Lollapalooza just not
worth the effort anymore
I t’s time to add Lollapalooza to
the list that begins with New
Coke and the Chia Pet — good
ideas gone bad.
The creators of Death Metal
Fest, I mean Lollapalooza, have
come up with a couple of prereq
uisites for those planning to at
tend this year’s concert.
1. Concert goers must own
at least four black Iron Maiden
T*Shirts.
2. Concert goers must have
won the lottery within the past
six months in order to pay for tickets, water, and
drugs. Drugs are optional.
Lollapalooza used to be a good thing, when
bands such as Sonic Youth, the Mighty Mighty
Bosstones, Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Green Day,
the Beastie Boys and Pavement were featured.
Instead of providing entertainment, the show
has set out to make money. For example, the sud
den change to have Metallica headline is more
about how much money can be made off Metallica
than about the not-as-mainstream bands that have
headlined in the past.
Rather than Metallica and Soundgarden —
whom many fans didn’t even stay for — Rancid
and Sponge should have headlined.
Does anyone even listen to Metallica anymore?
Keith Randolph, a senior environmental design
major and employee of Marooned Records, said the
Metallica release. Load, last month has not been a
popular sell.
“We had a midnight release party the night it
came out and sold less than 10,” Randolph said. “It
surprised me — I thought we would sell even few
er than that.”
Metallica hit its peak during the “Enter Sand
man” era iri 1991, and has only gone downhill from
there. Lead singer James “I think I have a loogie
in my throat” Hetfield has lost his touch.
Another problem with Lollapalooza are the
costs. People are now paying over $40 for tickets to
stand up for 12 hours and listen to people scream.
For anyone who has actually been waiting to
see Metallica, by the time the band takes the stage
and begins ‘singing” its distasteful blasphemies,
the fans are tired, hungry and thirsty for another
two-dollar cup of water.
Okay, so some people just want to have a good
time with their friends by taking a road trip and
seeing a few bands play. There are alternatives,
and there is plenty of good music out there just
waiting to be discovered for those who value
their eardrums.
April
TOVVERY
Columnist
There is the Enit tour, which is similar to Lolla
palooza but instead features good bands. Music is
played all afternoon and continues through the
night and the next morning. Problem is, the closest
date to Texas is Denver, Co.
Money should not be wasted on Lollapalooza
when there are three-dollar and five-dollar shows
in Dallas, Austin and Houston every night. The
bands may not be as well-known as Metallica, but
you can understand the lyrics and leave the con
cert free of moshing injuries.
It’s just too hot to spend the day outdoors with
thousands of other people who may or may not
have used Dial.
The logic of the masterminds behind Lolla
palooza is unfathomable — “Hey, let’s have a huge
outdoor concert in the hottest months of the entire
year,” — as if the fans weren’t suffering enough
from the music.
It’s just not worth it anymore. The drugs, the
heat, the noise they call music and the high prices
will eventually bring the megadeath of Lollapalooza.
April Tbwery is a Class of’99 journalism major