2016 marks the 25th anniversary of Lollapalooza, the celebrated Chicago festival that Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell kicked off well before most of the other big name U.S. fests (Coachella, Bonnaroo) were even a twinkle in their creators’ eyes.
Ahead of four days of music (July 28-31) in Grant Park, here’s what we’re looking forward to the most at Lollapalooza 2016.
Finally! After three years, a new Danny Brown album is on the way. While we never tire of hearing tracks from XXX or Old, it’s exciting to think the Detroit rapper might debut some of his Joy Division-inspired new album Atrocity Exhibition when he takes the stage Thursday (July 28). We’re hoping he runs through his recent Avalanches collabo, “Frank Sinatra,” at Lolla, too.
One of Radiohead’s few U.S. performances this year will take place at Lolla on Friday (July 29). Their latest album, A Moon Shaped Pool, is the rare mid-career effort that pushes a band’s palette forward while still remaining true to the sound that garnered it fans in the first place (especially compared to the excellent, but sonically more adventurous, The King of Limbs). We’re not sure if “Burn the Witch” is an intentional nod to the political situation in the U.S. right now (the music video seems to spoof a British TV series called Trumpton, a title that’s pretty close to the Donald’s surname), but it’s sure gonna sound incredible booming out over Grant Park.
Lolla started as an alt-rock-oriented affair, attracting Gen Xers who wanted a weekend of music outside of the mainstream pop fare. While the fest has expanded in size and stylistic diversity since then — this year includes pop acts like Ellie Goulding and EDM outfits such as Major Lazer, whether founder Farrell digs that sound or not — Lolla 2016 still boasts its fair share of alternative music touchstones. Aside from Jane’s Addiction, perhaps no other band seems like a more solid Lolla fit than Red Hot Chili Peppers, who take the stage on Saturday (July 30) to play the hits and cuts from their latest, The Getaway. Sure, RHCP are California for life, but the fest’s foundational ’90s alt-rock flavor lives on through them the strongest this year.
Watch Performance Videos From Lollapalooza 2015
The sister trio have been taking their time on the follow-up to their 2012 debut Days Are Gone, but we know it’s in the works (they canceled European tour dates to finish it). They’ve been playing some of LP2’s songs live this year, so watch out for new compositions on Sunday (July 31), and don’t be surprised if they bust out their lovely Prince tribute “I Would Die 4 U” at the fest. Sure, Minneapolis is seven-or-more hours away, but Chicago loves Prince, too.
The City Itself
From deep dish pizza to the Art Institute of Chicago (right near Grant Park) to Chicago-style hot dogs to that bizarre, beautiful reflective jelly bean statue in Millennium Park, the city of Chicago is a treat unto itself. And while a full-on music festival inside another major metropolis might turn disastrous, the well-laid-out grounds in Grant Park somehow allow festival culture and city life to coexist peacefully for four days each summer.
Check out the full 2016 Lollapalooza lineup here.