Courtesy of Lollapalooza.com
Lollapalooza was conceived as a touring festival in 1991 by singer Perry Farrell as a farewell tour for his band Jane’s Addiction. Upon creation, the festival focused primarily on alternative and grunge music with lineups consisting of then not yet mainstream bands such as Pearl Jam, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day. Lollapalooza grew exponentially in the following years, until Farrell quit in 1996 due to the increase in mainstream acts on the bill. Subsequently, the festival was cancelled in 1997. In 2005, Lollapalooza finally found a permanent U.S home in Chicago’s Grant Park after several failed revivals, and has remained there ever since.

Since 2005, the lineups have strayed away from Farrell’s original vision, and the festival has moved to booking a wider variety of mainstream pop, rap, rock and indie acts. While many rock fans have complained about this change, the 2017 lineup provides plenty of bands to satisfy any indie or alternative fans’ appetite. From Mainstream rock acts such as The Killers, Blink 182 and Muse, to lesser known indie bands such as PUP, The Frights, and The Walters, there are quite a few cool bands to check out.

Starting at the top of the bill, The Killers fall second on the lineup. Their sound is irresistibly catchy, and has been an anthem to many lives since their debut album “Hot Fuss” was released in 2004. The Killers are a stellar live band and are known for putting on solid career spanning sets. Another large act I would check out is Blink 182. Unfortunately, founding guitarist and singer Tom Delonge left the group in 2015. This means his replacement, Matt Skiba of the Alkaline Trio, has taken over his vocal duties. Blink has never been a great live band but they have an extremely impressive collection of hits that would be fun to hear even if they’re sung by a different singer.

Gearing towards the indie side, Cloud Nothings find themselves in the middle of the bill. Their lo-fi alternative sound is exactly one that would have been promoted at the original festival. They have collaborated with bands such as Wavves and frontman Dylan Baldi puts on a great show. Alvvays is also making an appearance at this years festival. They released their debut self titled album in 2014 to a solid amount of well deserved acclaim. Singer Molly Rankin’s voice sits perfectly over the poppy melodies played by the rest of the band creating a beautiful mix of indie and jangle.

Getting to the bottom of the bill, PUP is one of the most exciting new acts in punk rock. Their melodic songs translate well into their live performance and naturally get the crowd moving. I would compare them to a modern day Descendents in terms of their lyrical work. Finally, falling 13th to the last on the lineup are Chicago’s very own, The Walters. The Walters music may seem very mellow, but once they get up on stage, they let loose. Their energy is contagious as frontman Luke Olson bounces around crooning his classic love ballads. They are young, talented and will no doubt put on a great show in their hometown.

These are just a few of the rock many groups playing this year’s Lollapalooza. The full lineup can be found on the Lollapalooza website. The festival will take place on Aug. 3-6 2017 at Grant Park in Chicago.