The 30 most memorable Lollapalooza moments

Perry Ferrell's reported initial concept for Lollapalooza was two-fold. It was a farewell tour for his pioneering alternative rock band Jane's Addiction, but also an opportunity to bring together musical acts/artists of different genres. Though through the years, Ian Astbury, singer of The Cult, claimed Ferrell copied the idea from his "A Gathering of the Tribes" festival held in 1990. Ultimately, these artists would come together on stage to jam and expand musical interests to the masses. The festival would also highlight various non-profit organizations and issues that younger concertgoers might find reception.

The first Lollapalooza show was held on July 18, 1991, in Tempe, Ariz. Jane's Addiction was the headliner, but other notable acts on the tour included Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails. Būtthole Surfers. One highlight of the tour featured Ferrell and Ice-T, who played with Body Count, coming together for a cover of Sly and the Family Stone's "Don't Call Me N*****, Whitey." According to Ferrell, it usually featured an on-stage hoedown.  

Like any massive, public initiative in its infancy, there will be hiccups. Lolla was not void of issues or problems in Year One. Perhaps, the most infamous snafu turned into that tour's most memorable moment -- courtesy of Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. Still touring on the Pretty Hate Machine album, Reznor was no stranger to destroying his instruments on stage. At that initial Tempe stop, the PA system and his equipment didn't jive. The result was Reznor trashing his gear (which was not a shock) and left the stage for the tour bus.

Music critics and historians have long considered 1992, the second, Lollapalooza tour as the best in the history of the experience. The grunge movement had taken off and was about to truly reside in the alternative/rock mainstream. The lineup took full advantage of the musical climate at the time, featuring the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ministry, Soundgarden, and  Pearl Jam. Not to mention that Rage Against the Machine  and Tool  each played a side stage. Plus, Ice Cube drew in rap fans and suburban trust-fund, wannabe gangster kids.

Speaking of the 1992 Lolla tour, one of the consistent highlights of that popular run seemed to be when Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder decided to climb the stage scaffolding at various performances. During one particular show at New York's Jones Beach, Vedder climbed higher than usual, with a nearby highway visible in the background. It's still a wonder that Vedder never seriously, or even partially, injured himself with his antics. Oh, to be a young rock star again.

Perry Ferrell always intended Lollapalooza to be a spectacle. In 1993, Rage Against the Machine made sure that was the case. Rage was slated to be the opening act on the main stage at the Philadelphia stop, but incendiary vocalist Zack de la Rocha lost his voice. Opting not to cancel its slot, the four members stood on stage for 15 minutes, wearing only black electrical tape over their mouths and each sporting a letter from the P-M-R-C on their chest. At first, the fans were into the naked protest of Tipper Gore and her censorship group (Parents Music Resource Center) but soon turned on the band. Booing and even throwing items on stage. As Rage guitarist Tom Morello told NME: “Let me tell you, a lot of quarters were thrown at our dicks."

Speaking of spectacles. Lolla has always been more than just the music. It's a place for activists to detail their causes and, in more recent years, chefs to convert the average concertgoer into a full-blown foodie. In the early days of the festival, Perry Ferrell conjured up a circus-like atmosphere. Literally. The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow was among the highlights of the early Lolla tour stops, thanks to acts like The Amazing Mister Lifto, Matt "The Tube" Crowley, and Zamora the Torture King.

The 1995 Lolla tour featured at least two of the more infamous moments in the history of the festival. At the Charles Town, W.V. stop, indie rockers Pavement didn't jive with the edgier, hi-fi attendants that were there to mosh. During the group's daytime set, the crowd started tossing mud and chunks of sod on stage. An unidentified, heavier object hit singer Stephen Malkmus in the chest. That prompted guitarist Scott Kannberg to flip off the crowd and eventually moon them before leaving the stage.

Speaking of dropping trow. Continuing with the 1995 tour, Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow dropped his pants at the Cincinnati area stop. The move drew plenty of attention -- from local law enforcement, that is. Following the show, Yow was eventually arrested for indecent exposure. During an interview with The Washington Post, Yow said he was hauled downtown, and "they fined me I think, like, $250."

There's a theory that the 1996 tour was the beginning of the end to the initial Lollapalooza wave. That's when the festival went "metal." Though only in the sense that Metallica was the headliner. Perry Ferrell did not produce that year's run, choosing to focus instead on the Lolla offshoot ENIT Festival. While the music wasn't necessarily the issue, crowds were said to be more aggressive, and with acts like Soundgarden, Ramones, and even Cheap Trick on the bill, the more commercial approach seemed to run counter with the original "alternative" intention of the experience.

By 1997, Lollapalooza was dealing with an identity crisis and the word "stale" had been thrown around often when describing the state of the once-prominent musical event. Looking to spice things up, the focus of the '97 festival turned to electronica and techno acts like Orbital, The Prodigy, and The Orb. In the end, that move did not work, and the '97 tour would be the last of the decade.

Unable to secure an attractive and money-making headliner, it was announced that there would not be a Lollapalooza tour in 1998. Not surprisingly, it was a sign that the alternative music scene was officially dead -- at least one we could honestly call alternative and not the mainstream/pop version MTV was promoting through the likes of Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, or Matchbox Twenty. It wouldn't be just a one-year hiatus, either, as fans would go five years without the festival on the books.

With Jane's Addiction set for a partial reunion showcase in 2003, Perry Ferrell felt it was also the right time to revive the Lollapalooza experience as well. But, even with Jane's in the headline spot and supergroup Audioslave, plus Queens of the Stone Age, along for the ride, the tour was a dud by all accounts. Poor ticket sales ultimately doomed the tour as venues were barely two-thirds filled. Lolla's bumpy return to the national stage would only get rockier.  

Looking to build on its return, but needing to better the overall Lolla product, the plan for 2004 was a tour featuring two-day festival stops at each city on the schedule. The Pixies, Morrissey, PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, The Killers, and Wilco presented a decent, but sort of alternative retro (aside from The Killers), lineup. However, ticket sales leading up to the tour were lackluster -- putting it mildly -- and ultimately poor enough that the entire run was canceled roughly a month before it was to begin.

Perhaps the most important moment in the history of the Lollapalooza venture came when Perry Ferrell hooked up with prominent promoter Capital Sports & Entertainment (better known as C3 Presents) and the William Morris Agency to put the show back on. Going forward, beginning in 2005, Lolla would be a weekend experience only (two days to start) and held in one city. Grant Park, along Chicago's lakefront, was the choice and welcomed roughly 70 acts, a variety of food, a kid-friendly area (Kidapalooza), and much more for a reinvented look that opened the third chapter of the Lollapalooza story.

Though Kanye West was born in Georgia, he moved to the Chicago area as a small child. So, naturally, it was a special moment when he made his Lollapalooza debut along the city's lakefront in 2006. Now, this was back in the day when West seemed good with being a rapper. Cameos included another Chicago local Common, Twista, and some rising star known as Lupe Fiasco, who skateboarded onto the stage.

Throughout the history of Lollapalooza, numerous side-stage shows have helped not only launch careers but take those somewhat established or promising acts to new heights. That was the case in 2007, when a then-relatively obscure, but no-doubt talented, conceptual artist named Lady Gaga, delivered one of the most spirited and talked-about performances Lolla has ever seen. With a burlesque-type feel, Gaga shined in the sun. For those who witnessed the gig live, it's one of those "I-was-there" moments.

Sometimes memorable moments just happen without much-advanced warning. Like when 2008 Friday headliners Radiohead closed out the opening night in grand fashion with their pop classic "Fake Plastic Trees." At the same time, a Fourth-of-July-caliber fireworks show was happening in the distance behind the stage and along the lakefront. The two made for quite a special conclusion to the first night of the festival.

While Radiohead's headlining set in 2008 was a reminder of all that's good about bringing tens of thousands of people together to celebrate music, Rage Against the Machine's set the very next night brought out the ugly that's possible when such a big crowd. The band's aggressive, high-energy set contributed to a massive crowd surge that got so uncontrollable that singer Zack de la Rocha had to stop its performance on three occasions to ask for calm as fans were in danger of being severely injured or crushed. 

By 2011, Lollapalooza seemed to find a non-musical rhythm. So why not expand? This was the year that Lolla went international. Chile, to be exact. Jane's Addiction, Thirty Seconds to Mars, The National, and The Killers were part of that initial Chilean lineup. While it did not get the fanfare or coverage like the North American event, the Chile festival opened the door for Lolla to expand even larger on the international front. Festivals in Brazil (2012), Argentina (2014), Berlin (2015), Paris (2017), and Stockholm (2019) followed.

Back at the North American festival, things were somewhat of a mess. Gate-crashers and fence-jumpers cast a dark cloud over the weekend. Then there was an actual dark cloud that resulted in heavy rains during the Foo Fighters' headlining set . However, if there's any band that can make playing in the rain fun, it's Dave Grohl and Co. The Foos never let up or cheat the rain-soaked, mud-caked crowd from forgetting about the elements and celebrating music and life with one of the best live acts of all time.

While the Foo Fighters were able to play through the rain in 2011, the elements proved to be too much of a force during the Saturday portion of the 2012 event. Heavy rains and winds, that reportedly reached 70 miles per hour, caused the massive daytime Lolla crowd in Chicago to be evacuated for roughly three hours. The good news was that all were kept safe and the concert did resume. However, scheduled acts such as Alabama Shakes and The Temper Trap were unable to perform due to the lengthy delay.

Once the clouds parted during the 2012 North American Lollapalooza festival, the sun surely shined on one Florence Welch. Not long after Florence + the Machine had to cancel some shows due to her vocal problems, she rested up enough to deliver one of the best sets of the weekend. Her inspiring and memorable performance included the first-ever live version of "Breath of Life," from the Snow White and the Huntsman soundtrack.

Chance the Rapper, the Chicago-based artist, enjoyed his moment in the sun on a smaller stage at the 2013 North American event in his hometown. He was starting to live the good life following the release of his "Acid Rap" mixtape and drew a massive crowd to see his under-the-radar Lolla performance. The intimacy worked, as the energy between performer and audience was high enough for Chance to proclaim "this is the best moment of my life in the world."

Often the Lollapalooza stage is grounds for bands to reunite. Some reunions turn out better than others. In 2014, Outkast's reunion tour wasn't drawing rave reviews. Long-winded shows combined with a visible lack of chemistry between Andre 3000 and Big Boi.  However, something clicked when the duo got to Chicago, and it was just like old times. The pair was in fine form musically and seemed to actually like being on stage together.

One of Perry Ferrell's early wishes for the Lollapalooza experience was bringing together various genres of music and broadening the musical horizons of the festival's attendees. That said, it was still somewhat odd to see Beatles legend Paul McCartney as one of the headliners for the 2015 Chicago site. However, McCartney had fun with the moment and was certainly on his game. Especially, when Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard lent her massive talent on a stellar live version of "Get Back."

In celebration of Lollapalooza's 25th anniversary, the 2016 festival was expanded to its current four-day format. While the move coincided with said anniversary, it was also a chance for Lolla to remain competitive with festivals such as the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Austin City Limits, and Coachella. Following the announcement of its expansion, the 2016 North American festival sold out 80,000 four-day passes in less than an hour's time.

Within any special performance are specific moments -- or songs -- that truly make the experience memorable. Like in 2017, when Arcade Fire closed out the festival with a stellar Sunday-night effort. Notably on the group's underrated gem "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" from 2012's The Suburbs. Encouraged by Régine Chassagne's animated stage presence, the thousands upon thousands in attendance created their out collective cell-phone light show through the duration of the song that fits perfectly with the Chicago skyline as a backdrop.  

It can be argued that the last great performance at any Lollapalooza performance came in 2018. Courtesy of Bruno Mars, who paid homage to the massive Chicago crowd by sporting Bulls gear while delivering a highly entertaining Friday night set. Mars can make a high-spirited, lavish production succeed whether in a stadium or the often unpredictable setting of an outdoor festival such as Lollapalooza. He  knew the crowd was there to have a good time and he came through. 

The coronavirus pandemic canceled the entire slate of Lollapalooza shows for 2020. Past shows from the festival were available for fans to check out via the official Lolla site and YouTube. While it's uncertain what the immediate future of the event holds or, more specifically, will look like in terms of band interest and crowd size, it's also right to wonder if it will last another 30 years?