The Lineup (those in bold we’re especially excited about)
Depeche Mode * Tool * The Killers * Jane’s Addiction * Beastie Boys * Kings of Leon * Lou Reed * Ben Harper and the Relentless7 * Thievery Corporation * Snoop Dogg * Rise Against * Andrew Bird * TV on the Radio * Vampire Weekend * The Decemberists * Neko Case * STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) * Animal Collective * Band of Horses * Of Montreal * Arctic Monkeys * Coheed and Cambria * Ben Folds * Fleet Foxes * Silversun Pickups * Kaiser Chiefs * Crystal Castles * Bon Iver * Santigold * Atmosphere * Dan Auerbach * Cold War Kids * Deerhunter * Lykke Li * Robert Earl Keen * Peter Bjorn and John * Heartless Bastards * Gomez * Glasvegas * Federico Aubele * Dan Deacon * Passion Pit * Zap Mama * The Raveonettes * The Gaslight Anthem * The Airborne Toxic Event * White Lies * Ra Ra Riot * No Age * Asher Roth * Los Campesinos! * Bat For Lashes * Chairlift * Gang Gang Dance * The Virgins * Amazing Baby * Portugal. The Man * The Knux * Ida Maria Delta Spirit * Friendly Fires * Manchester Orchestra * Constantines * Ezra Furman & The Harpoons * Hockey * Miike Snow * Alberta Cross Hey Champ * Sam Roberts Band * The Henry Clay People * Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam * Cage the Elephant * Living Things * The Low Anthem * Blind Pilot * Langhorne Slim * Other Lives * The Builders and The Butchers * Eric Church * Joe Pug * Kevin Devine * The Greencards * Carney * Thenewno2
DJ Sets: Bassnectar * MSTRKRFT * Simian Mobile Disco * Deadmau5 * Boys Noize KiD CuDi * Crookers * A-Trak * Hercules and Love Affair (DJ Set) * The Bloody Beetroots (DJ Set) * LA Riots * Kaskade * The Glitch Mob * Hollywood Holt * Rye Rye * He Say, She Say * Car Stereo (Wars)* Dark Wave Disco * Moneypenny * Yello Fever * Animal Collective (DJ Set)
Our initial thoughts:
This will be the fourth year I’ve attended Lollapalooza. Oh yeah, the girlfriend doesn’t know we’re going yet – surprise my love! You didn’t really think I would let us miss what’s been a tradition for you and I since we’ve been together, did you? Anyways, this is the fourth installment of Lollapalooza for yours truly, and each year has offered something different – last year’s festival was very ‘top heavy’ (mega headliners) with the likes of Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, and Kanye West. Don’t get me wrong, this was just about the most amazing headliner setup of any festival in the last few years, but by locking in these big names, the middle and lower tiers of the lineup were lacking a bit.
This year, Perry and the folks behind the scenes have done an outstanding job of rounding out the lineup from top to bottom. There will be something to see all day and into the night, each day, which is really what these festivals are all about – wandering around and seeing a ton of different bands, experiencing and discovering new music, and walking out of the park as a fan of a band you may have never heard of before you went it. The middle tier is, in short, amazing – with the likes of Vampire Weekend, Ben FOlds, Kaiser Chiefs, and Arctic Monkeys, to name only a few. But where the lineup also shows a ton of potential with some of the lesser-known, up-and-coming acts: Ra Ra Riot, The Virgins, Cage the Elephant, and so on.
A Life Without Pants exclusive for you, the fine readers out there!
We’ve compiled some of our favorite songs from the artists of Lollapalooza 2009 and are sharing our ‘Lolla Playlist’ with all of you. Listen and Enjoy! CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THIS PLAYLIST
What do you think of the lineup? If you’re going – who are you excited about seeing? What ‘lesser known’ acts that a lot of people might miss would you recommend checking out? Feel free to openly discuss Lollapalooza and any other music festivals going on.