Yet another pop-culture shaping music festival is here! With Lollapalooza barely a week away, we’re here to make sure that you’re amped up with the know-all about the festival.
Last week we chronicled Lollapalooza’s intriguing rise to the festival scene, as a farewell tour for Soul’s Addiction, when the Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor wrecked havoc on his equipment. But since its revival in 2003, the festival has grown to be one of the most sought after in the world, and in American, for its lineups that include musicians of impeccable caliber, and it’s ability to put together one of the best musical shows around.
So for the 2015 edition, The Sherp is here to get all you excited for the much awaited Lolla spectacle at Grant Park, Chicago. And the 8 best things below, will only have you gear up faster.
Paul McCartney
Lollapalooza 2015 will see the idol taking centre stage as one of the headlining performances of this edition. And there hasn’t been a greater news than that for most musical lovers. Paul McCartney is obviously the much needed legendary addition, not to mention there is visible excitement over seeing him live on the festival’s stage for the first time. Not only is he a quarter of one of the world’s greatest bands, and arguably the greatest quartet ever, but his solo work beams with lyrical and musical excellence. Not to mention that his more contemporary work is testament to his evolving sound, right from his last album ‘New’ to his recent collaborations with Kanye West and Rihanna.
The lineup in general
No, but seriously, the Lolla 2015 lineup is one of the best we’ve seen in recent times. With Metallica and 2015 festival favourite Florence + The Machine as the other two headliners with Paul McCartney, the festival had clinched a winning moment already. Not to mention names like Sam Smith, Alabama Shakes, Alt – J, Bassnectar, Tame Impala, A$AP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Flying Lotus, The War on Drugs, among others has helped make the festival much more buzz-worthy.
The Rolling Stone Chicago Party
If Lollapalooza’s maddening excitement is not enough for you, then wait for the perfect ‘hangover antidote’ as Rolling Stone calls it, that is The Rolling Stone Chicago Party. An annual, afternoon musical event featuring some of the most exciting names from the festival line-up. This includes Kygo, Marina and The Diamonds, Galantis and Amplifier Program. Not just that, the event which will take place from noon to 4pm on the 1st of August, with free gourmet brunch offerings. Need you ask for more?
Kidzapalooza
If you thought that large-scale festivals did not cater to children, Lollapalooza is here to bust some serious conceptions, with its special ‘festival within a festival’ feature – Kidzapalooza. A separate section, where any child below the age of 10 is allowed free entry, the festival has made space for families to kick back and grab some genuine family-friendly time. Featuring kid-friendly artists like Motown Pete, School of Rock AllStars, The Jimmies and Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips to name a few, the festival gives the opportunity for children to chime in for some fun.
Chow Town
Lollapalooza really, really cares for what you eat. No wonder they brought in one of the most well known celebrity chefs Graham Elliot to curate what is literally an entire town’s worth of food; which can be found relegated to a special section called Chow Town. Not only will there be pan-spectrum options, but also the space will have you covered with delectable local and international flavours.
Activities and more
Lollapalooza stands firm on its offering of delivering something more than music. Their musically-leaning activities sound just enough perfect for any music fan to grab some much needed breather from the performance arena. Right from a high-tech lemonade stage to a pop-up piano bar, to long, never ending markets filled with exquisite vinyl record collection, from a design station where you can purchase and check out art work by nouveaux talented artists, to a hammock space, where you can kick your shoes for a quick lie-down, the festival offers a wide range of activities, that make not watching a performance fun too.
Farmer’s Market and Green Street
As Chicago plays host to the inimitable festival year after year, its only fair that the festival has a fair bit of Chicago on display. This is fully ensured with the Farmer’s Market and Green Street. The former has a bunch of local vendors providing the usual crop of city fare for sale, while the latter, allows you to check out a great collection of art on display. You can not only spruce up your attire from what you find at Green Street, but also pocket what seems like soon-to-be-famous artwork for real less money.
FanMatch at Lolla
The latest hooking-up app on the block, all set to give Tinder a much needed intellectual spin in FanMatch, which will get you in touch with people attending the same festival as you, and hanging out at the same stage as you are. This app, carefully designed to suit the dating preferences of young music lovers, will be making its debut at Lollapalooza, which sees some of the snazziest festival lovers in attendance.
(all images courtesy: www.lollapalooza.com & Lollapalooza Facebook)