Lollapalooza, the lollipop that inspired a summer standard

In 1991, Perry Farrell organized the first Lollapalooza festival in Phoenix, a tour that announced the return of music festivals!

Lollapalooza was conceived by Farrell in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction, which reunited a group of bands that would go on to make it a commercial success. After the band broke up, the tour was held annually until 1997, when the festivals began to lose momentum, and the third Woodstock left a bitter taste in the mouths of music fans after the event’s disaster.

The tour was revived in 2003 and is now an annual four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. Lollapalooza has always been a mix of musical genres and fans, as its title is a metaphorical example of the lollipop it is named after.

The festival is one of the oldest in the United States, helping to change the mindset of the music industry, coining the term “alternative nation,” and becoming the model for the modern American festival. The explosion of alternative rock propelled Lollapalooza to mainstream status with bands like Soundgarden, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Pearl Jam. Mosh pits and crowd surfing became common venues for concerts, and second stages became launching pads for local bands to perform in front of mass audiences.

Perry Farrell’s inspired idea has become the standard of modern summer and the benchmark for today’s mass music.