Chicago IL, – Lollapalooza 2018 tickets went on sale in Chicago last week to a very mixed response. The 4-day event starting August 2nd is a massive celebration of music and art nestled in Grant Park near the heart of Chicago. While the festival grows larger each year, the artist and talent continue to be the center of turmoil and debate.
If you’re a Chicago resident or have a history with Lollapalooza in some form or fashion, you’re already aware of the struggle to get a 4-day pass. The moment the sale is announced, people rush to multiple connected devices and pray to the gods they make it through the queue. Sweating bullets during that 10 minute window is all too familiar feeling for Chicagoans trying to lock in their pass to this essential summer festival.
Why did this year feel different? There was no rush. Wristbands didn’t immediately flood craigslist and our social accounts weren’t spammed with listings. There weren’t group chats blowing up with “who got through, who’s coming with?!” It was quiet. Was last year too big for Chicago? Are people just tired this year? Or was the lineup surprisingly bland? We’re going to go with bland.
From a general music perspective it just feels… meh. You’re closers are going to be Arctic monkeys, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, and Jack White. It’s a who’s who of “oh yeah, those guys – could be fun,” but not a fierce draw by any means. Yeah, we get it that there are some passionate fans of the performers we listed, but c’mon. Unless you’re all about Lil Pump (Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang) you might be let down this year.
So who do we have to be excited about from the EDM world? Odesza, Zedd, Galantis, Dillon Francis, Rusko? Oof.
It’s a little disappointing that Kaskade, Chicago’s EDM prodigal son, is missing from the lineup. He’s been a party staple for all major Chicago festivals the last few years and we can’t help feel like this is a miss. Of course there always needs to be a balance of fresh talent vs costs (and who knows if he’s got conflicting dates/events), but there doesn’t seem to be an anchoring performance for the Perry’s stage. Not to say that Dillion Francis/Odesza/Zedd can’t hold their own, but it just doesn’t feel like there’s that oh-my-god-I-can’t-miss-this sort of pull from these names. That’s the kind of power the legends in the business will bring to the table – just ask yourself if you’d hop on a plane and travel across the country to see these guys perform at Lollapalooza.
The fact that electronic music has sort of been bolted-on to the festival has never really been an issue, but this year it just sort of falls flat. Typically you’re planning against a dozen exciting performers for stage time, but this year not so much. If tickets fall hard, there’s a ton of value performances, but we struggle with the price-per-performer this year. Now, 4-day wristbands HAVE sold out, but we’ll keep an eye on the after-market prices to really understand demand.
We’ll revisit this when the schedules come out and do our annual Lolla day plan.
Let us know what you’re thinking this year in the comments below.