If you are a music fan, regardless of the genre, there is a good chance that you have heard of Lollapalooza, an annual music event that once traveled around the world and now is held annually in the city of Chicago. What you are probably not aware of is the history and evolution of the event, and the evolution has been quite eventful and interesting. While this article will obviously not be comprehensive, it will shed some light on the history of the event and explain the evolution of the event over time.
For those who are familiar with the event, you are keenly cognizant of the fact that the event can be quite the spectacle and the lineup usually has a little something for everyone in it. In fact, some of the lineups have featured some of the biggest names in music.
Lollapalooza is an event is scheduled annually, featuring some of the top alternative rock, punk rock, hip-hop, heavy metal, and electronic music in the business. There are also other forms of entertainment as well, including comedy and dance. There are plenty of vendors at these events setting up booths and selling everything from food to custom design t-shirts.
The event was conceived back in 1991 by Perry Farrell from the band Jane’s Addiction as a celebration for his bands farewell tour. The event has had two separate runs – from 1991 to 1997 and then from 2003 to current, with some hiccups along the way. In 2004, the organizers decided to expand the show dates from one to two, but unfortunately, the lack of consistent ticket sales resulted in the cancelation of the tour
While the event had taken a major hit, the event’s founder was not ready to give up on his brainchild, so he partnered with Capital Sports Entertainment out of Austin, Texas and the William Morris Agency to revamp the event, which culminated in the current format. The current format does not involve touring but the Lollapalooza is not a destination event that takes place every year in Chicago at Grant Park. The event is promoted by C3 Presents, which sold a controlling interest in 2014.
To give the event international appeal, the event took on dual identities. There was the American version being held in Chicago, and in 2010 the international version was introduced in Santiago, Chile. It was in 2011, Geo Events jumped on board and introduced the Brazillian version of Lollapalooza. If you think that the expansion to this point was a remarkable feat, it gets better. As it turns out, Argentina decided to get into the mix, hosting their own version of the even in Buenos Aires. Countries in South America, with their strong musical roots, turned out to be a great hub to showcase the event outside of the United States.
What was lacking was a specific brand or culture that could give the event a stronger identity. While the event featured a wide array of artist, there was not one genre that could be tied to the event. Therefore, Perry decided to handpick a group that was to his liking to be the face of the event moving forward. He chose a group named The Future Bones, ultimately rebranding Lollapalooza – giving it a more colorful that represented the primary music that is played at the festival each year.
To give you an idea of the size of this event, annually it hosts in excess of 160,000 people of the course of the three-day event. The groups that the event has featured is far too extensive to list here, but everyone from Kanye West to The Cure has graced the stage at some point.
If you are wondering where the word Lollapalooza comes from and why it was chosen, the term is relatively new, only dating back to the end of the 19th century, but its meaning is quite appropriate for the event. From most sources, the word means an extraordinary or unusual thing. This event is definitely both, extraordinary and unusual. The event has become so popular over the years, that the term is often used in event planning circles and even opinion and news shows. At the time that Perry decided to use the term it had become an antiquated term; however, the event has revived its use and expanded its meaning.
Although the event has evolved quite a bit since its inception in 1991, it is still what Perry conceived at the beginning, it is simply evolved in order to remain relevant in an ever-changing world. How much life does the event have remaining? That is yet to be determined.
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