The Bad: Again, the main stage of Lollapalooza was disappointingly dude-heavy. Love & Special Sauce, Bob Marley’s sons Stephen and Julian, and Britpop act James who, by then, still hadn’t lived down the surprise US success of their song “Laid”. In and around those big names were festival-friendly acts like G. True to form, they paid heed as well to hip-hop with the inclusion of Snoop Doggy Dogg, who was still riding (ahem) high on the success of his second solo album, The Doggfather. What’s more, they dipped their toes again into the rising tide of metal and hard rock with main stage performances by Tool, at this point showing their full prog-heavy mettle with their second full-length, Aenima, and, until they pulled out of the fest for health concerns, the rubbery Goth-leanings of Korn. They rotated the headlining spot among four acts - Orbital, The Prodigy, The Orb, and Devo - trying to make each night unique. And for the most part, they succeeded in a fairly interesting way. The Good: After the very rock-centric main stage lineup of the previous year’s event, the organizers strove to get back to their eclectic roots with the 1997 installment. Marred by slow tickets sales, many dates of the tour that were originally announced later had to be cancelled. Interesting Fact: The first iteration of Lolla after a six-year hiatus and the last version of the festival to tour the country. Also, the sheer lack of rap acts here is staggering at a moment when rap was clearly overtaking guitar-based rock as the main cultural mover in the musical space. Other draws, like Rooney, 30 Seconds to Mars, Incubus, or The Mooney Suzuki, aren’t that much better. Audioslave, the amalgamation of the two with Chris Cornell on vocals and Tom Morello on guitar, is not a great band. Rage Against the Machine is also a great band. The Bad: Where to even begin? Soundgarden is a great band. Jane’s Addiction at the top of the poster is a definite plus, as is Queens of the Stone Age, who were then riding high on the back of Songs for the Deaf, and Maynard James Keenan’s side project A Perfect Circle, but after that, the pickings are disappointing at best and stomach-churning at worst. Unfortunately, some of the booking choices for the return weren’t exactly well thought out. It was an ambitious goal, especially following the massive amount of criticism he’d weathered over the festival’s previous few years. The Good: After a six-year hiatus, Perry Farrell decided to resurrect Lollapalooza and hit the road once again for a 30-date tour. I’d say that’s a pretty solid silver lining. Interesting Fact: The failure of 2004 did bring some good in the sense that it landed Lollapalooza a permanent home here in Chicago. Even worse news is that had the festival gone as planned, the (then) newly reunited Pixies would have headlined the Chicago stop. Lollapalooza ’04 was to stop at 16 locations, with the ambitious goal of two dates of different music at each stop. The Bad: Obviously, the bad news here is that due to poor ticket sales, the festival was cancelled. It also would have seen the return of Lolla veterans Sonic Youth and Wilco. Acts who were slated to perform included Morrissey (who was probably angered the festival had been cancelled before he had the chance to bail), The Flaming Lips, The Killers, Broken Social Scene, and Modest Mouse, to name just a few. The Good: Considering 2004’s festival was cancelled, the good is more about what could have been. (Though, one could argue the fest’s touring spirit lives on through its international counterparts, which have sprung up in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and Sweden.) Throughout its history, some of the most iconic acts in music have performed at the festival, from Paul McCartney to Kanye West to Arcade Fire, in addition to up-and-coming talent that have since become future can’t-miss attractions everywhere. Since then, Lollapalooza has settled down in the Windy City, gradually expanding from two to three to four days. In the US, Lolla has grown and evolved drastically from its touring festival roots, having survived a hibernation from 1997 until 2003, in addition to its canceled 2004 installment, and the virtual presentation in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (because it was online, that fest is outside the scope of this exercise). Of course, many things have changed since its initial heyday in the ’90s. It’s hard to believe that, in 1991, Perry Farrell created the festival as a showcase for Jane’s Addiction’s last hurrah. Can you guess where this year’s poster falls? Editor’s Note: This ranking of every Lollapalooza lineup was originally published in 2019, and we’ll keep updating it as long as the biggest festival in Chicago keeps rocking.
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