The craziest moments of the Lollapalooza

There was a time when Lollapalooza was not a festival like the others, but an itinerant musical circus that defined what at the time we called alternative rock. They passed there in decisive moments of their careers Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, Rage Against The Machine, Courtney Love and many others. Here are some of the most curious or crazy stories told at podcast Rolling Stone Now by the authors of Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock.

The giant burrito
The original idea of ​​the co-founder of the Perry Farrell Festival provided for the community consumption of food on stage. For some reason the frontman of the Jane's Addiction was obsessed with the idea that all participants should share a giant burrito. “Not exactly the best for health,” says Beaujour, “but he had thought of it for that”.

The prices impossible today
In 2025 it would be impossible to organize such a thing at human prices. “The itinerant festival was enormous for about ten years, but now it has disappeared,” says Beaujour. “According to the founders, who still work in booking, knowing how much bands are paid today, tickets would cost type $ 2800”.

The assigned seats
The 1996 edition, the one with the metal, took place for the most part in amphitheatres with assigned seats, a decidedly bizarre choice for such a festival. “With the result that the bands that performed first are playing in front of empty places and do not remember her as a good experience,” says Beaujour. «There are those who played in front of nine people in the first rows, with the fans who had fun at the bottom, far from the stage. But they had to do it because they needed to bring the festival to equipped places ».

The quarrel of the Jane's Addiction at the first concert
Last year the Jane's Addiction dissolved perhaps forever. More or less the same thing had happened on the first date of the Lollapalooza 1991, which Farrell had conceived as a farewell tour for the band. “Dave Navarro and Perry quarrel on the first day of the festival,” says Bienstock, “and nobody knows if they will come back the next day, but they managed to straighten the situation … Dave Navarro told us, not even that was the farewell tour of the Jane's Addiction”.

The shortened set of the Nine Inch Nails
The 1992 edition also remembers for the performances that have marked the history of the Nine Inch Nails. The first evening, however, due to the extreme heat their equipment literally melted and were forced to close the concert in advance.

The Boom of Pearl Jam
In 1992 the sudden boom of popularity of the Pearl Jam, which took place after they had been put on the bill, forced the Lollapalooza to face logistical nightmares. They had in fact been placed in the early afternoon. “They were becoming the largest band in the world and it's not a way of saying,” explains Beaujour. The challenge of the organizers: to bring all the people who wanted to see them so early in the afternoon, with consequent security problems. «If the Pearl Jam had started playing before all the people entered, they would have fled the entrances. They could also have changed the billboard and put them headliners, but they chose not to do it because it would have been little punk-rock ». Eddie Vedder enjoyed time spending time with the artists of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow arriving to drink the bile and rubbing his face against broken glass.

The rifle on stage
Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers brought a loaded rifle to the stage … to Salve. “But three meters away, the blank bullets can still detach your head,” says Beaujour. «Haynes went on stage, fucking people because she hadn't unleashed enough with the Rollins Band and then shot the public. Inconceivable stuff today ».

Nirvana Headliner
If Kurt Cobain had not committed suicide, the Nirvana would have been Headliner of the Lollapaloza 1994. “The contract had been signed,” Bienstock assures. However, adds Beaujour, “on '94 was still my favorite edition with Beastie Boys and Breeders on the main stage, as well as L7, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day”.

Farrell against the Green Days
Perry Farrell tried to eliminate the Green Days from the 1994 billboard because he had convinced himself who knows how they were a boy band put together by their record label. “Billie Joe Armstrong was quite angry because they loved Jane's Addiction,” says Beaujour. “One of the first things he told me was:” Perry behaved like a true asshole “”. Not only that: two years later Farrell was so pissed off for the inclusion in the cast of the metal to leave the tour for protest.

Billy Corgan “Violent asshole”
This is how Wayne Coyne called him because of how he behaved in the 1994 edition. “If I see that guy today in the backstage, I turn to the other side.”

The flop of the Sonic Youth
In 1995 the headliners were the Sonic Youth, but did not go much good. “The audience was not interested in seeing them and 1995 is the year in which Lollapalooza recorded the lowest collections.” In the book, Thurston Moore recalls that “the situation was like the spinal taps that play in the amusement park”.

Courtney's fist
In 1996 Courtney Love gave a hand to Kathleen Hanna of the Bikini Kill, a behavior due to the difficult personal situation. “It happened not long after Kurt's death,” says Bienstock, “shouldn't have been there.” According to his tour manager, “today nobody in the mental conditions in which Courtney Love was in tour”. However, someone managed to scare even Love, who told friends that “Sinéad O'Connor is crazy”.

The NU metal arrives
It was not a walk for the James to perform before the Korn in 1997. They were welcomed by a saving of whistles, even if they were appreciated by the Nu Metal band. “The arrival of the Korn marked the end of the alternative rock and the beginning of the era of Nu Metal,” says Beaujour. “Their audience was there only to get a mess, he was incredibly hostile towards all the other bands.”

From Rolling Stone Us.