizations ranging from the NRA to PETA. They were to feature alternative food, art, and offbeat entertainment, specifically excluding mainstream offerings.
Lollapalooza's second year showcased emerging bands like Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Soundgarden. 1993's festival featured Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and Alice in Chains. In 1994, Nirvana was rumored to headline for $10 million, but Kurt Cobain's death led to Smashing Pumpkins headlining instead, with support from the Beastie Boys and George Clinton. Despite Perry Farrell's opposition, Green Day also performed on the main stage that year (he hated them).
In “Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival,” authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour have compiled quotes and interviews from a wide range of participants from performers to crew members. The book chronicles the festival's escalating significance, fueled by the success of its early years, attracting increased attention, financial investment, and major label interest. Ultimately, this growth led to the festival's decline as Perry Farrell's original vision was corrupted by commercialization.
Lollapalooza's history and cultural impact are interesting, but the backstage stories are the real entertainment. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam famously worried people with his risky climbs on scaffolding and his crowd dives. Courtney Love's behavior was notoriously erratic. Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins was widely considered “unpleasant” (the mildest way to put it). Fueled by unbridled drug use and the eccentricities of some of the personalities involved, each day unfolded like a chaotic roller-coaster.
As the alternative music scene lost some of its momentum, the festival found itself scrambling to redefine itself. The resistance against “selling out” came to a head when the monstrous Metallica was signed to headline in 1996. Metallica drew its own fans, most of whom showed little interest in the diverse lineup of the other performers, ranging from Soundgarden, the Ramones, Rage Against the Machine, Devo, Wu-Tang Clan, and even Waylon Jennings. This booking highlighted the festival's struggle to maintain its original vision.
After crashing and resurrecting a number of times, Lollapalooza has currently morphed into a four-day festival in Chicago and hosts events worldwide. The authors have captured amazing stories here, before Corporatization set in, before Lollapalooza became a Brand.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Lollapalooza #StMartins
April 1, 2025
LOLLAPALOOZA by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour
🎶 The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival 🎶
Thank you @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio for my #gifted copies 🤘🏼
Lollapalooza is an in-depth oral history of the legendary music festival of the same name. The idea of the festival began in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction, but quickly became a groundbreaking traveling festival, showcasing music icons like Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, and more! Also known for its political and social justice involvement, Lollapalooza was a cultural phenomen (before they sold out 🤪).
I was just a kid in the mid-early 90s when Lollapalooza was at its prime, so much too young to attend, but I remember it happening. I remember the hype from older cousins and older siblings of friends, so reading this felt so nostalgic to me. And as someone who grew up listening to this music, I was thoroughly invested, and really enjoyed the time I spent with this book and its many contributors. It's like a Lollapalooza tell-all, and I was SO here for it!
Lollapalooza is told through hundreds of interviews with musicians, event staff, roadies, and more, and the full cast narration team really brought their voices and stories to life! If you're thinking of picking this up, I highly recommend the audiobook. It works really well with the format of the book. 🤘🏼
🎶 The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival 🎶
Thank you @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio for my #gifted copies 🤘🏼
Lollapalooza is an in-depth oral history of the legendary music festival of the same name. The idea of the festival began in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction, but quickly became a groundbreaking traveling festival, showcasing music icons like Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, and more! Also known for its political and social justice involvement, Lollapalooza was a cultural phenomen (before they sold out 🤪).
I was just a kid in the mid-early 90s when Lollapalooza was at its prime, so much too young to attend, but I remember it happening. I remember the hype from older cousins and older siblings of friends, so reading this felt so nostalgic to me. And as someone who grew up listening to this music, I was thoroughly invested, and really enjoyed the time I spent with this book and its many contributors. It's like a Lollapalooza tell-all, and I was SO here for it!
Lollapalooza is told through hundreds of interviews with musicians, event staff, roadies, and more, and the full cast narration team really brought their voices and stories to life! If you're thinking of picking this up, I highly recommend the audiobook. It works really well with the format of the book. 🤘🏼
April 27, 2025
Oral history of the music festival with interviews from various key players. I was the key age demographic for the middle years of the festival so this hit me in all the nostalgic feels yet reminded me of how gross the 1990s were - the glorification of the romantic heroin junkie, the misogyny, and I just can't with the freak show stuff. The chapters that focus on the early years were definitely my favorite, the whole thing felt very "hey gang, let's put on a show!" and it's amazing they not only pulled it off but that it was such a huge success. Kind of a weird listen on audiobook since it's basically an oral history from multiple voices, but I did enjoy it.
May 20, 2025
This might provide a nice nostalgia trip for some but it does not necessarily provide any new or significant insights to complement it. A bit too cursory for the most part unfortunately.
October 15, 2025
I would really love to give this four stars because it really was a fun read, for the most part. My issue is that a lot of the people interviewed were "insiders" that most people wouldn't know unless they were in the industry. I am a huge music lover but don't get that deep to know who manages who and what roadie is with what band etc. If you do, you will love this. If you don't, you can read as much or as little as you want. Win, win!
March 20, 2025
A very enjoyable read. I personally liked this slightly more than the authors' previous book on hair metal/hard rock, but it was close. What can you really say about "oral histories," though. I think you either like'em or hate'em.
This book flows cohesively, year by year, lineup by lineup. I wish I had attended the 1995 iteration. I never did attend any traveling Lollapaloozas, but did take in the 2005, 2006, and 2008 Grant Park shows. Then, it lost ALL semblance of a rock music festival. 2025 looks like a particularly miserable lineup, but as we know, it's no longer about the music, but I digress.
Great historical work, I recommend to youngsters and Lolla vets alike.
This book flows cohesively, year by year, lineup by lineup. I wish I had attended the 1995 iteration. I never did attend any traveling Lollapaloozas, but did take in the 2005, 2006, and 2008 Grant Park shows. Then, it lost ALL semblance of a rock music festival. 2025 looks like a particularly miserable lineup, but as we know, it's no longer about the music, but I digress.
Great historical work, I recommend to youngsters and Lolla vets alike.
September 30, 2025
As a late GenXer, Lollapalooza was very formative for me. In fact my first concert ever was Lolla94'. So I kind of went in with high expectations, especially after I read a few passages before buying. Unfortunately it just got a little repetitive and boring for me. I always found myself wanting more details on everything.
I definitely applaud the hard work that went into creating this book. So many parts and people it's amazing what they captured. Definitely had to be a labor of love.
If you're into non-fiction stories about the music and musicians that shape our lives, I definitely recommend checking it out.
I definitely applaud the hard work that went into creating this book. So many parts and people it's amazing what they captured. Definitely had to be a labor of love.
If you're into non-fiction stories about the music and musicians that shape our lives, I definitely recommend checking it out.
April 29, 2025
3.75 ⭐️
This book was very fun and interesting but I’m glad I listened to the audiobook for most of it because it would have been horribly confusing and hard to read physically.
It is not the author’s fault whatsoever but I do have a bad taste in my mouth with some of the information I gathered from some of my favorite bands being hard to work with and divas and sexist, homophobic. Even Jane’s Addiction using the N word with a hard R like sorry lol call me “too woke” but I want the bands I listen to to just not be assholes.
This book was very fun and interesting but I’m glad I listened to the audiobook for most of it because it would have been horribly confusing and hard to read physically.
It is not the author’s fault whatsoever but I do have a bad taste in my mouth with some of the information I gathered from some of my favorite bands being hard to work with and divas and sexist, homophobic. Even Jane’s Addiction using the N word with a hard R like sorry lol call me “too woke” but I want the bands I listen to to just not be assholes.
Read
May 31, 2025Pretty decent oral history, though I kinda skimmed through everything past the first year (only interesting lineup IMO.) Reading about the rest just confirmed to me that this fest really did burn out fast. Not that the book is negative, it maintains a pretty upbeat tone throughout. But my interest sure went down as it went on...you start out reading about the antics of the Butthole Surfers, and before you know it you're reading stories about Snoop Doggy Dogg.
November 10, 2025
The two best books on music I’ve read in the last while both feature Al Joursensen being a scamp. This book rules. I love everyone in it and everything about it. The only thing I don’t like is that I was a late bloomer and didn’t go to my first concert until I was 18 and missed the golden era of alternative. Of note is that a prominent can con band is featured with zero interviews or stories about the which is classically Canadian.
July 31, 2025
3.5. Ended wayyyy too abruptly and I feel like I still have no understanding of how Lolla got from 2008 to here *misc. hand gesture* and about how things have gone since it’s become Chicago-centric. but I guess this book was more focused on its origin stories. Really interesting and such an easy fun read.
July 26, 2025
Although I have never really cared for alt-rock, and only attended 1 Lollapolooza back in the day, I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was interesting to hear how this festival came together, as well as the different dynamics between the various bands, as well as the concert goers. A fun read.
April 7, 2025
Loved it! So many great stories from bands and artists I grew up listening to; worth the read for the Ministry chapter alone.
April 14, 2025
A very readable and highly enjoyable oral history of Lollapalooza and the golden age of alternative rock. Funny, the only lollapalooza I cared about, 1995, was essentially the least successful. What do you expect with sonic youth, pavement, beck, and the Jesus Lizard as main stage performers?!? I loved it- the other years were a bit too mainstream for my taste. Anyway, the book is a lot of fun and I’d recommend it to music lovers and anyone who ever looks longingly back to the first half of the 90s, when it seemed, for a brief moment, fringe culture had won.
Read
April 15, 2025The best music bio of 2025
May 23, 2025
I always felt like I missed out on 1995’s Lolla but after reading this I’m pretty sure I was better off just seeing PJ Harvey open for Live that year. I’ve gone to a couple of festivals (Pitchfork in 2006, Nelsonville in 2011) and while there were glimmers of joy at each, festivals are draining and never as fun as I hope they’ll be. This book was fun to read until it started to get into the later years of Lollapalooza, but thankfully that was just a little bit at the end.
June 18, 2025
3.75
Much like the tour, starts incredibly and loses steam at the end.
Much like the tour, starts incredibly and loses steam at the end.
June 25, 2025
Superb oral history of one of the most iconic festivals in history. Interviews with most of the big hitters, woven together with skill. a really good read.
May 29, 2025
Excellent cultural history of a 1990's iconic movement. This book is wildly entertaining. Here are my notes
Lollapalooza
Foreword
Kim Thayil of Soundgarden
If they wanted to be truly alternative, I thought, Lollapalooza might include music from distinctly different genres, with culturally distinct youth audiences that represented diverse nationalities, socio-economic classes, languages, and even faiths. Perhaps they could book Roots reggae, folk, country, contemporary jazz (free cool or fusion), Asian, Hispanic, or Native American music groups you know, bands from other cultures but that wasn't happening. They were primarily booking newer and fresher genres of Hard Rock.
Thirty years after the fact, the impact of Lollapalooza Inception is definitely still felt. the influence of Lollapalooza has something alternative, and integrating, has borne its fruit and its benefit. we're at a place now in American popular culture and youth culture that is far more integrated and tolerant in terms of racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender identity issues.
Introduction
The brainchild of Perry farrell, the shamanistic frontman of psychedelic La hard rockers Jane's addiction, lollapalooza's 2-month expedition across the US in the summer of 1991 had helped to coalesce an ideology and aesthetic that would not only wash over popular music but seep into fashion, film, television, literature, food, politics.. essentially the culture at large.
Throughout the 1990s - specifically, the years 1991 to 1997, when the festival closed its first chapter Dash Lollapalooza functioned as the nerve center and Proving Ground for the alternative music Revolution the list of bands that Grace's stage read like a who's who of nine 90s Superstars Jane's Addiction Pearl Jam Red Hot Chili Peppers Beastie Boys Nine Inch Nails Sonic Youth Green Day back Smashing Pumpkins Soundgarden Alice in Chains Snoop Dogg Tool Rage Against the Machine iced tea Hole Pavement with a healthy smattering of Outsiders Jim Rose circus sideshow, Shaolin monks, Waylon Jennings thrown in for good measure.
Recent and influence of Lollapalooza are inextricably linked to the rise of alternative music through the decade. and the cultural and societal Norms - women's rights, gun control, racial inclusiveness, Progressive politics - that were given tent space, both figuratively and literally at Lollapalooza. It set the template for the modern American Music Festival and paved the way for touring concerns like warped, Lilith fair, Ozzfest, and, later, bonnaroo, coachella, and the scores of other contemporary destination Fest that are now an integral part of how audiences experience live music.
By the late '90s, the alternative nation, once a Bastion for Outsiders of all else, had been almost completely assimilated by the mainstream. flannel, combat boots, tattoos, and piercings were ubiquitous on fashion runways, and every major label had a roster of bands that, at first glance, whereas freaky looking and sonically riotous as anything that might have been found in the deepest, darkest trenches of the underground a decade earlier. alternative was big business, and lollapalooza, which had been fending off accusations of corporatization as early as it's second go round, took a big hit in 1996 when they put Metallica at the top of the bill. feral quit the tour in protest of what he deemed about to big money, as well as the machoization of his initial, in his words include everything utopian ideal, and instead turned his attention to a new project the electronic music celebrating in it festival. observed Living Color guitarist Vernon reed, an alumnus of the 1991 lineup, quotation mark what happened with lollapalooza, and this is Perry Farrell's genius, is it commodified alternative, simultaneously carving out a new market and ending it. "
Chapter 1: The Best Band in the World
Perry Farrell Our whole thing is pageantry and explosiveness and drama and art.
Chapter 2: “Lolla What?”
Perry Farrell It was early years. do you know that 1991, that was the year Michael Jordan won the NBA title? also, the World Wide Web was formed that year. and for Mystics - if you speak to the sages - the rebbe, his greatest writings came in 1991, when he was talking about Masha and the era of redemption, ushering it in it was all in 1991. so I look at that. as all the strong things that happened at that time. and that made Lollapalooza possible.
Chapter 3: “ I Still Think It’s Odd That It Worked”
Paul Leary (guitarist, Butthole Surfers) We could definitely feel the people were coming around to Alternative music, even though I hated the term alternative. I've always liked to think of myself as Punk rock. but we're able to sell out shows by that point, and our venues were getting bigger... Although we still weren’t making a whole lot of money. We were sleeping on people's floors.
Lollapalooza 1991
Dates: July 18-August 28
The largely left of the dial lineup functioned as its own statement of purpose. but from the very beginning there was also a coalescing cultural point of view, one that would be adopted by alternative rock at large in the early '90s. in lollapalooza's first year, a yellow stripe circus tent set up at each stop how's local artists and advocacy groups like National abortion rights action league, refuse and resist, and handgun control inc, which handed out literature, buttons, and other items to get their Progressive message across. between sets, the New York Times reported, " a display above the stage flash statistics in the style of the Harper's index, on topics from textbook censorship to the Persian Gulf war. quotation mark
There was also an embrace of hot button issues on stage. just months after Rodney king, a 25-year-old black man, was pulled from his car and beaten by four Los Angeles police officers, Ice-T and Body Count they viewed their controversial song “Cop Killer” the throngs of motion, mostly white teenagers and 20 somethings. later in the day, Ice-T would also join Jane's Addiction on stage to do it with Farrell on Sly and the Family Stones “Don't call me Nigger,Whitey” with the two vocalists squaring off and sneering the titular epithets at one another before ultimately embracing and dancing arm in arm across the stage. that's a serious song, iced tea says. but Perry's edgy you know he knows how to push buttons. so I trusted him and followed his lead.
Day One
Steven Severin (bassist, Siouxsie and the Banshees)Well, it kicked off midday with the spectacularly untalented Henry Rollins and his knuckle draggers, followed by some lovely hillbilly psych Rock from the surfers, then some Shameless foe chaos from nine inch nails, all bar the vocals on tape, $50 guitars especially bought to be trashed on cue. the who, they weren't.
T. C Conroy (front-of-house coordinator, Lollapalooza 1991) So here we are in arizona, and Dave Navarro shows up as far as I can tell, he doesn't want to go on stage because he doesn't have the right guitar. I mean, this is the vibe, right? and, you know, this is Perry's day. so Perry's pissed and everyone's pissed. it's tense and it's 120° and people are acting like assholes. now, my boyfriend at the time was Dave Gahan from Depeche mode, and we live together and it was my birthday. so I was in Arizona, and he was coming from LA to join me at the show. and Dave's Guitar that he wanted was at the pawn shop in hollywood. it was still early in the day, so I said hey can you pick up Dave Navarro's guitar on your way? So he goes and gets the guitar and gets on the plane and a few hours later he and Depeche Mode's manager, Jonathan Kessler, pull into the backstage area in Arizona in a long black stretch limo. Dave Gahan Saves the Day.
Dave Navarro I've gotten too high on heroin and I couldn't really get up. so then I was giving Cocaine by an unnamed source that got me two speedy. and I had to come down from that, so I took a handful of pills and drank a bunch. By the time I got on stage, I didn't know which way was up. and Perry and I got into it.
“The Most Intense Thing I’ve EverDone on Stage“
[Butthole Surfers, shotgun theatrics]
Corey Glover (singer, Living Colour) I saw this man with a shotgun as, " this is a representation of who he is and what kind of person he is. quotation mark and it wasn't out of violence, which I thought was fascinating. it was like, " this is how I show my joy. I'm having a good time and I'm going to whoop it up and shoot it up.”
“Body Count’s in the House”
Rob Tannenbaum (journalist, author) You had three black rock bands that first year - living color, iced tea with body count, and, on a few dates, fishbone. I don't think Perry Farrell did this in any sort of manipulative way. I think he just liked the music.
Ice T Was it the first time we were performing for all white audiences? as a rock band, yes. not as a wrap band. because you got to remember the eclectic Rock Tour or rap tour was only in you to the United states. the festivals in Europe have been going on for years. but people don't understand is that rap, it was all black when it was in the hood. but black kids can't afford those big concert tickets. the white kids economically could afford to pay 200, $300 to go to a concert. a black kids like, " I'll wait till I see you in the hood!”
Sean E Sean That was the Rodney King era. and at that time we in the band were still having a lot of drama with the police. but you know we had people that identified with what we were going through. people were conscious of Law overreaching. and it was the perfect setting for us at the time because I just got a chance to explain himself. he would start by saying ”Not all cops. " okay? " it's the ones who use their badge to take advantage of their position. police brutality is a real thing. " you would explain himself as far as what he was against. “Cop killer, " it's just a protest record.
Ice-T I think the twist was once the verdict came out and the riot popped off, people turned around and tried to say we were promoting the riot, and we were trying to ride off the juice of what had happened. but the song came out after the riot. and it was written before Rodney king. that's the crazy part. the song was written about injustices that were happening prior to all that. it was just a true song about real things that, once again, America wasn't aware of, and that we tried to make America aware of.
“Job Number One Was to Be As Punk as Fuck”
Mark O’Shea I knew the band was on to something when we were in Miami in early 1990, opening for Jesus and Mary Chain. there's a lot of chaos going on on stage, but we had no pyro, we had no smoke, we had no light show. the intensity of the show, or the entertainment factor of the show, was based on their delivery. and afterward Trent simply said to me, I feel I need to feel each night when I walk off the stage that we as a band have given our best shot to entertain the audience. that was the come to Jesus moment where I was like, okay I get it. the chaos and the destruction - we used to nickname it violence - really drew the audience in, like, “Wow!”
Richard Patrick We just did not give a fuck. we are just not to satisfy our animal instincts on stage. I think we spent $40,000 on gear that we smashed on Lollapalooza.
Perry Was Standing Naked Like Jesus
Norwood Fisher (bassist, Fishbone) Seattle was insane. it was, like, mythical and scope, because of his fog that sat over the whole thing. I remember watching a bunch of the festival and then being backstage because I wanted to talk to perry, and actually having a moment of feeling intimidated to go in Jane's Addiction dressing room. like, oh man, I don't want to bother him. but I open the door and Perry's in the center of the room in a chair, and he is being tended to on some level I don't remember exactly how there's dancers running around half-dressed and people smoking weed and maybe other shit. I don't know. I was like, "This shit look like a scene outta Caligula! And Perry is Caligula!”
Lollapalooza 1992
The main stage meanwhile gave top feeling to the Red Hot Chili peppers, who like Jane's Addiction the year prior, had emerged from the LA underground. in the chili peppers case, they were also Riding High on a bona fide smash single, under the bridge. further mirroring the 91 blueprint, the lineup featured a musically and Visually extreme industrial metal Juggernaut Ministry and a West Coast gangsta rap ice cube. rounding out the bill were grunge Powerhouse soundgarden, Scottish postpunk Legends the Jesus and Mary chain, drony British dream pop unit lush, and way down on the ticket, a new Seattle Act named Pearl jam, who exploded into the mainstream after Lollapalooza lineup was finalized but before the tour officially launched. this meant that the band, becoming more famous by the day, took the stage early at each show, right after opener's lush.
Michael Azzerad ( journalist, author) To the rest of the world, the real impact of alternative rock wasn't musical, it was it announced that the new generation of consumers had arrived. these consumers have their own culture and their own historical context, and they needed to be marketed to accordingly. and that's when we got that Infamous Subaru ad in 1992 with the Quasi grungy kid who excitedly proclaimed, this car is like Punk rock!
Chris Haskett (guitarist, Rollins Band) You've got this Indie mindset with alternative ways of thinking about anything from society to politics to vegetarianism to music to the music industry... all these things are getting mixed in with each other. but you have to make some palatable. and lollapalooza, it kind of defangs some of the really rough Indie aspects of it, and then presented it to a much, much larger audience.
“A Brief History of the Second Stage”
Jimmy Chamberlin (drummer, Smashing Pumpkins) When people think of Lollapalooza back then, they think of the big picture bands - Jane's addiction, the chili peppers, the pumpkins, soundgarden. but really, the foundation of Lala was the second stage. that was what it seems like Perry was most into Dash the avant-garde part of it, or the things that are reacting to what's going on in the mainstream, but not necessarily replicating it.
Lollapalooza 1993
Stuart Ross (tour director, Lollapalooza) Perry wanted art, politics, and crazy food. he wanted to shake up the paradigm. but in year one, we were not in a position yet to carry everything with us. so we trusted the local promoters to help us find art, fine political tabling, find alternative food and beverage. ask them to find army recruiters to set up next to Pita. things that were outside their wheelhouse and most promoters were lazy like how little do we have to do to make this right for example we asked them to provide as many alternative types of food as they could so that we could make this a unique experience and really they went from hot dogs to chicken sandwiches that was as far as they went. so we ended up having to recreate the wheel every day go under the field and figure out who the political booths are where we're going to set them up. what kind of interesting food can we find? is there anybody selling trinkets or blankets or books or anything? the amount of work we had to do on any one particular day didn't give us the opportunity to take a 30,000 ft view of hey what the hell is this going to be?
Rolling Stone (September 17, 1992) There are stalls Hawking everything from books to Temporary tattoos, virtual reality displays and amino acid smart drinks for the cyberpunk set, bungee jumping at $79 a pop for the thrill seekers. for the charity minded, there is the safe sex wheel of fortune, the proceeds from which go to local AIDS research organizations; fans take a spin to win cds, backstage passes, condoms and turns in the crush cage, a structure set up next to the second stage it is filled with sledgehammers and smashable old televisions and appliances. wake up Mr President what about the homeless is a test of strength meter the proceeds from which are earmarked for the Coalition for the homeless in each city.
Lollapalooza 1994
Kicking off the days events was a group of Tibetan Monks who had been invited on tour by the Beastie Boys Adam m c a Yauch and who would bless the main stage to start the proceedings. Yauch can learn from Tibetan Buddhism on a trip to neighboring Nepal in the early 90s and subsequently adopted the religion and took up the cause of freeing Tibet from Chinese occupation. for Adam Yak in particular, I think his experience on Lollapalooza planted the seed for him to do the Tibetan Freedom concerts that started in 1996 in Golden Gate park, Martin says. " I bet if you checked from 94 to 96, the proliferation of free Tibet stickers and patches on backpacks on College campuses, it's traced directly to Lollapalooza 94.
Billy Corgan (singer, guitarist, Smashing Pumpkins) Lollapalooza was supposed to be nirvana, smashing pumpkins, Beastie boys, and then Nirvana dropped out and we slotted down and became the headliner. and look, it's easy to play Monday morning quarterback, and it was the most successful lollaplus of the traveling version that year without them, so imagine what it would have been with them. and I would have welcomed the challenge every night to try to blow them off the stage and I know that Kurt would have tried to blow me off the stage every night.
Lollapalooza 1995
“I Don’t Think Anyone Expects That Kind of Violence”
Thurston Moore (guitarist, vocalist, Sonic Youth) We were heading back to our trailer after our show and I was informed on the side of the stage while we were playing, the singer of hole flicked your cigarette at Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hannah and then sucker punched during the face.
“It Felt Like We Were Winning for a Few Years”
Dave “Boche” Vicelli (agent, Pavement, the Jesus Lizard) I don't view Nirvana as being as transformative as a lot of people do. on some level, in commercial music, yes, they were, I suppose. but they were peers, right? they were listening to Sonic Youth and the same bands that we all were, and they were part of that world - but began as a relatively youthful, independent labeled world. so to me, it felt like it was just this crazy flu that they became this big thing. well, not so much a flute. the simple fact of the matter is that Nirvana wrote great pop songs. if they happen to be clothed in what came to be called grunge or whatever, but loud guitars and stuff like that, so be it. those songs are catchy as Pop songs, which is why they gained purchase at radio and mtv. I suppose there was something revolutionary about that.
Lollapalooza 1996
Following the 1995 tour, the festival stood at a crossroads, grappling wi
Lollapalooza
Foreword
Kim Thayil of Soundgarden
If they wanted to be truly alternative, I thought, Lollapalooza might include music from distinctly different genres, with culturally distinct youth audiences that represented diverse nationalities, socio-economic classes, languages, and even faiths. Perhaps they could book Roots reggae, folk, country, contemporary jazz (free cool or fusion), Asian, Hispanic, or Native American music groups you know, bands from other cultures but that wasn't happening. They were primarily booking newer and fresher genres of Hard Rock.
Thirty years after the fact, the impact of Lollapalooza Inception is definitely still felt. the influence of Lollapalooza has something alternative, and integrating, has borne its fruit and its benefit. we're at a place now in American popular culture and youth culture that is far more integrated and tolerant in terms of racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender identity issues.
Introduction
The brainchild of Perry farrell, the shamanistic frontman of psychedelic La hard rockers Jane's addiction, lollapalooza's 2-month expedition across the US in the summer of 1991 had helped to coalesce an ideology and aesthetic that would not only wash over popular music but seep into fashion, film, television, literature, food, politics.. essentially the culture at large.
Throughout the 1990s - specifically, the years 1991 to 1997, when the festival closed its first chapter Dash Lollapalooza functioned as the nerve center and Proving Ground for the alternative music Revolution the list of bands that Grace's stage read like a who's who of nine 90s Superstars Jane's Addiction Pearl Jam Red Hot Chili Peppers Beastie Boys Nine Inch Nails Sonic Youth Green Day back Smashing Pumpkins Soundgarden Alice in Chains Snoop Dogg Tool Rage Against the Machine iced tea Hole Pavement with a healthy smattering of Outsiders Jim Rose circus sideshow, Shaolin monks, Waylon Jennings thrown in for good measure.
Recent and influence of Lollapalooza are inextricably linked to the rise of alternative music through the decade. and the cultural and societal Norms - women's rights, gun control, racial inclusiveness, Progressive politics - that were given tent space, both figuratively and literally at Lollapalooza. It set the template for the modern American Music Festival and paved the way for touring concerns like warped, Lilith fair, Ozzfest, and, later, bonnaroo, coachella, and the scores of other contemporary destination Fest that are now an integral part of how audiences experience live music.
By the late '90s, the alternative nation, once a Bastion for Outsiders of all else, had been almost completely assimilated by the mainstream. flannel, combat boots, tattoos, and piercings were ubiquitous on fashion runways, and every major label had a roster of bands that, at first glance, whereas freaky looking and sonically riotous as anything that might have been found in the deepest, darkest trenches of the underground a decade earlier. alternative was big business, and lollapalooza, which had been fending off accusations of corporatization as early as it's second go round, took a big hit in 1996 when they put Metallica at the top of the bill. feral quit the tour in protest of what he deemed about to big money, as well as the machoization of his initial, in his words include everything utopian ideal, and instead turned his attention to a new project the electronic music celebrating in it festival. observed Living Color guitarist Vernon reed, an alumnus of the 1991 lineup, quotation mark what happened with lollapalooza, and this is Perry Farrell's genius, is it commodified alternative, simultaneously carving out a new market and ending it. "
Chapter 1: The Best Band in the World
Perry Farrell Our whole thing is pageantry and explosiveness and drama and art.
Chapter 2: “Lolla What?”
Perry Farrell It was early years. do you know that 1991, that was the year Michael Jordan won the NBA title? also, the World Wide Web was formed that year. and for Mystics - if you speak to the sages - the rebbe, his greatest writings came in 1991, when he was talking about Masha and the era of redemption, ushering it in it was all in 1991. so I look at that. as all the strong things that happened at that time. and that made Lollapalooza possible.
Chapter 3: “ I Still Think It’s Odd That It Worked”
Paul Leary (guitarist, Butthole Surfers) We could definitely feel the people were coming around to Alternative music, even though I hated the term alternative. I've always liked to think of myself as Punk rock. but we're able to sell out shows by that point, and our venues were getting bigger... Although we still weren’t making a whole lot of money. We were sleeping on people's floors.
Lollapalooza 1991
Dates: July 18-August 28
The largely left of the dial lineup functioned as its own statement of purpose. but from the very beginning there was also a coalescing cultural point of view, one that would be adopted by alternative rock at large in the early '90s. in lollapalooza's first year, a yellow stripe circus tent set up at each stop how's local artists and advocacy groups like National abortion rights action league, refuse and resist, and handgun control inc, which handed out literature, buttons, and other items to get their Progressive message across. between sets, the New York Times reported, " a display above the stage flash statistics in the style of the Harper's index, on topics from textbook censorship to the Persian Gulf war. quotation mark
There was also an embrace of hot button issues on stage. just months after Rodney king, a 25-year-old black man, was pulled from his car and beaten by four Los Angeles police officers, Ice-T and Body Count they viewed their controversial song “Cop Killer” the throngs of motion, mostly white teenagers and 20 somethings. later in the day, Ice-T would also join Jane's Addiction on stage to do it with Farrell on Sly and the Family Stones “Don't call me Nigger,Whitey” with the two vocalists squaring off and sneering the titular epithets at one another before ultimately embracing and dancing arm in arm across the stage. that's a serious song, iced tea says. but Perry's edgy you know he knows how to push buttons. so I trusted him and followed his lead.
Day One
Steven Severin (bassist, Siouxsie and the Banshees)Well, it kicked off midday with the spectacularly untalented Henry Rollins and his knuckle draggers, followed by some lovely hillbilly psych Rock from the surfers, then some Shameless foe chaos from nine inch nails, all bar the vocals on tape, $50 guitars especially bought to be trashed on cue. the who, they weren't.
T. C Conroy (front-of-house coordinator, Lollapalooza 1991) So here we are in arizona, and Dave Navarro shows up as far as I can tell, he doesn't want to go on stage because he doesn't have the right guitar. I mean, this is the vibe, right? and, you know, this is Perry's day. so Perry's pissed and everyone's pissed. it's tense and it's 120° and people are acting like assholes. now, my boyfriend at the time was Dave Gahan from Depeche mode, and we live together and it was my birthday. so I was in Arizona, and he was coming from LA to join me at the show. and Dave's Guitar that he wanted was at the pawn shop in hollywood. it was still early in the day, so I said hey can you pick up Dave Navarro's guitar on your way? So he goes and gets the guitar and gets on the plane and a few hours later he and Depeche Mode's manager, Jonathan Kessler, pull into the backstage area in Arizona in a long black stretch limo. Dave Gahan Saves the Day.
Dave Navarro I've gotten too high on heroin and I couldn't really get up. so then I was giving Cocaine by an unnamed source that got me two speedy. and I had to come down from that, so I took a handful of pills and drank a bunch. By the time I got on stage, I didn't know which way was up. and Perry and I got into it.
“The Most Intense Thing I’ve EverDone on Stage“
[Butthole Surfers, shotgun theatrics]
Corey Glover (singer, Living Colour) I saw this man with a shotgun as, " this is a representation of who he is and what kind of person he is. quotation mark and it wasn't out of violence, which I thought was fascinating. it was like, " this is how I show my joy. I'm having a good time and I'm going to whoop it up and shoot it up.”
“Body Count’s in the House”
Rob Tannenbaum (journalist, author) You had three black rock bands that first year - living color, iced tea with body count, and, on a few dates, fishbone. I don't think Perry Farrell did this in any sort of manipulative way. I think he just liked the music.
Ice T Was it the first time we were performing for all white audiences? as a rock band, yes. not as a wrap band. because you got to remember the eclectic Rock Tour or rap tour was only in you to the United states. the festivals in Europe have been going on for years. but people don't understand is that rap, it was all black when it was in the hood. but black kids can't afford those big concert tickets. the white kids economically could afford to pay 200, $300 to go to a concert. a black kids like, " I'll wait till I see you in the hood!”
Sean E Sean That was the Rodney King era. and at that time we in the band were still having a lot of drama with the police. but you know we had people that identified with what we were going through. people were conscious of Law overreaching. and it was the perfect setting for us at the time because I just got a chance to explain himself. he would start by saying ”Not all cops. " okay? " it's the ones who use their badge to take advantage of their position. police brutality is a real thing. " you would explain himself as far as what he was against. “Cop killer, " it's just a protest record.
Ice-T I think the twist was once the verdict came out and the riot popped off, people turned around and tried to say we were promoting the riot, and we were trying to ride off the juice of what had happened. but the song came out after the riot. and it was written before Rodney king. that's the crazy part. the song was written about injustices that were happening prior to all that. it was just a true song about real things that, once again, America wasn't aware of, and that we tried to make America aware of.
“Job Number One Was to Be As Punk as Fuck”
Mark O’Shea I knew the band was on to something when we were in Miami in early 1990, opening for Jesus and Mary Chain. there's a lot of chaos going on on stage, but we had no pyro, we had no smoke, we had no light show. the intensity of the show, or the entertainment factor of the show, was based on their delivery. and afterward Trent simply said to me, I feel I need to feel each night when I walk off the stage that we as a band have given our best shot to entertain the audience. that was the come to Jesus moment where I was like, okay I get it. the chaos and the destruction - we used to nickname it violence - really drew the audience in, like, “Wow!”
Richard Patrick We just did not give a fuck. we are just not to satisfy our animal instincts on stage. I think we spent $40,000 on gear that we smashed on Lollapalooza.
Perry Was Standing Naked Like Jesus
Norwood Fisher (bassist, Fishbone) Seattle was insane. it was, like, mythical and scope, because of his fog that sat over the whole thing. I remember watching a bunch of the festival and then being backstage because I wanted to talk to perry, and actually having a moment of feeling intimidated to go in Jane's Addiction dressing room. like, oh man, I don't want to bother him. but I open the door and Perry's in the center of the room in a chair, and he is being tended to on some level I don't remember exactly how there's dancers running around half-dressed and people smoking weed and maybe other shit. I don't know. I was like, "This shit look like a scene outta Caligula! And Perry is Caligula!”
Lollapalooza 1992
The main stage meanwhile gave top feeling to the Red Hot Chili peppers, who like Jane's Addiction the year prior, had emerged from the LA underground. in the chili peppers case, they were also Riding High on a bona fide smash single, under the bridge. further mirroring the 91 blueprint, the lineup featured a musically and Visually extreme industrial metal Juggernaut Ministry and a West Coast gangsta rap ice cube. rounding out the bill were grunge Powerhouse soundgarden, Scottish postpunk Legends the Jesus and Mary chain, drony British dream pop unit lush, and way down on the ticket, a new Seattle Act named Pearl jam, who exploded into the mainstream after Lollapalooza lineup was finalized but before the tour officially launched. this meant that the band, becoming more famous by the day, took the stage early at each show, right after opener's lush.
Michael Azzerad ( journalist, author) To the rest of the world, the real impact of alternative rock wasn't musical, it was it announced that the new generation of consumers had arrived. these consumers have their own culture and their own historical context, and they needed to be marketed to accordingly. and that's when we got that Infamous Subaru ad in 1992 with the Quasi grungy kid who excitedly proclaimed, this car is like Punk rock!
Chris Haskett (guitarist, Rollins Band) You've got this Indie mindset with alternative ways of thinking about anything from society to politics to vegetarianism to music to the music industry... all these things are getting mixed in with each other. but you have to make some palatable. and lollapalooza, it kind of defangs some of the really rough Indie aspects of it, and then presented it to a much, much larger audience.
“A Brief History of the Second Stage”
Jimmy Chamberlin (drummer, Smashing Pumpkins) When people think of Lollapalooza back then, they think of the big picture bands - Jane's addiction, the chili peppers, the pumpkins, soundgarden. but really, the foundation of Lala was the second stage. that was what it seems like Perry was most into Dash the avant-garde part of it, or the things that are reacting to what's going on in the mainstream, but not necessarily replicating it.
Lollapalooza 1993
Stuart Ross (tour director, Lollapalooza) Perry wanted art, politics, and crazy food. he wanted to shake up the paradigm. but in year one, we were not in a position yet to carry everything with us. so we trusted the local promoters to help us find art, fine political tabling, find alternative food and beverage. ask them to find army recruiters to set up next to Pita. things that were outside their wheelhouse and most promoters were lazy like how little do we have to do to make this right for example we asked them to provide as many alternative types of food as they could so that we could make this a unique experience and really they went from hot dogs to chicken sandwiches that was as far as they went. so we ended up having to recreate the wheel every day go under the field and figure out who the political booths are where we're going to set them up. what kind of interesting food can we find? is there anybody selling trinkets or blankets or books or anything? the amount of work we had to do on any one particular day didn't give us the opportunity to take a 30,000 ft view of hey what the hell is this going to be?
Rolling Stone (September 17, 1992) There are stalls Hawking everything from books to Temporary tattoos, virtual reality displays and amino acid smart drinks for the cyberpunk set, bungee jumping at $79 a pop for the thrill seekers. for the charity minded, there is the safe sex wheel of fortune, the proceeds from which go to local AIDS research organizations; fans take a spin to win cds, backstage passes, condoms and turns in the crush cage, a structure set up next to the second stage it is filled with sledgehammers and smashable old televisions and appliances. wake up Mr President what about the homeless is a test of strength meter the proceeds from which are earmarked for the Coalition for the homeless in each city.
Lollapalooza 1994
Kicking off the days events was a group of Tibetan Monks who had been invited on tour by the Beastie Boys Adam m c a Yauch and who would bless the main stage to start the proceedings. Yauch can learn from Tibetan Buddhism on a trip to neighboring Nepal in the early 90s and subsequently adopted the religion and took up the cause of freeing Tibet from Chinese occupation. for Adam Yak in particular, I think his experience on Lollapalooza planted the seed for him to do the Tibetan Freedom concerts that started in 1996 in Golden Gate park, Martin says. " I bet if you checked from 94 to 96, the proliferation of free Tibet stickers and patches on backpacks on College campuses, it's traced directly to Lollapalooza 94.
Billy Corgan (singer, guitarist, Smashing Pumpkins) Lollapalooza was supposed to be nirvana, smashing pumpkins, Beastie boys, and then Nirvana dropped out and we slotted down and became the headliner. and look, it's easy to play Monday morning quarterback, and it was the most successful lollaplus of the traveling version that year without them, so imagine what it would have been with them. and I would have welcomed the challenge every night to try to blow them off the stage and I know that Kurt would have tried to blow me off the stage every night.
Lollapalooza 1995
“I Don’t Think Anyone Expects That Kind of Violence”
Thurston Moore (guitarist, vocalist, Sonic Youth) We were heading back to our trailer after our show and I was informed on the side of the stage while we were playing, the singer of hole flicked your cigarette at Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hannah and then sucker punched during the face.
“It Felt Like We Were Winning for a Few Years”
Dave “Boche” Vicelli (agent, Pavement, the Jesus Lizard) I don't view Nirvana as being as transformative as a lot of people do. on some level, in commercial music, yes, they were, I suppose. but they were peers, right? they were listening to Sonic Youth and the same bands that we all were, and they were part of that world - but began as a relatively youthful, independent labeled world. so to me, it felt like it was just this crazy flu that they became this big thing. well, not so much a flute. the simple fact of the matter is that Nirvana wrote great pop songs. if they happen to be clothed in what came to be called grunge or whatever, but loud guitars and stuff like that, so be it. those songs are catchy as Pop songs, which is why they gained purchase at radio and mtv. I suppose there was something revolutionary about that.
Lollapalooza 1996
Following the 1995 tour, the festival stood at a crossroads, grappling wi
December 28, 2025
mandatory reading for any 16 year old who's ever paid $18 for a lemonade while wearing an oversized basketball jersey at lollapalooza
January 2, 2026
4/5
If you want to know all the deets on the initial touring years of Lollapalooza, then this is your book. It’s cool to read quote by quote from employees, writers, and artists alike.
If you want to know all the deets on the initial touring years of Lollapalooza, then this is your book. It’s cool to read quote by quote from employees, writers, and artists alike.
September 16, 2025
Totally enjoyable, and refreshingly unvarnished, look behind the scenes.
March 21, 2025
Major thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour. I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since it was first made available since I remember when Lollapalooza first started, and although I never attended any of them, I also watched it grow as many of the bands I discovered and rabidly listened to were a part of this innovative and ground-breaking festival of the 1990s that continues on today.
I really like these kinds of music books that document periods in music history through interviews with those who were involved in it. I think the first book that I read that was like this was Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, which is an oral history of Punk, specifically focused on New York punk in the 70s. Lollapalooza follows a similar style where its sections are divided up into the different years that Lollapalooza toured, 1991-1997, ending with an epilogue focusing on 2003, when Lollapalooza returned. Each year begins with a narrative overview of the tour, discussing which bands performed, how they were recruited for the tour, like their personal connection with Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction, and other details. Then there are chapters in each year that focus either on a particular artist or band or some other element of the tour. However, these chapters are taken directly from interviews with the artists, managers, and crew involved with making Lollapalooza happen. I found it really easy and enjoyable to read. I kept reading, wanting to know what more would happen each year on these tours. I also loved hearing from artists like Ice-T, members of Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill. It’s also a little sad since there are some artists who are no longer alive to share their stories yet were an important parts of the touring years of the 90s. Artists like Coolio, Mark Lanegan, from Screaming Trees, Layne Staley, from Alice in Chains, Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and Audioslave, and Sinead O’Connor, who I didn’t even realize was a part of the 1995 tour before dropping off. Even though there weren’t any quotes from these artists, other participants shared stories, fond, funny, and sometimes sad, about their experiences touring with them. What I found compelling about this book was also that it contained the perspectives of those who organized and worked on the tour, helping to manage the stages, prep the artists and gear for each act, and break down the equipment and prepare to move the show to another city or location. It was fascinating to learn more about how Lollapalooza operated since there really weren’t too many touring shows like this that had toured around at the time. Some of the interviewees cited the Grateful Dead as a touring model that they looked at and how Bill Graham Productions helped with ironing out the finer details to make the show run more efficiently after they stopped in the Bay Area in either the first or second year. However, Lollapalooza served as the model for other touring shows that sprouted up in its wake in the mid to late 90s (Lillith Fair, HORDE Fest, Ozz Fest, etc). I enjoyed learning about how the different production managers and the contact people for the crowd engagement coordinated to make Lollapalooza so unique and innovative. As the book notes, part of Farrell’s vision for this festival was to bring together disparate perspectives that were kind of encompassing the 90s (and have further drifted apart today). I think there was a quote about having the NRA in attendance along with gun right activists, or pro-life and pro-choice people attend to debate, and I guess learn from one another. It is a kind of cool and idealistic way of thinking how music and art could bring together opposing perspectives on political and social issues, and possibly allow for some learning and understanding. And while I think that may have also been some of the initial thinking about the early world wide web community, it’s kind of devolved into echo chambers and reinforcing biases. However, I think that Perry Farrell had good intentions and, despite his own personal flaws, he had really good taste and a unique vision for the function of music and art in the 90s. Nevertheless, this kind of disparate approach in issues was also reflected in the music lineups, especially in the early years of Lollapalooza. It was fascinating to see the first lineup consisted of Jane’s Addiction, in what was supposed to be their farewell tour, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails (in their first tour), Ice-T (rapping and performing with Body Count), Butthole Surfers, the Rollins Band, and Fishbone. The interviews with the artists also shared their surprise at this amalgamation of different styles that didn’t share much. However, I think any book that features stories about the Butthole Surfers is really enjoyable. I think their chapter in Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life was by far the funniest chapter in the book. Similarly, the stories about the bands stage show and hi-jinks during downtime on the tour were pretty funny. The 1992 tour featured Ice Cube, Soundgarden (in their first appearance at Lollapalooza), Ministry, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but also had a 2nd stage featuring the Jim Rose Circus. The stories with those performers were also really entertaining, and it kind of shows the theatrics and performative sideshow nature that made both Lollapalooza and the 1990s “alternative”.
In addition to the artists and crew, Bienstock and Beaujour also interview music journalists (including Azerrad), who offer some great insights into how music changed in the 90s, as well as the kind of artists/acts that Lollapalooza had to recruit to not only drive ticket sales and crowds, but also seem fresh and cutting edge in the 90s to really appeal as an “alternative” to more of the hair rock that was dying from the 80s and the gradual dormancy of pop music that was to emerge around the late 90s. These journalists and the tour planners offered some interesting insight into the musical choices for the different years, including that Lollapalooza seemed to have sought out Nirvana for the 1994 tour. It sounded like there were some financial concerns, that Nirvana’s price might have been too high, but also that Kurt Cobain’s life was in a spiral due to his hospitalization during the planning months (and shortly before his death). However, the 1994 lineup was equally eclectic and electric, featuring The Breeders, Beastie Boys, George Clinton and P-Funk, A Tribe Called Quest, Green Day, The Flaming Lips, and Guided by Voices. I loved learning that Robert Pollard and his brother beath the Beastie Boys at basketball, and there was lots of differing opinions on Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins headlined that year). I think 1995, one of the lower grossing years, was probably the year I really would have wanted to go. I remember watching 120 Minutes during this time and seeing a live performance of Beck with Sonic Youth doing the “Diamond Sea”, one of my favorite songs that I first got to hear live at a concert shortly after the Lollapalooza tour. Maybe I imagined it, but this wouldn’t have been a video available online since that technology wasn’t really available in 95. However, that was another really cool fact to learn from this book—how many of the artists would end up playing with other bands and jamming together as the tour went on. Other musicians talked about the challenges of being on the road, finding things to keep them engaged and active, especially when many of the festivals were far away from cities. Other artists talked about the challenges of staying sober and not getting too into drugs or alcohol while on tour. The last two years of touring, 96 and 97, were strange lineups that similarly reflected some of the unfortunate directions that music in the 90s were taking. It’s also interesting because as I read in another recent book, Pretend We’re Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the ‘90s by Tanya Pearson, late 1990s music took a very masculine, somewhat misogynistic turn, and this is reflected in some of the festivals like Woodstock 99 (along with the documentary) as well as Lollapalooza’s booking. While the festival was primarily a music festival, there’s also a need to make money, and the promoters and organizers needed to balance the art and commerce. That’s probably how Metallica, who was getting ready to release their Load album, which was not really a metal album, was invited to headline the tour. Although this would bring a lot of fans, some of the other artists (and news reports included in the book) detailed the challenges from performing to audiences that either were not familiar or not interested in their work. It seemed like audiences became lest curious or welcoming. This was even more apparent when a band like James played in 1997 and were confronted by Korn fans, who seemed really hostile to other acts. Despite these challenges, Lollapalooza did bring many different fans and musical styles together. This book especially highlights many of those differences while also sharing some interesting and entertaining stories about what happened behind the scenes, and dishing on what it is like to tour for the summer. I absolutely loved this book, and I can’t wait to read the other book about 80’s hair bands by Bienstock and Beaujour (Nothin’ But a Good Time). Highly recommended book!
I really like these kinds of music books that document periods in music history through interviews with those who were involved in it. I think the first book that I read that was like this was Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, which is an oral history of Punk, specifically focused on New York punk in the 70s. Lollapalooza follows a similar style where its sections are divided up into the different years that Lollapalooza toured, 1991-1997, ending with an epilogue focusing on 2003, when Lollapalooza returned. Each year begins with a narrative overview of the tour, discussing which bands performed, how they were recruited for the tour, like their personal connection with Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction, and other details. Then there are chapters in each year that focus either on a particular artist or band or some other element of the tour. However, these chapters are taken directly from interviews with the artists, managers, and crew involved with making Lollapalooza happen. I found it really easy and enjoyable to read. I kept reading, wanting to know what more would happen each year on these tours. I also loved hearing from artists like Ice-T, members of Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill. It’s also a little sad since there are some artists who are no longer alive to share their stories yet were an important parts of the touring years of the 90s. Artists like Coolio, Mark Lanegan, from Screaming Trees, Layne Staley, from Alice in Chains, Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and Audioslave, and Sinead O’Connor, who I didn’t even realize was a part of the 1995 tour before dropping off. Even though there weren’t any quotes from these artists, other participants shared stories, fond, funny, and sometimes sad, about their experiences touring with them. What I found compelling about this book was also that it contained the perspectives of those who organized and worked on the tour, helping to manage the stages, prep the artists and gear for each act, and break down the equipment and prepare to move the show to another city or location. It was fascinating to learn more about how Lollapalooza operated since there really weren’t too many touring shows like this that had toured around at the time. Some of the interviewees cited the Grateful Dead as a touring model that they looked at and how Bill Graham Productions helped with ironing out the finer details to make the show run more efficiently after they stopped in the Bay Area in either the first or second year. However, Lollapalooza served as the model for other touring shows that sprouted up in its wake in the mid to late 90s (Lillith Fair, HORDE Fest, Ozz Fest, etc). I enjoyed learning about how the different production managers and the contact people for the crowd engagement coordinated to make Lollapalooza so unique and innovative. As the book notes, part of Farrell’s vision for this festival was to bring together disparate perspectives that were kind of encompassing the 90s (and have further drifted apart today). I think there was a quote about having the NRA in attendance along with gun right activists, or pro-life and pro-choice people attend to debate, and I guess learn from one another. It is a kind of cool and idealistic way of thinking how music and art could bring together opposing perspectives on political and social issues, and possibly allow for some learning and understanding. And while I think that may have also been some of the initial thinking about the early world wide web community, it’s kind of devolved into echo chambers and reinforcing biases. However, I think that Perry Farrell had good intentions and, despite his own personal flaws, he had really good taste and a unique vision for the function of music and art in the 90s. Nevertheless, this kind of disparate approach in issues was also reflected in the music lineups, especially in the early years of Lollapalooza. It was fascinating to see the first lineup consisted of Jane’s Addiction, in what was supposed to be their farewell tour, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails (in their first tour), Ice-T (rapping and performing with Body Count), Butthole Surfers, the Rollins Band, and Fishbone. The interviews with the artists also shared their surprise at this amalgamation of different styles that didn’t share much. However, I think any book that features stories about the Butthole Surfers is really enjoyable. I think their chapter in Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life was by far the funniest chapter in the book. Similarly, the stories about the bands stage show and hi-jinks during downtime on the tour were pretty funny. The 1992 tour featured Ice Cube, Soundgarden (in their first appearance at Lollapalooza), Ministry, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but also had a 2nd stage featuring the Jim Rose Circus. The stories with those performers were also really entertaining, and it kind of shows the theatrics and performative sideshow nature that made both Lollapalooza and the 1990s “alternative”.
In addition to the artists and crew, Bienstock and Beaujour also interview music journalists (including Azerrad), who offer some great insights into how music changed in the 90s, as well as the kind of artists/acts that Lollapalooza had to recruit to not only drive ticket sales and crowds, but also seem fresh and cutting edge in the 90s to really appeal as an “alternative” to more of the hair rock that was dying from the 80s and the gradual dormancy of pop music that was to emerge around the late 90s. These journalists and the tour planners offered some interesting insight into the musical choices for the different years, including that Lollapalooza seemed to have sought out Nirvana for the 1994 tour. It sounded like there were some financial concerns, that Nirvana’s price might have been too high, but also that Kurt Cobain’s life was in a spiral due to his hospitalization during the planning months (and shortly before his death). However, the 1994 lineup was equally eclectic and electric, featuring The Breeders, Beastie Boys, George Clinton and P-Funk, A Tribe Called Quest, Green Day, The Flaming Lips, and Guided by Voices. I loved learning that Robert Pollard and his brother beath the Beastie Boys at basketball, and there was lots of differing opinions on Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins headlined that year). I think 1995, one of the lower grossing years, was probably the year I really would have wanted to go. I remember watching 120 Minutes during this time and seeing a live performance of Beck with Sonic Youth doing the “Diamond Sea”, one of my favorite songs that I first got to hear live at a concert shortly after the Lollapalooza tour. Maybe I imagined it, but this wouldn’t have been a video available online since that technology wasn’t really available in 95. However, that was another really cool fact to learn from this book—how many of the artists would end up playing with other bands and jamming together as the tour went on. Other musicians talked about the challenges of being on the road, finding things to keep them engaged and active, especially when many of the festivals were far away from cities. Other artists talked about the challenges of staying sober and not getting too into drugs or alcohol while on tour. The last two years of touring, 96 and 97, were strange lineups that similarly reflected some of the unfortunate directions that music in the 90s were taking. It’s also interesting because as I read in another recent book, Pretend We’re Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the ‘90s by Tanya Pearson, late 1990s music took a very masculine, somewhat misogynistic turn, and this is reflected in some of the festivals like Woodstock 99 (along with the documentary) as well as Lollapalooza’s booking. While the festival was primarily a music festival, there’s also a need to make money, and the promoters and organizers needed to balance the art and commerce. That’s probably how Metallica, who was getting ready to release their Load album, which was not really a metal album, was invited to headline the tour. Although this would bring a lot of fans, some of the other artists (and news reports included in the book) detailed the challenges from performing to audiences that either were not familiar or not interested in their work. It seemed like audiences became lest curious or welcoming. This was even more apparent when a band like James played in 1997 and were confronted by Korn fans, who seemed really hostile to other acts. Despite these challenges, Lollapalooza did bring many different fans and musical styles together. This book especially highlights many of those differences while also sharing some interesting and entertaining stories about what happened behind the scenes, and dishing on what it is like to tour for the summer. I absolutely loved this book, and I can’t wait to read the other book about 80’s hair bands by Bienstock and Beaujour (Nothin’ But a Good Time). Highly recommended book!
April 21, 2025
I love this book. Read it if you love rock & roll. It's that good.
Here's my Los Angeles Times review:
Book Review
“Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival” – Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour
By Marc Ballon
In 1990, Jane’s Addiction released “Ritual de lo Habitual,” the Los Angeles alternative-metal band’s critically acclaimed album. The band, beset by drug addiction, power struggles and dissension, decided to break up at the height of its popularity.
Lead singer Perry Farrell came up with the idea for Lollapalooza, a “Woodstock for the Lost Generation,” according to the New York Times, as a farewell tour for the imploding group. But it would become much more.
Between 1991 to 1997, the traveling circus of a festival excited, entertained, and empowered disaffected American youth, especially in its glorious early years. “If Lollapalooza didn’t single-handedly inaugurate what came to be known as ‘alternative nation,’ it went a long way toward codifying its ideals for a generation of teens and twentysomethings via a diverse mix of boundary-pushing musical acts, outsider fashion and art, political activism, and straight-up performative weirdness,” write Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour in their excellent oral history, “Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival.”
As the authors convincingly argue, Lollapalooza’s impact cannot be understated. It inspired the successful Ozzfest, Lilith Fair, H.O.R.D.E. and the Warped traveling tours; mainstreamed combat boots, flannel, piercings and tattoos and other accoutrements of once marginalized youth; and helped turn Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam into superstars. So powerful is Lollapalooza’s hold on popular culture that Farrell revived it in 2003. The festival continues to this day, attracting upwards of 100,000 fans to Chicago’s Grant Park every summer.
At Lollapalooza’s inception, festivals had become passe, with the US Festival, the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen and the Monterey Pop Festival little more than hazy memories. Lollapalooza’s eclectic inaugural lineup, ranging from Jane’s Addiction to the loud fusion punk of the Rollins Band to rapper Ice-T to post-punk pioneers Siouxise and the Banshees, hardly seemed like a bill to set the world afire and sell out amphitheaters across the country.
In fact, Lollapalooza nearly derailed at its first-ever show on July 18, 1991, at the sweltering Compton Terrace in Chandler, Arizona. With temperatures in the triple digits, Nine Inch Nail’s equipment malfunctioned, leading Trent Reznor to trash the stage. A very wasted Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction’s talented guitarist, and Farrell began shoving each other at the side of the stage after the band’s set. “The tour could have collapsed there,” said Kevin Lyman, Lollapalooza’s stage manager in 1991 and 1992.
But it didn’t. The festival’s mix of left-of-the dial artists, advocacy groups like Handgun Control Inc. and the National Abortion Rights Action League, and funky food and drinks, captured the zeitgeist. In one of the worst summer concert seasons in more than a decade, Lollapalooza shined brightly.
Things would only get better.
With alternative nation on the ascendancy – Nirvana’s classic “Nevermind” and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ smash “Blood Sugar Sex Magic” came out after the first festival – Lollapalooza 1992 was primed to explode. Farrell and company booked future superstars such as Pearl Jam, whose album “Ten” was shooting up the charts; fellow Seattle grunge rockers Soundgarden; the industrial metal juggernaut Ministry; and the Chili Peppers, who wore hats with flames coming out of them during their performance.
Lollapalooza 1992 introduced the second stage for performers, arguably the first of its kind, which featured hot new acts: Rage Against the Machine and Stone Temple Pilots gave some of their earliest performances there. The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow, a freak show that featured Slug the Sword Swallower, The Torture King and some dude who drank vomit, became a crowd favorite, making the world safe for “The Jim Rose Twisted Tour” TV show.
Bienstock and Beaujour, through their engaging and insightful interviews, capture the liberating, anything-goes ethos that was Lollapallooza 1992. I should know; I attended the opening show at the Shoreline Amphitheater in the Bay Area.
Playing the second slot behind Lush in the midday sun, Pearl Jam burned through its set with new songs like “Alive” and “Jeremy,” and one of rock’s most charismatic and talented frontmen, Eddie Vedder. He often climbed the scaffolding and towering speakers and dove into the crowd, doing whatever it took to grab the audience’s attention.
Ministry also made an indelible impression, blasting everyone’s eardrums to pieces. Singer Al Jourgensen, leaning against an animal bone statue that served as a mic stand, and his bandmates bludgeoned audiences into submission with their hypnotic heaviness, regularly paying fines for exceeding venue noise limits. Pearl Jam’s guitarist Stone Gossard called the show a “sonic concussion.”
Lollapalooza 1992 was the festival’s highpoint. It would never again have the same cultural and artistic resonance. The 1993 edition had a less impressive lineup headed by Primus and Alice in Chains. In 1994, organizers came close to nabbing Nirvana as that year’s headliner before Kurt Cobain overdosed in Rome and killed himself a month later in April. As strong as 1994 artists such as Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars and the Breeders were, they couldn’t compare to Nirvana.
1995’s underwhelming lineup featured critically acclaimed, indie art-rock darlings Sonic Youth, but fans stayed away. The so-called “Artypalooza” gave way to Lollapalooza 1996, derisively dubbed “Dude-apalozooa” for its predominantly white aggressive lineup topped by decidedly non-alternative Metallica; Farrell temporarily left the festival in protest.
Lollapalooza 1997, its swansong before the revival, skewed to ambitious electronic sounds from artists like Prodigy, the Orb and Orbital, a laudable but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to reinvigorate the once golden festival.
Reflecting Lollapalooza’s fall from the rarefied heights of its early 1990s heyday, the 1997 version – featuring ambitious electronic sounds from artists like Prodigy, the Orb and Orbital – made little more than half the money of Lilith Fair, attracting an average attendance of 67% of venue capacity compared to 93% for female-dominated festival. “Lolla had its run, and we knew the model was breaking. It became too generic. It burned too bright,” said festival cofounder Marc Geiger. “It needed a break.”
Thankfully, “Lollapalooza” the book, unlike the namesake festival itself, rarely flags. Bienstock and Beaujour, also authors of the bestselling, “Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ‘80s Hard Rock Explosion,” interviewed hundreds of artists, tour founders and Lollapalooza organizers, among others. Theirs is a fun, dishy and surprisingly moving read.
They infuse their book with sex, drugs and rock and roll. Joe Klein, then-guitarist for Siouxsie and the Banshees, for instance, remembered “the most visible orgies:” Ice-T’s tour bus, presumably filled with groupies, bouncing up and down. Heroin and other hard drugs were a tour mainstay. The late Mark Lanegan, lead singer of the Screaming Trees, often dispatched a gofer to track down heroin, crack and meth throughout the ’96 tour. Or he’d search for drugs himself. “We would hit a town, and he’d head straight to the ghetto and almost get killed,” Trees guitarist Gary Lee Conner said.
And what could be more rock and roll than members of Rage Against the Machine, the breakout stars of Lollapalooza ’93, going onstage naked at a show in Philadelphia to protest the Parents Music Resource Center, Tipper Gore’s controversial group that lobbied for parental advisory stickers on certain albums. With black tape on their mouths and the letters P, M, R, C written in big letters on their chest, the Rage dudes stood still for 15 minutes, guitar feedback serving as their backing music. Angry fans eventually pelted the would-be revolutionaries with beer, cups and even bottles of urine.
That Lollapalooza has become such an important chapter in the annals in rock history surprises nobody more than perhaps Farrell. “I’m often asked, did I think Lollapalooza was going to be what it became?” he said. “I mean, that’s ridiculous. Of course not! How could I? I was just in it for kicks, period.”
Ballon, a former Times, Forbes and Inc. Magazine reporter, teaches an advanced writing class at USC. He lives in Fullerton.
Here's my Los Angeles Times review:
Book Review
“Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival” – Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour
By Marc Ballon
In 1990, Jane’s Addiction released “Ritual de lo Habitual,” the Los Angeles alternative-metal band’s critically acclaimed album. The band, beset by drug addiction, power struggles and dissension, decided to break up at the height of its popularity.
Lead singer Perry Farrell came up with the idea for Lollapalooza, a “Woodstock for the Lost Generation,” according to the New York Times, as a farewell tour for the imploding group. But it would become much more.
Between 1991 to 1997, the traveling circus of a festival excited, entertained, and empowered disaffected American youth, especially in its glorious early years. “If Lollapalooza didn’t single-handedly inaugurate what came to be known as ‘alternative nation,’ it went a long way toward codifying its ideals for a generation of teens and twentysomethings via a diverse mix of boundary-pushing musical acts, outsider fashion and art, political activism, and straight-up performative weirdness,” write Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour in their excellent oral history, “Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival.”
As the authors convincingly argue, Lollapalooza’s impact cannot be understated. It inspired the successful Ozzfest, Lilith Fair, H.O.R.D.E. and the Warped traveling tours; mainstreamed combat boots, flannel, piercings and tattoos and other accoutrements of once marginalized youth; and helped turn Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam into superstars. So powerful is Lollapalooza’s hold on popular culture that Farrell revived it in 2003. The festival continues to this day, attracting upwards of 100,000 fans to Chicago’s Grant Park every summer.
At Lollapalooza’s inception, festivals had become passe, with the US Festival, the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen and the Monterey Pop Festival little more than hazy memories. Lollapalooza’s eclectic inaugural lineup, ranging from Jane’s Addiction to the loud fusion punk of the Rollins Band to rapper Ice-T to post-punk pioneers Siouxise and the Banshees, hardly seemed like a bill to set the world afire and sell out amphitheaters across the country.
In fact, Lollapalooza nearly derailed at its first-ever show on July 18, 1991, at the sweltering Compton Terrace in Chandler, Arizona. With temperatures in the triple digits, Nine Inch Nail’s equipment malfunctioned, leading Trent Reznor to trash the stage. A very wasted Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction’s talented guitarist, and Farrell began shoving each other at the side of the stage after the band’s set. “The tour could have collapsed there,” said Kevin Lyman, Lollapalooza’s stage manager in 1991 and 1992.
But it didn’t. The festival’s mix of left-of-the dial artists, advocacy groups like Handgun Control Inc. and the National Abortion Rights Action League, and funky food and drinks, captured the zeitgeist. In one of the worst summer concert seasons in more than a decade, Lollapalooza shined brightly.
Things would only get better.
With alternative nation on the ascendancy – Nirvana’s classic “Nevermind” and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ smash “Blood Sugar Sex Magic” came out after the first festival – Lollapalooza 1992 was primed to explode. Farrell and company booked future superstars such as Pearl Jam, whose album “Ten” was shooting up the charts; fellow Seattle grunge rockers Soundgarden; the industrial metal juggernaut Ministry; and the Chili Peppers, who wore hats with flames coming out of them during their performance.
Lollapalooza 1992 introduced the second stage for performers, arguably the first of its kind, which featured hot new acts: Rage Against the Machine and Stone Temple Pilots gave some of their earliest performances there. The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow, a freak show that featured Slug the Sword Swallower, The Torture King and some dude who drank vomit, became a crowd favorite, making the world safe for “The Jim Rose Twisted Tour” TV show.
Bienstock and Beaujour, through their engaging and insightful interviews, capture the liberating, anything-goes ethos that was Lollapallooza 1992. I should know; I attended the opening show at the Shoreline Amphitheater in the Bay Area.
Playing the second slot behind Lush in the midday sun, Pearl Jam burned through its set with new songs like “Alive” and “Jeremy,” and one of rock’s most charismatic and talented frontmen, Eddie Vedder. He often climbed the scaffolding and towering speakers and dove into the crowd, doing whatever it took to grab the audience’s attention.
Ministry also made an indelible impression, blasting everyone’s eardrums to pieces. Singer Al Jourgensen, leaning against an animal bone statue that served as a mic stand, and his bandmates bludgeoned audiences into submission with their hypnotic heaviness, regularly paying fines for exceeding venue noise limits. Pearl Jam’s guitarist Stone Gossard called the show a “sonic concussion.”
Lollapalooza 1992 was the festival’s highpoint. It would never again have the same cultural and artistic resonance. The 1993 edition had a less impressive lineup headed by Primus and Alice in Chains. In 1994, organizers came close to nabbing Nirvana as that year’s headliner before Kurt Cobain overdosed in Rome and killed himself a month later in April. As strong as 1994 artists such as Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars and the Breeders were, they couldn’t compare to Nirvana.
1995’s underwhelming lineup featured critically acclaimed, indie art-rock darlings Sonic Youth, but fans stayed away. The so-called “Artypalooza” gave way to Lollapalooza 1996, derisively dubbed “Dude-apalozooa” for its predominantly white aggressive lineup topped by decidedly non-alternative Metallica; Farrell temporarily left the festival in protest.
Lollapalooza 1997, its swansong before the revival, skewed to ambitious electronic sounds from artists like Prodigy, the Orb and Orbital, a laudable but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to reinvigorate the once golden festival.
Reflecting Lollapalooza’s fall from the rarefied heights of its early 1990s heyday, the 1997 version – featuring ambitious electronic sounds from artists like Prodigy, the Orb and Orbital – made little more than half the money of Lilith Fair, attracting an average attendance of 67% of venue capacity compared to 93% for female-dominated festival. “Lolla had its run, and we knew the model was breaking. It became too generic. It burned too bright,” said festival cofounder Marc Geiger. “It needed a break.”
Thankfully, “Lollapalooza” the book, unlike the namesake festival itself, rarely flags. Bienstock and Beaujour, also authors of the bestselling, “Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ‘80s Hard Rock Explosion,” interviewed hundreds of artists, tour founders and Lollapalooza organizers, among others. Theirs is a fun, dishy and surprisingly moving read.
They infuse their book with sex, drugs and rock and roll. Joe Klein, then-guitarist for Siouxsie and the Banshees, for instance, remembered “the most visible orgies:” Ice-T’s tour bus, presumably filled with groupies, bouncing up and down. Heroin and other hard drugs were a tour mainstay. The late Mark Lanegan, lead singer of the Screaming Trees, often dispatched a gofer to track down heroin, crack and meth throughout the ’96 tour. Or he’d search for drugs himself. “We would hit a town, and he’d head straight to the ghetto and almost get killed,” Trees guitarist Gary Lee Conner said.
And what could be more rock and roll than members of Rage Against the Machine, the breakout stars of Lollapalooza ’93, going onstage naked at a show in Philadelphia to protest the Parents Music Resource Center, Tipper Gore’s controversial group that lobbied for parental advisory stickers on certain albums. With black tape on their mouths and the letters P, M, R, C written in big letters on their chest, the Rage dudes stood still for 15 minutes, guitar feedback serving as their backing music. Angry fans eventually pelted the would-be revolutionaries with beer, cups and even bottles of urine.
That Lollapalooza has become such an important chapter in the annals in rock history surprises nobody more than perhaps Farrell. “I’m often asked, did I think Lollapalooza was going to be what it became?” he said. “I mean, that’s ridiculous. Of course not! How could I? I was just in it for kicks, period.”
Ballon, a former Times, Forbes and Inc. Magazine reporter, teaches an advanced writing class at USC. He lives in Fullerton.
unfinished
April 4, 2025Won in the First Reads giveaway, but DNF-ing because I really can't get into the format.
July 27, 2025
Melting amps and backstage breakups at Lollapalooza grew the legend of alterna-rock in 1992-93
https://popculturelunchbox.substack.c...
This is part 2 on my series on Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour.
It’s hard to believe that Jane’s Addiction—the founders of Lollapalooza—only survived through that festival’s first summer. The band broke up almost the minute the 1991 tour was over.
Although I wouldn’t attend Lollapalooza until the 1994 installment (see part 1 of this series), those early-90s years were a monumental for alt-rock history. The book highlights how this genre was just finding its footing in the public imagination. For instance:
Ice-T’s Body Count debuted “Cop Killer” at these shows, and it was very poignant with the Rodney King beating in L.A. still fresh in concertgoer’s minds.
At the very first tour date, it was so sweltering in Arizona that Nine Inch Nails’ amps and gear melted while backstage in the sun. At that point, looking at how nice Living Colour’s equipment was, the relatively unknown Nine Inch Nails realized it needed to step up its game to have any future in rock.
Also at that show, Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro got wasted on so many drugs that he refused to return to the stage for an encore. But the band’s crew managed to hustle him back out there.
The Butthole Surfers and Rollins Band were arguably the biggest nuts on the tour. At one show, Butthole frontman Gibby Haynes fired a shotgun above the crowd to scold them for not dancing to the Rollins Band. Later, as the tour crossed into Canada, Haynes’ shotgun was confiscated at the border, but somehow Body Count’s arsenal made it through.
Artists from that first summer remember Nine Inch Nails as genuine showstoppers. Trent Reznor and crew were assigned an unglamorous 4 p.m. slot, but as Navarro recounted, “it was like Elvis or the Beatles. Trent would creep out all tangled up in his mic cord. You could hear the girls losing their minds—it was like those old Beatles videos where you expect fans to faint.” The band’s finale saw them and other musicians smashing dozens of guitars. Nine Inch Nails left the tour early to play with Guns N’ Roses and Skid Row in Europe, where those fans promptly hated their guts.
Back to Jane’s Addiction: as the farewell tour went on, Perry Farrell would later admit he broke up the band in its prime simply because “I was immature. I was just living through instinct and emotion at that time.” But before it all ended, the shows were magical—and the backstage scene, apparently, was legendary. The book hints at orgies involving Navarro, his wife, Siouxsie, her drummer Budgie, and almost certainly Farrell. At the hotels, you could find different types of parties in different rooms: orgies, crack, heroin—pick your poison.
Once that first Lollapalooza closed, the rock landscape was quickly changing, with landmark albums dropping from Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Pearl Jam. Other festivals soon sprang up, like the Blues Traveler-led H.O.R.D.E. For Lollapalooza’s 1992 lineup, Pearl Jam went on second, right after openers Lush. The band’s rising popularity meant Lollapalooza sold out every night in a hurry.
Legendary alt-rock writer Michael Azerrad said this blossoming scene wasn’t just about the music: “It was commercial. It announced that a new generation of consumers had arrived. They needed to be marketed to accordingly.” Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune (who once taught my rock journalism class) described it as a corporate event already by 1992. Rolling Stone quipped, “this year, everyone wants to be alternative.” Lollapalooza also invented the “second stage” that year, an idea that apparently never existed before. Soundgarden was thrilled to be part of something more “oriented to subversive youth culture,” as they’d just toured with Guns N’ Roses and Skid Row—tours that had been, in their words, “more conservative, with different ideas about gender roles at a rock show.”
But back to Pearl Jam: the band became known for lead singer Eddie Vedder climbing anything and everything on stage. Somehow, he never managed to die, although he got banged up most nights from leaping off risers and amps into the crowd. He and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden once threw a TV out their hotel window, nearly hitting Jim Rose, the circus sideshow leader by now performing on the side stage.
The Jesus and Mary Chain always went on after Pearl Jam, and the crowd would noticeably thin out. The band quickly soured on the festival, describing the lineup as “blokey, very male music.” Singer/guitarist William Reid called it “the worst experience of our lives,” as they played “to thousands of Beavises and Butt-Heads.” To cope, his brother Jim would get drunk for their 2 p.m. slot, pass out until 8 p.m., then get drunk and stoned all over again. Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers verified this: “They’d polish off a giant bottle of booze by two in the afternoon and curse and put everyone down. They were just bitter.” The Mary Chain would “break up every night,” and were even beaten up once by members of Ice Cube’s band.
The real troublemakers, though, were Ministry. Their industrial metal was so loud that they got fined after nearly every show for violating city noise ordinances and ended up without much profit all summer. Al Jourgensen, the band’s leader, was completely out of control, strutting around with two fifths of Bushmills in holsters laced with his buddy Timothy Leary’s liquid LSD, trying to spike everyone’s drinks. He even blew up one of the tour buses by setting off fireworks inside it.
Many in the book credit Lollapalooza 1992 with inventing the second stage. Apart from the Jim Rose Circus—which gets an entire chapter for its notorious antics (including convincing artists like Vedder and Cornell to drink vomit)—few saw what happened there. Still, there were now-impressive names on those distant stages, including Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill, Sebadoh, and various locals.
The side stage exploded in popularity. For 1993, Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow remembers the organizers simply handing him $1,000 in cash every day his band played. “Word from the top was that Perry was really into supporting bands, so people could see the indie bands of the moment.” Barlow’s former band, Dinosaur Jr., was on the main stage, but there was no drama between Dino guitar-master J Mascis and Barlow, even though some artists apparently hoped otherwise. Several Sonic Youth side projects started to get involved because, while mainstage lineups weren’t “adventurous” enough for them, Thurston Moore and his crew thought the side stage was getting pretty freaky and interesting.
By 1994—the year I attended—the side stage was loaded with acts worthy of the main stage, like the Flaming Lips and Guided by Voices. But more on that, coming up in part 3.
https://popculturelunchbox.substack.c...
This is part 2 on my series on Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour.
It’s hard to believe that Jane’s Addiction—the founders of Lollapalooza—only survived through that festival’s first summer. The band broke up almost the minute the 1991 tour was over.
Although I wouldn’t attend Lollapalooza until the 1994 installment (see part 1 of this series), those early-90s years were a monumental for alt-rock history. The book highlights how this genre was just finding its footing in the public imagination. For instance:
Ice-T’s Body Count debuted “Cop Killer” at these shows, and it was very poignant with the Rodney King beating in L.A. still fresh in concertgoer’s minds.
At the very first tour date, it was so sweltering in Arizona that Nine Inch Nails’ amps and gear melted while backstage in the sun. At that point, looking at how nice Living Colour’s equipment was, the relatively unknown Nine Inch Nails realized it needed to step up its game to have any future in rock.
Also at that show, Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro got wasted on so many drugs that he refused to return to the stage for an encore. But the band’s crew managed to hustle him back out there.
The Butthole Surfers and Rollins Band were arguably the biggest nuts on the tour. At one show, Butthole frontman Gibby Haynes fired a shotgun above the crowd to scold them for not dancing to the Rollins Band. Later, as the tour crossed into Canada, Haynes’ shotgun was confiscated at the border, but somehow Body Count’s arsenal made it through.
Artists from that first summer remember Nine Inch Nails as genuine showstoppers. Trent Reznor and crew were assigned an unglamorous 4 p.m. slot, but as Navarro recounted, “it was like Elvis or the Beatles. Trent would creep out all tangled up in his mic cord. You could hear the girls losing their minds—it was like those old Beatles videos where you expect fans to faint.” The band’s finale saw them and other musicians smashing dozens of guitars. Nine Inch Nails left the tour early to play with Guns N’ Roses and Skid Row in Europe, where those fans promptly hated their guts.
Back to Jane’s Addiction: as the farewell tour went on, Perry Farrell would later admit he broke up the band in its prime simply because “I was immature. I was just living through instinct and emotion at that time.” But before it all ended, the shows were magical—and the backstage scene, apparently, was legendary. The book hints at orgies involving Navarro, his wife, Siouxsie, her drummer Budgie, and almost certainly Farrell. At the hotels, you could find different types of parties in different rooms: orgies, crack, heroin—pick your poison.
Once that first Lollapalooza closed, the rock landscape was quickly changing, with landmark albums dropping from Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Pearl Jam. Other festivals soon sprang up, like the Blues Traveler-led H.O.R.D.E. For Lollapalooza’s 1992 lineup, Pearl Jam went on second, right after openers Lush. The band’s rising popularity meant Lollapalooza sold out every night in a hurry.
Legendary alt-rock writer Michael Azerrad said this blossoming scene wasn’t just about the music: “It was commercial. It announced that a new generation of consumers had arrived. They needed to be marketed to accordingly.” Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune (who once taught my rock journalism class) described it as a corporate event already by 1992. Rolling Stone quipped, “this year, everyone wants to be alternative.” Lollapalooza also invented the “second stage” that year, an idea that apparently never existed before. Soundgarden was thrilled to be part of something more “oriented to subversive youth culture,” as they’d just toured with Guns N’ Roses and Skid Row—tours that had been, in their words, “more conservative, with different ideas about gender roles at a rock show.”
But back to Pearl Jam: the band became known for lead singer Eddie Vedder climbing anything and everything on stage. Somehow, he never managed to die, although he got banged up most nights from leaping off risers and amps into the crowd. He and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden once threw a TV out their hotel window, nearly hitting Jim Rose, the circus sideshow leader by now performing on the side stage.
The Jesus and Mary Chain always went on after Pearl Jam, and the crowd would noticeably thin out. The band quickly soured on the festival, describing the lineup as “blokey, very male music.” Singer/guitarist William Reid called it “the worst experience of our lives,” as they played “to thousands of Beavises and Butt-Heads.” To cope, his brother Jim would get drunk for their 2 p.m. slot, pass out until 8 p.m., then get drunk and stoned all over again. Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers verified this: “They’d polish off a giant bottle of booze by two in the afternoon and curse and put everyone down. They were just bitter.” The Mary Chain would “break up every night,” and were even beaten up once by members of Ice Cube’s band.
The real troublemakers, though, were Ministry. Their industrial metal was so loud that they got fined after nearly every show for violating city noise ordinances and ended up without much profit all summer. Al Jourgensen, the band’s leader, was completely out of control, strutting around with two fifths of Bushmills in holsters laced with his buddy Timothy Leary’s liquid LSD, trying to spike everyone’s drinks. He even blew up one of the tour buses by setting off fireworks inside it.
Many in the book credit Lollapalooza 1992 with inventing the second stage. Apart from the Jim Rose Circus—which gets an entire chapter for its notorious antics (including convincing artists like Vedder and Cornell to drink vomit)—few saw what happened there. Still, there were now-impressive names on those distant stages, including Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill, Sebadoh, and various locals.
The side stage exploded in popularity. For 1993, Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow remembers the organizers simply handing him $1,000 in cash every day his band played. “Word from the top was that Perry was really into supporting bands, so people could see the indie bands of the moment.” Barlow’s former band, Dinosaur Jr., was on the main stage, but there was no drama between Dino guitar-master J Mascis and Barlow, even though some artists apparently hoped otherwise. Several Sonic Youth side projects started to get involved because, while mainstage lineups weren’t “adventurous” enough for them, Thurston Moore and his crew thought the side stage was getting pretty freaky and interesting.
By 1994—the year I attended—the side stage was loaded with acts worthy of the main stage, like the Flaming Lips and Guided by Voices. But more on that, coming up in part 3.
October 14, 2024
This book definitely took me back in time to my carefree teen years! Lollapalooza was the first of its kind, a festival music tour that has been duplicated by all genres since. It really was the feeling of summer, buying CHEAP tickets with all your friends and traveling to the biggest outdoor space in your state to see an all day show of some of the greatest alternative acts at that time. I loved hearing about all the backstage shenanigans and design about what it took to put on a show of this magnitude. I wasn’t old enough to go to the first couple of tours, and this made me regret that even more. Quite the timing for reading this now, as we’re watching the news reports of Jane’s Addiction in their current tour fallout. A huge shame, with Perry’s never ending creativity and the musical talent of the whole band.
Thanks so much to Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour, St Martin’s Press for the advance copy. Will be picking up a hard a hard copy of this release for my shelves.
Thanks so much to Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour, St Martin’s Press for the advance copy. Will be picking up a hard a hard copy of this release for my shelves.
August 30, 2024
7/10
I probably liked this book more than the normal person because I worked in the music business during the early days of Lollapalooza and knew a few people involved.
With so many mega-tours and festivals happening in the world these days, it’s hard to remember how important Lollapalooza was. It changed the game. It changed the thinking about what a musical tour could be.
I’m not sure Coachella would be what it is without Lollapalooza setting the stage.
In the early days of Jane’s Addiction I just thought Perry was a drug addled wacko. I have a lot more respect for him having read this book.
If you’re a music fan and if you grew up in the days of Lollapalooza, this is a great book that tells the story straight from the people who were there.
#netgalley #lollapalooza
I probably liked this book more than the normal person because I worked in the music business during the early days of Lollapalooza and knew a few people involved.
With so many mega-tours and festivals happening in the world these days, it’s hard to remember how important Lollapalooza was. It changed the game. It changed the thinking about what a musical tour could be.
I’m not sure Coachella would be what it is without Lollapalooza setting the stage.
In the early days of Jane’s Addiction I just thought Perry was a drug addled wacko. I have a lot more respect for him having read this book.
If you’re a music fan and if you grew up in the days of Lollapalooza, this is a great book that tells the story straight from the people who were there.
#netgalley #lollapalooza
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