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8 friends, 2 cars, 1 hotel room, 2 beds & 1 ...
I had been working @ UPS for several weeks in my hometown of St. Louis... Hated the job! A few of my closest friends were all... More
acid dropping friends
lollapalooza.irvine,ca. my senior year in high school.it was me and a couple of other friends i remember getting pretty high... More
Lollapalooza Before I Ever Heard It Called "...
It was August 20, 1991. I had graduated from high school just 2 months prior and was engaged to be married in 3 months. It was ... More
Will you marry me? LOLLA 2010!!!
Lollapalooza 2010, was a day to remember. Not only was the festival the best public event I have ever attended but it was an event that would change my life for ever. August 7th, 2010, at 4:30pm iI proposed to My Girlfriend and the answer was YES!!! A week later she died in a car accident. I was completely broken to the point where i wanted to kill myself. I feel good today to say that at least she got to experience the biggest Music Festival Lollapalooza. And I can say for my self that I had the best time ever. thank you -Nick Abate
Pink Cadillac
Phoenix 1991 - Picture three 22 year old girls riding to Lolla in a classic pink cadillac dressed in vintage 50's peacock blue & white seaquins, and ditching work for a day for Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, NIN, Ice-T, the Butthole Surfers, the Henry Rollins Band, and the Violent Femmes...and a lot of friends = most excellent time ever! I still have that ticket stub somewhere from the Compton Terrace Grounds show...but no cool shots to show ~ just great memories!
XL
I still have my t-shirt from the first Lollapalooza. XL or course, cause that's how we rolled back then!
The Girl is on my Mind
Perry, do you believe in love at first sight?? Hope so, because it's real man... Last year was my first time experiencing Lollapalooza and it was 100% righteous. I had attended other music festivals before but there was something about the whole vibe of Lolla that really set it apart. Maybe it was the feeling of being able to frolic about in a big city like Chicago. Or, the ability to shower in a hotel room after a long day of said frolicking. Can't really be too sure. One thing I can be sure about, however, is that I met an amazing female; Alexis. She was in the crowd at The XX, alone some how, when I first approached her. Brunette, caramel skin and WAY too pretty to be dancing alone. So, being the gentleman I am, I asked her if she'd like to dance with me. She said yes. We spent the rest of the afternoon bouncing from show to show dancing our way through massive crowds finding ourselves front and center for every show that Saturday: Grizzly Bear, Deer Tic, Kaskade, Slightly Stoopid, Rusko and finally Phoenix. I had never met a girl who was so down for what ever/care free before in my life and man was she sexy!! We were finishing each other's sentences. She even liked to pull whiskey!! Something in the way she moved ya know?? But... I was so caught up in the moment I neglected to get her phone number. Or even her last name. I tried to be as resourceful and use the whole facebook route but could never find Ms. Alexis "Lolla." One opportunity I didn't miss out on is a chance to steal a kiss. AMAZING! Best kiss (well there were many actually) EVER! After Phoenix closed that night we said our goodbyes and she promised me she would do what she could to meet up late nite at the Congress but I never saw her. I knew she only had the one day pass last year which was even more of a bummer. I have held out hope to again see this beautiful creature in the future but still have yet to. With her incredible appreciation for music there's no way she would miss out on this year's stellar lineup! I'd really really really like another shot at getting those digits and maybe a date or 7. But, as of right now, I will not be making a return to glorious Grant Park. I just can't afford to swing it this year. I have volunteered for a couple of festivals this summer in order to see some of my favorite bands, but none of the caliber of Lollapalooza. So, help me find my dream girl?? PLEASE??!?!?!?
Two Generations of Lollapalooza - and a Future Lolla Headliner!
When I was in high school, I was a big Jane's Addiction and RHCP fan and music helped me through difficult times as a teenager. I first attended Lolla in 1991 at the Virginia stop. It was my first concert and my first road trip. I also attended the next year in 1992. I now have four sons who absolutely love rock and alternative music. Two of my sons, Cam and Nate (twins) have become incredible rock guitarists (Nate has been playing since he was 7) and play in their own band called Redeem Release, who plays shows in our local area once every couple of months, and recently won a regional battle of the bands competition. They love Green Day, Janes Addiction, RHCP, and especially Foo Fighters. Nate, who is the lead guitarist says he wants to play Lollapalooza one day. What an incredible goal for an 11 year old to have! I took my sons to their first Lollapalooza last year. We could only stay for one day, but we were able to see seven bands play - with Green Day closing down the day. My boys loved every single second of it. My oldest son, Josh is an enormous Green Day fan and watched the entire show from the very front. The biggest moment for me during the trip last year was when I took my twins into the crowd up in the front for the Green Day show. They took turns sitting on my shoulders as we experienced their kick ass set. As we were watching the show - many people came up and said to me - that is so fucking cool - bringing your kids to this show. People were high-fiving my twins and admiring their interest in Lollapalooza. After the show, my son Nate said, "Dad, I don't feel like we went to see Lollapalooza, I feel like we were PART of Lollapalooza." We are going this year for two days. We live in Michigan (Rochester Hills) I am excited to see Eminem and my twins are out-of-their-mind excited to see Foo Fighters. Attached to this story is a photo of my twins at last year's show and a video of their band, Redeem Release playing. Nate is the one with the long hair and cameron is the one with the blonde hair (how ironic is this - they are twins - one looks like Dave Grohl (Nirvana era)with long brown hair and Cameron looks just like Eminem (slim shady era) with short blonde hair in facial features). Thanks for 20 years of Lollapalooza, Perry. And most of all, thanks for music and culture that has impacted me and my family in such a deep way. Josh Moser
1991
Lollapalooza Is Born
Initially planning a farewell tour for his band – the groundbreaking alternative rock group Jane’s Addiction, frontman Perry Farrell’s ideas for a final show grew in scope to become a multi-city, “traveling” music festival. Naming the new festival Lollapalooza – a word meaning “something or someone very striking or exceptional” – the festival’s debut established a knack for finding up-and-coming artists that would become par for the course in coming years. The result? A consistently diverse array of performers from hip hop, alternative, electronica, rock and pop music.
More than just a music festival, tolerance and diversity for new ideas and communities would become a hallmark of the Lollapalooza experience over the years. The festival’s appearance in multiple cities, an anomaly in music festivals at the time, allowed fans that wouldn’t usually travel long distances to see a concert a chance to expose themselves to new and unique artists. The success of alternative acts like Nirvana and the growing popularity of Grunge placed it firmly on the cutting edge, where it has remained for almost two decades.
The first Lollapalooza show took place on July 18 in Phoenix, Arizona. Tickets were $25, and there were 30-minute breaks between acts to allow time for stage setup - due to the lack of a second stage (it was the only Lollapalooza that featured this scheduling, as more stages were added in the following years).
Things got pretty wild that first year. During The Butthole Surfers set, the band fired blanks from a rifle into the air, and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and his backing band destroyed several instruments and left the stage in the midst of their song “Sin”, due to some technical glitches during their set. Adding to the carnival-esque feel of the tour, there was even an actual “circus” with live zoo animals to entertain fans.
Bucking the recession of the early 90s, Lollapalooza was one of the few successful music festivals of the year, selling out most of its 22 dates.
Festival highlight
Nine Inch Nails Gets Sinful
Things got pretty wild that first year. During The Butthole Surfers set, the band fired blanks from a rifle into the air, and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and his backing band destroyed several instruments and left the stage in the midst of their song “Sin”, due to some technical glitches during their set. Adding to the carnival-esque feel of the tour, there was even an actual “circus” with live zoo animals to entertain fans.
First Stop: Pheonix, AZ
The first Lollapalooza show took place on July 18, 1991 in Phoenix, Arizona. Tickets were $25, and there were 30-minute breaks between acts to allow time for stage setup - due to the lack of a second stage (it was the only Lollapalooza that featured this scheduling, as more stages were added in the following years).
Bucking the recession of the early 90s, Lollapalooza was one of the few successful music festivals of the year, selling out most of its 22 dates.
Culturally Speaking
- Rodney King beating by LAPD officers ignites riots.
- Nirvana's Nevermind is 1991's album of the year.
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System debuts.
- Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, dies.
- Pagers are all the rage.
- Beverly Hills, 90210 gains popularity on TV.
tour stops + dates
- 07/18/1991 – Compton Terrace, Tempe, AZ
- 07/20/1991 – Devore Stadium, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, CA
- 07/21/1991 – Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, Irvine, CA
- 07/23/1991 – Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, Irvine, CA
- 07/24/1991 – Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, Irvine, CA
- 07/26/1991 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
- 07/27/1991 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
- 07/30/1991 – Sandstone Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS
- 08/01/1991 – Harriet Island, St. Paul, MN
- 08/03/1991 – World Music Theater, Tinley Park, IL
- 08/04/1991 – Pine Knob Amphitheatre, Clarkston, MI
- 08/05/1991 – Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
- 08/07/1991 – Canadian National Exhibition, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON
- 08/09/1991 – Great Woods, Mansfield, MA
- 08/10/1991 – Great Woods, Mansfield, MA
- 08/11/1991 – Waterloo Village, Stanhope NJ
- 08/13/1991 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
- 08/14/1991 – Waterloo Village, Stanhope NJ
- 08/16/1991 – Lake Fairfax, Reston, VA
- 08/17/1991 – Walnut Creek Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC
- 08/18/1991 – Lakewood Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA
- 08/20/1991 – Central Florida Fairgrounds, Orlando, FL
- 08/22/1991 – Starplex Amphitheater, Dallas, TX
- 08/23/1991 – Starplex Amphitheater, Dallas, TX
- 08/25/1991 – Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village, CO
- 08/28/1991 – King County Fairgrounds, Enumclaw, WA
