Is Lolla-paloozed Out In Chicago? A Top Ten List Of Reasons Why Lollapalooza May Be Slipping From Its Own Top Bill

Jul 17, 2018 James Currie Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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By Harrison Christoph

It’s almost that time of year again. The return of the mega music festival, Lollapalooza. Soon Perry Farrell’s vision of unity and music diversity under one circus tent will be taken over by Chicago’s urban and suburban youth. The kids who love taking over the lake front space to party on – and listen to music. But is it what it was? Is that really all it’s about anymore? The writing’s on the wall and that narrative is looking sparse. We all see that Lollapalooza isn’t what it use to be but what can they do to change it?

This year, tickets didn’t sell out within minutes of going on sale. They didn’t sell out even later in the day. As a matter of fact, and maybe this is a first, but as of today (July 17th) they still have tickets for sale. That’s right, just a couple weeks before Lollapalooza kicks off, they emailed out another reminder to buy tickets. Somethings not right.

I’ve seen online chatter, heard talk around town and general conversations among music fans that are so good about Lolla. In many circles it’s looked down upon at as a negative thing to like or be a part of. You’ll often hear things like, “You’re going to Lollapalooza?” or “Not wasting my time with that.” as if it were a bad thing.

So what’s causing this shift? In the past, at least for the majority of the time they’ve made Chicago it’s Midwestern home base, you’d never see such solicitation. We see several things happening that could be leading to the downturn of one of the music industries largest music festivals. Is this decline a stepping stone back like the days of 1997 Lollapalooza?

These are the top ten main reason we see as being negatives for Lollapalooza but sadly, there are even more. We don’t even talk about the weather (rain delays and excessive heat being the top two complaints), theft or security issues.

1. Lack luster lineups. While there are big name talent on the daily headliner lineups (Jack White, Bruno Mars, The Weekend and Arctic Monkeys) there’s nothing rare or unique to drive in music fans. All of these have played Lolla before. The fest seems to be running out of names or ideas and seems to be filled with a lot of repeat artists and groups that are not legacy royalty acts.
2. Extended days. When this first started out, 2-3 days was plenty. Seriously, there’s no need to make this an almost week long event. There’s fan fatigue and burn out after just a couple days. The staff, contractors, volunteers and other supplemental crew are in agreement. That’s just too much time to devote to just one event. Not only that, you’ve got the locals who already don’t agree with the normal 2-3 day events. Traffic rerouting, traffic jams, drunks walking by all week pissing in their alleys and side yards, trash build up and a litany of other issues really tick folks off. The world continues when this fest takes place, but if you are anywhere near Grant Park at this time you’ll wish you weren’t.
3. Square footage. Again, going back to 2005, the land mass was a manageable space. It still was huge, but workable. You could make it to your next artists performance. The way it is now, it’s physically impossible to get from one far end of the park to the other to catch a different band after another ends. With so many stages and so little time between each act, you’d be hard pressed to see a half a dozen bands that you really want to see throughout the day. Being constantly on the move, you just simply get worn out. You also loose your prime real estate for viewing.
4. Burnout. Since it’s been going on for so long now, people get the feeling like, “Been There Done That”. The novelty of it being something new and exciting just isn’t there like it was. Even the festival’s website hasn’t had any major updates or changes to it’s appearance in over a decade. The same cartoony, alien terrain millennial-hipster freak show is old hat.
5. Costs. There’s no denying the price of admission is pretty high, even just general admission tickets and the VIP packages, well, there’s a reason they are VIP (Very Impressive Price). Payment plans for a concert? That’s just asinine. Sure, they like to say things like, if you break it down, it’s like paying a few dollars per band. True, but no offense, 80% of them, I wouldn’t pay even a $1 for. Then there’s the food and everything else for sale on site. Ok, you don’t need to buy a t-shirt everyday or even one souvenir, but you do need to eat and for damn sure drink. And you will drink a lot at this hot box fest. Those don’t come cheap and you can’t bring in your own daily picnic.
6. The Crowds. Too many people in that space. Yes, it’s a massive space, but they crowd control you into such limited areas, it’s ridiculous trying to get around. Trying to navigate through to the next band, getting food or meet up with friends can be a daunting challenge to say the least. That on top of just walking down to it, waiting in lines to get in or buy things etc. You need time and if you are truly there to see bands, you will be limited for a number of reasons. Also, if you’re not in high school, you might have a hard time relating to many things around you. Dealing with the drunk/high kids let loose for the weekend from mom and dad can be a challenge on it’s own and something that seems to be on the rise. Let’s not forget the rain cancellation walk outs. Yeah, if there’s a chance for a thunder storm, be prepared to leave the festival grounds and find a place to hang out while it passes and then do it all over again.
7. Festival overload. There was a time when music festivals were a fairly rare thing. Not anymore. Especially here in Chicago. We have a major festival happening just about every weekend from Memorial Day through Labor Day now and mini ones filling in the gaps in just about every neighborhood. As a music lover, I look forward to these, but I only have so much time and money to give. It seems people are being more selective as to where they throw there dollars and time at.
8. Too many Lolla’s. Since the festival stopped touring and made Chicago it’s US home, things have changed. It’s not a full traveling festival as it was, but as a brand, it’s popping up more and more. They are now all over the world with a mini tour that keeps the festival name alive almost all year round now. Before, when it was just Chicago, it meant something. It was ours. We had pride and took ownership of it like how Coachella and others do. Now it’s everywhere. There is no local loyalty anymore.
9. The quality of the talent. Some of these “artists” they bring in are really just one hit wonders. If that. Most you’ll never hear from again, unless they recycle them back in again over and over, but the staying power of playing such an iconic festival just isn’t there. Honestly, we pride ourselves here at In The Loop Magazine as being fairly up on music trends and what’s happening in the industry, but do we need to hear from The Q Brothers every damn year?
10. The commitment. It’s a serious commitment to go to Lollapalooza. Not only just buying the several hundred dollars for the most basic tickets, but many other aspects of life as well. You have to take time off from things in life to make it all possible. That includes school, work, family and social life. It’s not only for all the days you will be at the festival, but if you don’t want to miss all the side fun, you have to plan out your nights before, during and after as well at the after parties and private shows. You also need to figure out transportation. Whether you’re in the city or not, the majority of fans won’t be walking in to the festival from their homes. Most are going to have to rely on public transportation of some kind or shell out another chunk of change to park in one of the nations highest priced parking lots.

Don’t get me wrong, I generally think Lollapalooza is a good thing for Chicago. It brings attention to us as being a music city. It provides a means for lots of jobs. It pays a lot of taxes. It provides a “fairly” safe environment for the youth of the region to hang out in. It also gets people turned on to new music they otherwise may have never listen to. Lollapalooza themselves pay a fortune to the city for being there as well as paying to have the grounds cleaned up and beautified when the masses leave.

We need to answer a few questions to really understand what’s happening with this festival. Is Lollapalooza really about the music anymore? Is it worth the value you shell out? Is it even relevant anymore in a time when there are music festivals happening every weekend in Chicago? Are we tired of the same old acts coming back year after year and wadding through brand new up and coming / one hit wonders?

It seems that Lollapalooza will need to do some inner soul searching for upcoming years if they want to get their number and status back up. At this point, we all know it’s about the money. It’s not Perry’s personal project for real music and unique entertainment. Technically, is it even Perry’s event anymore since C3 and others took over? It’s corporations doing what they do best. The indie spirit of this fest left a long time ago. What we’re left with isn’t what the true fans want.

Lolla needs to tighten the belt and rim the fat. Bring in quality talent. Offer a fair price for it. Tame down the numerous days to a more manageable time frame. The two day festivals seem to work best with little fatigue and low burnout. I think this is a good starting point but ultimately it’s up to them if they want to get us back. Is this a hip music festival for the fans or just a money making machine? Time will certainly tell. It’s happened before to the giant. Could it again? A revamp is long over due. Let’s get it right Lollapalooza. With a little change, we’re still here and ready for it. Make it worth our while again.

What are your thoughts on Lollapalooza? Chime in below.

 

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