For the seventh year in a row, I will not be attending the Lollapalooza Music Festival at Grant Park. Despite the proximity to my home, my love of music, and my love of Chicago summer’s, I can’t justify the price for who I’d be seeing. I’m gonna check out a couple after shows by bands I like, and that will more than soothe my music festival itch for the weekend.
That’s not to say there aren’t some good bands playing this year’s Lollapalooza. If you plan your time at the park right, you can actually see a lot of great music over the (now) 4 days. That includes headliners like J. Cole and the reunited LCD Soundsystem, plus Radiohead who never tour.
Almost every band I would want to see is over by 6pm. If you get to the fest early enough, you might even get close enough to see some of them. Here’s what my game plan would be for each day:
Thursday July 28th
12:15 Pinegrove at Petrillo Bandshell
1 Lucy Daucus on BMI Stage
2 Haitus Kaiyote at Petrillo Bandshell
3:20 Arkells on BMI Stage
5:15 Towkio (mostly for the possibility of Chance The Rapper showing up to cameo) on the Pepsi Stage
6-8pm Walk around aimlessly, drink yourself into oblivion.
8 Get something to eat to sober up a bit
8:30 J Cole on the Samsung Stage
Friday July 29th
12pm HAELOS at Petrillo Bandshell
2:15 The Struts on Samsung Stage
2:45 Frank Turner on Bud Light Stage
4-6pm Pass out in the grass somewhere your friends can’t find you
6:15-6:30 Get second wind by picking up some more $10 beers
6:30-8pm Puke into nearest garbage can. Try to rally by counting how many bros are wearing Will Smith Bel-Air Academy jerseys
8:30 Radiohead on Samsung Stage
8:45 Pass out during indistinguishable song probably from King of Limbs but also maybe Amnesiac?
Saturday July 30th
12pm The Strumbellas on the Lakeshore Stage
12:45 Catch the last few minutes of Jarryd James at Petrillo Bandshell
1:30 Chairlift at Lakeshore Stage
2:10 Potty Mouth on BMI Stage
2:45 The Joy Formidable on Bud Light Stage
3:15 The Front Bottoms on Lakeshore Stage
4:15 Big Grams (Big Boi of Outkast and Phantogram) on Samsung Stage
6:30 Houndmouth on Pepsi Stage
7:15-8:45 Make your way through the crowd shouting “EVAN!!!! EVAN???!!!! EVVVVVAAAAANNNN!!!!!!!”
9 Vic Mensa on Pepsi Stage
Sunday July 31st
12 Panama Wedding on the Lakeshore Stage
1-2 Pizzapizzapizzapizzapizzapizzapizzapizzapizzapizza
2:45 Fidlar on Bud Light Stage
3:45 Third Eye Blind at Petrillo Bandshell why not?
4:45-7 Graduate to the next level by double-fisting some cold brews while you yell at younger people about how punk Good Charlotte was
7:25 Bloc Party on Lakeshore stage
8:30 All My Friends will be at LCD Soundsystem on Samsung Stage