Were you at Lolla 1994?

We want to hear from you — share your best Lolla story below!

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Watch the Fingers, Man

As I remember it, it was a particularly hot Texas day.We were all set to go see the Beasties, Tribe, and Smashing Pumpkins at L... More

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Broke, but Still Rocked Out in the Parking Lot

When the show played two nights at the World Music theater in Tinley Park, IL I was pretty broke and couldn't score any tic... More

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First, but not last, lollapalooza!

1994 ROCKED! I was 17 and had never been to a concert. My best friend's dad was a small town DJ. He drove the two of us ( h... More

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Year of Beastie

My 3rd Lolla. The Beastie Boys killed it! RIP MCA. U r missed. Also remember the Breeders rockin. Tribe... And Lucious Jackson where r u now? I was pretty beat by the time the Pumpkins came on. But will never forget this year.

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Riverbend - Cincinnati

The Beastie Boys delivered a high-energy set. I was in the main seats and once the opening song, "Sure Shot" kicked in, I turned around to see the crowd in general seating (the lawn) just hopping up and down in unison.

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I know you...?

A couple years prior to Lolla94 I went on a trip to Spain and had met a girl there who was from California. We never spoke after we returned to the states. I remember just drifting the crowd at Lolla94, tired, hungry and a bit mentally absent if you will. All of a sudden there is a girl sitting on the ground right in front of me, the face I knew I couldn't place it. I sit down in front of her and say I know you but how escapes me. We go back and forth trying to figure it out until she suddenly spits out SPAIN! It all came back. To this day we have never spoken again but it was cool to meet someone on the other side of the world, from the other side of the country and happen to bump into them in little olde RI in a crowd of thousands.

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RI Aug 3

THE best show ever! Not a dull moment!I was only 14 years old and this experience has stayed with me forever! Smashing Pumpkins and The Beatie Boys...How amazing to be able to tell people that i was there and saw them on a forever magical day!!!!

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first lollapalloza, first LSD!!!!

my friends and i drove from Mexicali Baja to San Diego state university's Aztec Bowl back then an open football stadium now a big building, so when we arrived we looked for the restrooms down by the field, did my stuff came out, a girl passed by shouting 'doses, doses", so i asked her, what is that?, acids, lsd she replied, i paid 20 bucks for a "dose", cut it in half, gave it to a friend and damn!!!! after an hour i was tripping!!!!!, the crowd did not receive breeders as i expected, think the same with green day, L7 rocked, i was so high by the time nick cave came out that i was tripping it was like midnight!!!!! seriously!!!!!!, i do not know how dozens of joints with the most delicious aromas rolled out....all day!!!!, between the following bands music from pink floyd and other stuff that i was really fuckin' TRIPPING!!!!, it was very intense!!!. B boys were playing and still trippin!!! (Mca Adam r.i.p, he's havin' party with god ), until the pumpkins slowed down

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1994

July 7, 1994 – September 5, 1994

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS & BEASTIE BOYS HEADLINE ALONE

Grunge rock juggernauts Nirvana were initially scheduled to headline Lollapalooza’s 1994 tour alongside The Smashing Pumpkins and the Beastie Boys, but the band pulled out on April 17th. The following day, frontman Kurt Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle. Using the music and community of the festival to help fans process the tragedy, Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, made appearances at multiple festival dates, performing songs and speaking to audiences about her late husband.

An early adopter of the hard-hitting genre, hip-hop acts featured prominently at this year’s festivities, providing a counter-balance to alternative and rock acts on the bill. Latino rappers Cypress Hill featured on the side stage, while the seminal hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest and Brooklyn’s legendary Beastie Boys both had main stage berths. George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars also featured on the main stage, Lollapalooza’s nod to the trailblazing old schoolers that laid the groundwork for hip-hop.

Keeping it interesting, Lolla activities included virtual reality rides and interactive computer displays, ideas founder Perry Farrell had been trying to incorporate into the festival in previous years. A third stage featured poetry readings and a dance troupe of Tibetan monks. Showing that ladies can rock just as hard as the men, the tour also featured more female artists than previous years, including The Breeders, L7, and Shonen Knife.

Lollapalooza ‘94 holds the record for being the longest tour at 43 dates.

Festival highlight

GREEN DAY GETS KNOCKED OUT

In the midst of turning the music world on its head, Green Day joined Lolla for its second half, also making an appearance at Woodstock ‘94 where bassist Mike Dirnt was injured by a security guard after being mistaken for a fan. Due to the injury, the band was forced to withdraw from Lollapalooza’s Miami date for some emergency dental work.

Culturally Speaking

  • Pulp Fiction is nominated for seven Oscars.
  • April 5, 1994: Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain dies.
  • Nancy Kerrigan attacked by Tonya Harding's henchman.
  • Beck's Loser skyrockets up the charts.
  • George Foreman's Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine debuts.
  • LAPD's slow-speed chase of O.J. Simpson interrupts the 1994 NBA Finals.
  • The DVD player is invented.
  • Woodstock '94 commemorates the 25th anniversary of the original Festival.

tour stops + dates

  • 07/07/1994 – Sam Boyd Stadium, Santa Fe Dam, Henderson, NV
  • 07/09/1994 – Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village, CO
  • 07/11/1994 – Sandstone Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS
  • 07/12/1994 – Harriet Island, St. Paul, MN
  • 07/14/1994 – Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI
  • 07/15/1994 – World Music Theater, Tinley Park, IL
  • 07/16/1994 – World Music Theater, Tinley Park, IL
  • 07/17/1994 – Riverport Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, MO
  • 07/19/1994 – Polaris Amphitheater, Columbus, OH
  • 07/20/1994 – Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
  • 07/22/1994 – Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
  • 07/23/1994 – Pine Knob Amphitheatre, Clarkston, MI
  • 07/24/1994 – Pine Knob Amphitheatre, Clarkston, MI
  • 07/25/1994 – Pine Knob Amphitheatre, Clarkston, MI
  • 07/27/1994 – Le Parc des Iles, Montréal, QC
  • 07/28/1994 – Molson Park, Barrie, ON
  • 07/29/1994 – Pine Knob Amphitheatre, Clarkston, MI
  • 07/30/1994 – Starlake Amphitheater, Burgettstown, PA
  • 08/01/1994 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park Park, Philadeplhia, PA
  • 08/02/1994 – Saratoga Raceway, Saratoga Springs, NY
  • 08/03/1994 – Quonset State Airport, North Kingstown, RI
  • 08/05/1994 – Downing Stadium at Randall’s Island, New York, NY
  • 08/06/1994 – Downing Stadium at Randall’s Island, New York, NY
  • 08/08/1994 – Charles Town Races, Charles Town, WV
  • 08/10/1994 – Walnut Creek Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC
  • 08/11/1994 – Blockbuster Pavillion, Charlotte, NC
  • 08/12/1994 – Lakewood Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA
  • 08/13/1994 – Lakewood Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA
  • 08/15/1994 – Bicentennial Park, Miami, FL
  • 08/18/1994 – University of New Orleans Soccer Field, New Orleans, LA
  • 08/19/1994 – Houston Raceway Park, Houton, TX
  • 08/20/1994 – Starplex Amphitheatre, Dallas, TX
  • 08/21/1994 – Starplex Amphitheatre, Dallas, TX
  • 08/24/1994 – Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ
  • 08/25/1994 – San Diego State University Aztec Bowl, San Diego, CA
  • 08/27/1994 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
  • 08/28/1994 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
  • 08/30/1994 – Cloverdale Raceway, Surrey, BC
  • 08/31/1994 – Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA
  • 09/01/1994 – Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA
  • 09/04/1994 – Velodrome Field, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA
  • 09/05/1994 – Velodrome Field, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA

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