As Promised...My Lollapalooza Lineup Analysis

If you weren’t outside this weekend to enjoy the unseasonably warm temperatures you missed out on our city’s first taste of summer. But fear not indoor-dwellers, because the Lollapalooza organizers have blessed us with some summer fun to look forward to.

As I reported yesterday, the Lollapalooza lineup has finally dropped. Unfortunately for all of you loyal readers, I already gave away most of the surprises on this year’s star-studded lineup. However, there are a few noteworthy bands on the lineup that weren’t leaked before this morning’s official announcement:

Love and Rockets: Formed in 1985, this recently reunited alt-rock band is hitting the US summer festival circuit this year with stops at both Lollapalooza and Coachella. Love and Rockets, who take their name from the comic book series Love and Rockets, released a slew of records between their formation in 1985 and their breakup in 1999. The band’s sound has changed quite a bit since their first record which channeled a 1970’s psychedelic sound. Their more recent released have heavily relied on electro-pop and alternative melodies. Love and Rockets’ biggest single to date, So Alive, came on their 1989 self-titled release which debuted at 14 on the Billboard top 100 charts.

The Black Keys: This rock-blues duo from Akron, Ohio is going to have a hard time outdoing their performance at last year’s Lollapalooza where they played as the opening band for headliners Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. Fortunately, the release of their fifth studio album, Attack and Release, has provided them with some hard-hitting and bluesy new material to play.

Mark Ronson: If you own a radio or watch MTV you should be familiar with the work of Mark Ronson. Ronson, who is a Grammy award winning producer, has a day job collaborating with artists like Amy Winehouse and Kanye West. But now, Ronson is taking is own show on the road. Labeled the “King of Mash-ups” by many music critics, Ronson should bring some hot new remixed tracks to Lollapalooza this summer.

Cat Power: As the daughter of a blues musician it’s no wonder that Cat Power has achieved so much in her musical career. Now, 13 years and eight albums deep, Cat Power is on top of her game after being plagued by alcoholism and random cases of stage fright that at times had caused her to cut tours short. In addition to her large library of music, Cat Power has made a career out of reforming 60’s and 70’s rock and roll tunes. Her most recent covers album, Jukebox, features songs originally performed by Janice Joplin, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and James Brown. If your looking for some Cat Power to listen to, I'd definetly recommend checking out her rendition of (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones.

The National: Originally ruled out of playing Lollapalooza by most music bloggers, The National have become the biggest surprise act of Lolla 2008. Formed in 1999 in Brooklyn, New York The National channel bands like Interpol and Bruce Springsteen. While their first three albums gave the band a small cult following, the release of 2007’s The Boxer put The National on the mainstream indie map. The bands lead singer, Matt Berninger is known for his deap and distinctive baritone voice. Currently, The National is touring arenas across the country opening alongside Modest Mouse in support of REM.

Explosions in the Sky: Known for their extremely moving and emotion-filled live shows, Explosions in the Sky are primed to be one of the highlights at this year’s festival. The band’s music is entirely instrumental and reminds many of the Icelandic trance-rock band Sigur Ros. While the band is relatively unknown to most casual music fans, they did garner some mainstream media attention when they were asked to write the soundtrack to the 2004 film Friday Night Lights.


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Obviously, these are only seven on the 89 bands announced thus far for Lollapalooza. I would certainly suggest checking out the full lineup HERE.


Overall, I feel that this is a pretty strong lineup. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing legendary performances from bands like Radiohead, Kanye West and Rage Against the Machine along with strong supporting performances from many of the midsized acts I mentioned above. One major qualm I have with the lineup however is that the middle bill (which included the bands I listed above) is much smaller than in years past. Last year, the middle bill of the lineup featured big bands like My Morning Jacket, Patti Smith, The Roots and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs among others. It appears, to me at least, that this year Lollapalooza organizers unloaded a disproportionate amount of money on headliners and left little for booking midsized acts. Thus, the majority of the lineup is occupied by relatively unknown, yet still awesome bands. In comparison to other Summer music festivals, Lollapalooza still has to be considered “top of the line.” If you haven’t made it there yet, trust me; there’s nothing better than listening to one of your favorite bands with the beautiful Chicago skyline in the background.