As you may expect from the very sparse but colorful title, Lollapalooza by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour, covers pretty much anything you'd like to know about what went on behind the scenes, from inception to finish and then rising like a phoenix, at this seminal summer concert series. With interviews from Perry Farrell, who created this festival and was a key member in both Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros, to all the personnel who made each year's series of concerts into a unique experience to musicians who populated the stage from Pearl Jam to Ice T to Sonic Youth to Metallica and so many other alternative and fringe acts, you will hear it all. In fact, you may wish you hadn't asked for the nitty gritty details in some instances.

After reading this duo's past oral history of late 1980s hard rock or hair metal (a derogatory term for those in the know), Nothin' But a Good Time, I was thrilled to see this book, and I had to have it. This time not only reflects a lot of the music I love like grunge, but it also makes me reminisce about the good old times listening over and over to my favorite songs. Admittedly, I wondered why I never went to Lollapalooza during my college years or early 20s, but, in some ways, especially after hearing some stories from the book, maybe it's better that I didn't. The heat, the craziness, the many hours, the drugs and the drinking--it was a lot, and maybe that's my 50+ current self talking instead of my 20+ past self wishing and hoping. Yes, part of me wishes I had been there. But you don't have to wish when you can live vicariously while devouring this book.

Bienstock and Beaujour have proven they wrote the book on writing an oral history. There's a focus on the words and thoughts of many of the key players of this festival instead of telling their own personal stories of going to the festival or pontificating on the concert series and 1990s and early 2000s music for too long. You'll discover how Perry Farrell became close friends with Ice T in a very unusual way. You'll find out how the members of Metallica went to bat for unlikely musicians when their loyal fans turned on their favorites. One chapter is devoted to the Jim Rose Circus and how it became the modern day sideshow for Lollapalooza. I had trouble reading that chapter simply for the sometimes gruesome acts depicted. Steve-O from Jackass is also covered with his act, and that's another one I had to skim for the graphic acts (and I did watch the show). No need for visuals--it was very clear how challenging it would be to watch in sometimes unbearable temperatures and not feel absolutely nauseated.

But it's all in good fun, and the festival inspired others like the Warped tour, Ozzfest (for a very interesting reason), and Lilith Fair. It educated people in their teens and twenties about important social causes that they may not have encountered before and introduced them to alternative lifestyles, foods, and more. It was enlightening to read how Brandon Boyd of Incubus went to a concert in his teens from a rural area of California and was so inspired that he started the band with his fellow concert goers and friends. I loved to hear about how these concerts affected the music industry and the performers and creators themselves. Every chapter, even those involving bands I wasn't familiar with, sparkled with new stories and amazing tales.

If you want to reminisce about the good old days attending Lollapalooza or have no idea what this festival entailed, grab a copy and live it up. I easily could have rushed through this book, but it was fun to savor every last detail (even the ones that were hard to swallow). One thing I will say, I simply cannot wait to see what this dynamic duo has next up their sleeves for another musical oral history. Since it took four years to finish this book, maybe we will see another mysterious musical subject be demystified in 2029. I can hardly wait!

Though I would not use this title in my classroom, I found it to be a great read and a wonderful trip down a great time for music and creativity. I ended up really like the unconventional writing style, which I refer to as a written documentary. I felt the first person accounts brought me closer to the music, the festival and the creativity of the artists. I was very disappointed when the book (and the 90's) ended!!

If you were around for the rise of alternative music, love cultural history, or enjoy a good rock and roll book, Lollapalooza is a must-read.

This book is special in that it is written as an oral history - no weaving, no rewriting what people say or interpreting, just pure story the way it happened according to those who were there. I learned a significant amount of information from this book about a subject I already considered myself well versed in!

5 stars for a compelling, informative read. An extra star for the feeling I got of being “in the know” while I read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Having experienced this concert series first hand, and after meeting Siouxsie (and the banshees) and partying with Johny Rotten, I was thrilled to read this book.

In Lollapalooza, Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour crank the amp to eleven and deliver a blistering oral history of the festival define a generation—it detonated it. This is not a tidy retrospective. It’s a mosh pit of memories, a backstage pass to the beautiful mess that was 1990s alternative rock, and a cultural autopsy of a movement that was never meant to be mainstream.

Told through hundreds of interviews with artists, roadies, promoters, journalists, and the occasional sideshow performer, the book reads like a mixtape of raw voices. From Perry Farrell’s anarchic vision to Ice-T’s genre-defying presence, from the mud-slicked chaos of Nine Inch Nails to the corporate tug-of-war behind the scenes, Lollapalooza captures the festival’s evolution from a farewell tour to a cultural juggernaut.

The oral history format works brilliantly here. It mirrors the festival’s own ethos: decentralized, unpredictable, and gloriously loud.

What makes Lollapalooza more than just a rock memoir is its exploration of identity and ideology. The festival wasn’t just about music—it was about collision. Punk met hip-hop. Goth met grunge. Activism met capitalism. And the book doesn’t shy away from the contradictions: the tension between anti-establishment roots and corporate sponsorship, the gender and racial imbalances on stage, the commodification of rebellion.

Yet, it also celebrates the radical inclusivity of the early years—where spoken word poets, political nonprofits, and even freak shows shared space with Metallica and Sonic Youth.

- Patti Smith’s return to the stage is rendered with reverence and awe.
- Rage Against the Machine’s naked protest is recounted with both humor and fury.
- Green Day’s near-riot and Tool’s surreal performances are described with the kind of chaotic energy that defined the era.

And then there are the quieter moments—like a young fan describing how Lollapalooza made them feel seen for the first time. These are the emotional undercurrents that give the book its staying power.

Bienstock and Beaujour know their audience. The prose is punchy, the pacing relentless, and the tone reverent without being nostalgic. This isn’t a eulogy—it’s a resurrection. The authors previously proved their chops with Nothin’ But a Good Time, and here they bring the same journalistic rigor and rock-and-roll swagger.

Lollapalooza is more than a chronicle of a music festival—it’s a cultural time capsule. It captures the moment when alternative became mainstream, when rebellion was both authentic and marketable, and when music festivals became the new town square.

Whether you were there in the pit or just wish you had been, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how a traveling circus of sound and sweat helped shape the soundscape—and soul—of the 1990s.

You are a very interesting couple of how this was written because they told the Story about this From bands got together on these tours. It was interesting to look how G e n x looked music very different. Each chapter has different Y, e, R, s. Of course, a musical festival.. Like how the author talked to the people and how the bands were all I kind of related together?. I It's dark in channel arizona and it took off from there. These bands were Part of that generation and how they look to things very differently. The music was a mixture of everything from together. Learn a lot from this book and how these bands were very young and then they took off nationally. A very interesting book to see how nineties Define degeneration.. Great book

My favorite comfort read is a solid music-related oral history, and that's precisely what Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour serve up here. More of a well-earned celebratory nostalgia trip, than say, the dishy and insightful "Meet Me in the Bathroom" (2017) by Lizzy Goodman, but keep in mind memories are probably foggier –and past grudges less relevant– when recalling events from a couple of decades further back in time. The musicians interviewed for this project largely see themselves now as fellow survivors, not so much rivals, which lends the book a sense of camaraderie that was sorely missing from a lot of the music journalism from the era. My favorite parts in this "uncensored story" are when artists openly gush about going to see other musicians in the bill, like when Patti Smith reentered public life with a surprise performance in '95 and almost everyone showed up to watch her play. And sure, there's a fair share of quirky rockstar stories here, like Courtney Love's fatefull basketball match against one member of Pavement, Ben Kweller's doctor dad diagnosing Snoop Dogg's dad under a haze of marijuana smoke, and Perry Farrell's illegal mob-cheese. Perhaps a little disjointed here and there, but an easy recommendation for music fans in general.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a review copy of this book.

Before Alt-Corporatization

In 1991, Jane’s Addiction was on the verge of breaking up. In conjunction with its farewell tour, singer Perry Farrell came up with the idea of a touring music festival, Lollapalooza, showcasing alternative bands. In addition to Jane’s Addiction, the original lineup included Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T, Living Colour, B***hole Surfers, and the Rollins Band. Perry also envisioned including booths for organizations ranging from the NRA to PETA. They were to feature alternative food, art, and offbeat entertainment, specifically excluding mainstream offerings.

Lollapalooza's second year showcased emerging bands like Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Soundgarden. 1993's festival featured Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and Alice in Chains. In 1994, Nirvana was rumored to headline for $10 million, but Kurt Cobain's death led to Smashing Pumpkins headlining instead, with support from the Beastie Boys and George Clinton. Despite Perry Farrell's opposition, Green Day also performed on the main stage that year (he hated them).

In “Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival,” authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour have compiled quotes and interviews from a wide range of participants from performers to crew members. The book chronicles the festival's escalating significance, fueled by the success of its early years, attracting increased attention, financial investment, and major label interest. Ultimately, this growth led to the festival's decline as Perry Farrell's original vision was corrupted by commercialization.

Lollapalooza's history and cultural impact are interesting, but the backstage stories are the real entertainment. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam famously worried people with his risky climbs on scaffolding and his crowd dives. Courtney Love's behavior was notoriously erratic. Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins was widely considered “unpleasant” (the mildest way to put it). Fueled by unbridled drug use and the eccentricities of some of the personalities involved, each day unfolded like a chaotic roller-coaster.

As the alternative music scene lost some of its momentum, the festival found itself scrambling to redefine itself. The resistance against “selling out” came to a head when the monstrous Metallica was signed to headline in 1996. Metallica drew its own fans, most of whom showed little interest in the diverse lineup of the other performers, ranging from Soundgarden, the Ramones, Rage Against the Machine, Devo, Wu-Tang Clan, and even Waylon Jennings. This booking highlighted the festival's struggle to maintain its original vision.

After crashing and resurrecting a number of times, Lollapalooza has currently morphed into a four-day festival in Chicago and hosts events worldwide. The authors have captured amazing stories here, before Corporatization set in, before Lollapalooza became a Brand.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Lollapalooza

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour for an ARC of this book!**

The word Lollapalooza is officially defined by Merriam Webster as "extraordinarily impressive," or "an outstanding example." For most music lovers, however, this word is synonymous with its very own 'Holy Trinity': drugs, debauchery, and of course, rock and roll. From the wild to the weird, what started as a sort of hybrid mega concert, performance art, and political movement experience has morphed and transformed over the years into a mega festival, now permanently held in Chicago's Grant Park, with a star-studded alt music lineup that at least gives a sly nod to its subversive roots. At the height of its popularity, however, Lollapalooza was THE place to hear and see acts like Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, Sonic Youth, Hole, Metallica, Patti Smith AND the sideshow insanity of the Jim Rose Circus while you were at it. So how did this cultural juggernaut take flight?

Well...it's up to authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour to describe...or at least to ATTEMPT to describe with some level of clarity and cohesion. Having read a few other rock biographies, I felt fairly excited to hear about the years of Lollapalooza I was too young to appreciate at the time and to get an insider's look at the wild, the weird, and the wonderful. But when I saw that the first few pages of this book had not a character list, but a NARRATOR list, with the seeming disclaimer that 'you'd better look at this giant list a LOT to remember who all of these people are...because you're going to need it.' (and no, that is not a direct quote...but perhaps it should have been), I was pretty sure I was in for a long ride...and sadly, this ride was a LOT longer than I could have ever anticipated.

To be clear, I love the CONCEPT of having everyone from promoters to roadies, journalists to band members, and to music historians of sorts chiming in to paint a picture of all that Lollapalooza is, was; in theory, this makes absolute sense. Where this idea began to fall apart, however, was trying to READ this as a book rather than absorb it in literally any other medium...and if there's one thing an oral history should demand? It's to be told ORALLY. Trying to keep track of all of the people involved simply stopped being worth it at all by about 25% of the way through the read: I had enough trouble just trying to keep focus on what year we were in, what the lineup was for that year, and forget about trying to read this as a cohesive non-fiction book. Try as I might, I could not stop wishing I were WATCHING this as a documentary, complete with clips and still photographs from the festival inter cut with all of the interviews. Not only would this have given all of these stories more of a recognizable voice, it certainly would have been helpful to put a face to a name...aside from the most obvious, of course. (And yes, after reading this I discovered there already IS a documentary streaming on Paramount+ called Lolla that released in 2024...perhaps these authors just missed a phone call or two?)

The cover of this book boasts that the authors sourced this material from over 200 (!) interviews, so its no small wonder this oral history gets a bit out of hand. I guess perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this book is that while it benefits from occasional short chapters, any benefit provided by these hints of brevity is erased by an overall loss of clarity. Since this book feels more like the world's busiest book report, it doesn't really have a theme or a thesis...and all the more reason I have a feeling it would have functioned best as a visual documentary rather than an oral history told on the page. Also be warned that many of the stories here are not for the mild mannered and are probably just as gross as you would anticipate...think Steve-O from a certain MTV program, but 'turn the volume up' to 100000. Everything from bodily fluids to uh, weights hanging off of body parts (you can fill in the appropriate blanks) is fair game here. (Okay, I could also live without seeing those parts).

And while I'm glad to have gotten an inside look at one of rock's most iconic festivals...there's quite a difference between looking through a giant stack of sheet music for an instrument you can't play...and FEELING music course through you in the front row at a concert.

...I think you know which one I'd pick, every time.

3 stars

I enjoy reading about music history and this one did not disappoint. I didn’t attend any of the Lollapalooza but it was fun to read about them. I enjoyed that the format of the book was laid out by year. While reading this it felt like I was in the room listening to all the artists and organizers reminisce about the festivals. I recommend this for any music lover.

I really enjoyed this book that walked you through the history of the festival up to its present day. The main focus on the book was the 90s. I was in college during Lollapalooza’s heyday and I wish I would have went. The story is told as an oral history with chapters focusing on each year and then sub-chapters with the bands and behind the scenes people. The stories take you into the concert with the drama and highs and lows. It kind of stops once you hit the modern-day iteration in Chicago.

This book offers an exhaustive oral history of the iconic '90s music festival, compiling firsthand accounts from musicians, crew members, and industry insiders. While the book delivers on its promise of an unfiltered behind-the-scenes look, it ultimately feels more like a nostalgia trip for die-hard fans than a compelling narrative for the uninitiated.

The book features extensive interviews with members of Jane's Addiction, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Rage Against the Machine, among others. Their anecdotes—ranging from chaotic backstage antics to clashes with festival logistics—provide entertaining snapshots of the era. However, the oral history format, while immersive, can also feel disjointed, jumping between perspectives without much narrative cohesion. The book portrays the festival’s rebellious spirit but doesn't really dig deeper into its cultural impact beyond surface-level reminiscing.

A big negative is that the interviewees are overwhelmingly male. And the story of Perry Farrell and his bands is told without crediting Casey Niccoli for her role in shaping the aesthetic of JA.

For those who lived through the '90s alt-rock explosion or attended the festival, this book will likely be a fun, if somewhat uneven, trip down memory lane. But for readers less invested in the scene, the endless parade of tour stories and industry jargon may be overkill.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

LOLLAPALOOZA by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour

🎶 The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival 🎶

Thank you @stmartinspress for my #gifted copy🤘🏼

Lollapalooza is an in-depth oral history of the legendary music festival of the same name. The idea of the festival began in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction, but quickly became a groundbreaking traveling festival, showcasing music icons like Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, and more! Also known for its political and social justice involvement, Lollapalooza was a cultural phenomenon (before they sold out 🤪).

I was just a kid in the mid-early 90s when Lollapalooza was at its prime, so much too young to attend, but I remember it happening. I remember the hype from older cousins and older siblings of friends, so reading this felt so nostalgic to me. And as someone who grew up listening to this music, I was thoroughly invested, and really enjoyed the time I spent with this book and its many contributors. It's like a Lollapalooza tell-all, and I was SO here for it!

This was a fun read! To be honest, I thought I was cooler than I apparently am, because I knew very few of the bands discussed in the book. So it would definitely be more impactful on someone who maybe actually attended Lollapalooza as opposed to just experienced it peripherally.

Lollapalooza, the iconic alternative music festival that began in 1991 and is still running today, gets its due in this no holds barred oral history. Told chronologically from the festival's inaugural run through the 1997 iteration (the last of the original format), we get the stories from a who's who of music legends, organizers, journalists and crew.

Lollapalooza was the epitome of sex and drugs and rock and roll, and everybody spills.

We get a comprehensive view of how it came together (including the name), how the talent was selected, how the tours went in spectacular detail from 1991 through 1997, who got along, who didn't, the logistics of moving this traveling circus across the country, the nutso antics, the activism, the performances seared into music history.

For seven years they kept it together, morphing after the initial years, laying the foundation for the music festivals ubiquitous today. As Tom Morello says:

"It’s still incredible to me how this idea, this crazy word that came out of Perry’s brain, became this massively successful tour that crystallized a genre of music. And then when the tour faded, it reemerged as one of the global pillars of festival shows."

What a wild ride, whether or not you were there.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub date 3/25/2025)

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival is a compelling oral history following the humble beginnings of one of music's biggest festivals. We get first-hand accounts of those who were there: the organizers, founders, stage hands, lighting directors, and, of course, the performers. The stories range from funny, wild, unbelievable, and tragic. If you're a sucker for music history, this is a must read. It's a no-holds-barred behind-the-scenes glimpse at Lollapalooza. The only downside is that it doesn't really cover the festival as it is now. There are some comments on it, but it doesn't really dig into the festival 2003 onward. Otherwise, it's a fascinating read. If anything, you'll walk away frustrated that the current iteration doesn't resemble anything like its early days.

If you want to read which ten stories I loved most, check out my featured article here: https://genreisdead.com/lollapalooza-the-uncensored-story-review/

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival written by Richard Bienstock; Tom Beaujour was such an interesting and entertaining read of no-holds-barred history of the iconic music festival.
A nostalgic look back at 1990s music and culture, Lollapalooza traces the festival’s groundbreaking origins, following the tour as it progresses through the decade, and documenting the action onstage, backstage, and behind-the-scenes in detailed and uncensored and sometimes shocking first-person accounts.
Honestly I’m so surprised I that I read this in two sittings.
It was well written, engaging and very entertaining .

Originally conceived as a vehicle for Jane’s Addiction’s farewell shows in 1991, Perry Ferrell’s Lollapalooza became an annual touring attraction for alternative music and art between the years 1991 and 1997. Cancelled in 1998, it has since been relaunched in 2005 as a destination weekend event in Chicago’s Hyde Park. Authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour have taken it upon themselves to craft the definitive oral history of the event’s creation, demise and resurrection through hundreds of interviews with artists, reporters and roadies alike.

Being that I was quite young during the festival’s initial run (between the ages of 7 and 13), and also completely incapable of traveling to any of these shows, even their limited Canadian dates, I missed out. As an adult in his early 40s, many of the bands who made up the bill can often find themselves in regular rotation on my Spotify playlists, so my interest was easily drawn to this story. It also doesn’t hurt that I absolutely love oral history books set within a certain genre or era of music; bonus points if it’s something I already enjoy.

You have great stories here from the first few years when the tour was at its most powerful and influential, as well as all the in-fighting and controversies over who played the main-stage versus who played the side-stage. It could truly make a band who was just teetering on the edge of stardom, or, in the case of 1992, it could make going to see a thriving band like Pearl Jam feel like a bargain given that they had just broken through as the tour had launched.

The pressure was always there to make the show more accessible for a wider crowd in an effort to make more money, but Ferrell as well as the other founders, wanted the show to retain that indie-spirit that made it feel special. When they finally caved in 1996 and added Metallica as headliners, it spelled the beginning of the end. I found that so interesting given that you would believe that being able to score a band on the level of Metallica would mean that your festival was becoming larger and more significant, but it came with so many restrictions, culture clashes amongst the fans, and logistical challenges that it quickly became a nightmare. The authors did a good job steering the narrative through all the interviews to explain what the festival was trying to do and its struggle to retain what made it so special in the first place.

If you loved EVERYBODY LOVES OUR TOWN: AN ORAL HISTORY OF GRUNGE and SMASH!: GREEN DAY, THE OFFSPRING, RANCID, NOFX AND THE 90S PUNK EXPLOSION, this will be right up your alley. The two authors leave no stone unturned and present the story of the era warts and all.

Nonfiction, told primarily through interviews from those that were there from the beginning. If you were one of the lucky that attended Lolla when it began, when it was still a touring festival, then you will love this look back at the development, implementation, and wild ride that Perry Farrell envisioned. I found myself thinking of my one ticket to the 1994 show at Pine Knob, where we sat in the hot sun all day watching great music, toured the various booths with both items for sale as well as political messages, had a giant burrito for lunch, and took cover as the fans tore up the Hill during the Beastie Boys.
Various artists, producers, roadies, and Lolla staffers go through each year in detail, with all of the behind the scenes action that the audience did not see. Lollapalooza was the first of the modern day touring festivals, spawning H.O.R.D.E Festival, Lillith Fair, the Warped Tour and Ozzfest (created when Ozzy Osborne was turned down for the Lolla line-up). Read it and enjoy the description of the best years in alternative music.

Major thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour. I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since it was first made available since I remember when Lollapalooza first started, and although I never attended any of them, I also watched it grow as many of the bands I discovered and rabidly listened to were a part of this innovative and ground-breaking festival of the 1990s that continues on today.
I really like these kinds of music books that document periods in music history through interviews with those who were involved in it. I think the first book that I read that was like this was Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, which is an oral history of Punk, specifically focused on New York punk in the 70s. Lollapalooza follows a similar style where its sections are divided up into the different years that Lollapalooza toured, 1991-1997, ending with an epilogue focusing on 2003, when Lollapalooza returned. Each year begins with a narrative overview of the tour, discussing which bands performed, how they were recruited for the tour, like their personal connection with Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction, and other details. Then there are chapters in each year that focus either on a particular artist or band or some other element of the tour. However, these chapters are taken directly from interviews with the artists, managers, and crew involved with making Lollapalooza happen. I found it really easy and enjoyable to read. I kept reading, wanting to know what more would happen each year on these tours. I also loved hearing from artists like Ice-T, members of Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill. It’s also a little sad since there are some artists who are no longer alive to share their stories yet were an important parts of the touring years of the 90s. Artists like Coolio, Mark Lanegan, from Screaming Trees, Layne Staley, from Alice in Chains, Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and Audioslave, and Sinead O’Connor, who I didn’t even realize was a part of the 1995 tour before dropping off. Even though there weren’t any quotes from these artists, other participants shared stories, fond, funny, and sometimes sad, about their experiences touring with them. What I found compelling about this book was also that it contained the perspectives of those who organized and worked on the tour, helping to manage the stages, prep the artists and gear for each act, and break down the equipment and prepare to move the show to another city or location. It was fascinating to learn more about how Lollapalooza operated since there really weren’t too many touring shows like this that had toured around at the time. Some of the interviewees cited the Grateful Dead as a touring model that they looked at and how Bill Graham Productions helped with ironing out the finer details to make the show run more efficiently after they stopped in the Bay Area in either the first or second year. However, Lollapalooza served as the model for other touring shows that sprouted up in its wake in the mid to late 90s (Lillith Fair, HORDE Fest, Ozz Fest, etc). I enjoyed learning about how the different production managers and the contact people for the crowd engagement coordinated to make Lollapalooza so unique and innovative. As the book notes, part of Farrell’s vision for this festival was to bring together disparate perspectives that were kind of encompassing the 90s (and have further drifted apart today). I think there was a quote about having the NRA in attendance along with gun right activists, or pro-life and pro-choice people attend to debate, and I guess learn from one another. It is a kind of cool and idealistic way of thinking how music and art could bring together opposing perspectives on political and social issues, and possibly allow for some learning and understanding. And while I think that may have also been some of the initial thinking about the early world wide web community, it’s kind of devolved into echo chambers and reinforcing biases. However, I think that Perry Farrell had good intentions and, despite his own personal flaws, he had really good taste and a unique vision for the function of music and art in the 90s. Nevertheless, this kind of disparate approach in issues was also reflected in the music lineups, especially in the early years of Lollapalooza. It was fascinating to see the first lineup consisted of Jane’s Addiction, in what was supposed to be their farewell tour, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails (in their first tour), Ice-T (rapping and performing with Body Count), Butthole Surfers, the Rollins Band, and Fishbone. The interviews with the artists also shared their surprise at this amalgamation of different styles that didn’t share much. However, I think any book that features stories about the Butthole Surfers is really enjoyable. I think their chapter in Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life was by far the funniest chapter in the book. Similarly, the stories about the bands stage show and hi-jinks during downtime on the tour were pretty funny. The 1992 tour featured Ice Cube, Soundgarden (in their first appearance at Lollapalooza), Ministry, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but also had a 2nd stage featuring the Jim Rose Circus. The stories with those performers were also really entertaining, and it kind of shows the theatrics and performative sideshow nature that made both Lollapalooza and the 1990s “alternative”.
In addition to the artists and crew, Bienstock and Beaujour also interview music journalists (including Azerrad), who offer some great insights into how music changed in the 90s, as well as the kind of artists/acts that Lollapalooza had to recruit to not only drive ticket sales and crowds, but also seem fresh and cutting edge in the 90s to really appeal as an “alternative” to more of the hair rock that was dying from the 80s and the gradual dormancy of pop music that was to emerge around the late 90s. These journalists and the tour planners offered some interesting insight into the musical choices for the different years, including that Lollapalooza seemed to have sought out Nirvana for the 1994 tour. It sounded like there were some financial concerns, that Nirvana’s price might have been too high, but also that Kurt Cobain’s life was in a spiral due to his hospitalization during the planning months (and shortly before his death). However, the 1994 lineup was equally eclectic and electric, featuring The Breeders, Beastie Boys, George Clinton and P-Funk, A Tribe Called Quest, Green Day, The Flaming Lips, and Guided by Voices. I loved learning that Robert Pollard and his brother beath the Beastie Boys at basketball, and there was lots of differing opinions on Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins headlined that year). I think 1995, one of the lower grossing years, was probably the year I really would have wanted to go. I remember watching 120 Minutes during this time and seeing a live performance of Beck with Sonic Youth doing the “Diamond Sea”, one of my favorite songs that I first got to hear live at a concert shortly after the Lollapalooza tour. Maybe I imagined it, but this wouldn’t have been a video available online since that technology wasn’t really available in 95. However, that was another really cool fact to learn from this book—how many of the artists would end up playing with other bands and jamming together as the tour went on. Other musicians talked about the challenges of being on the road, finding things to keep them engaged and active, especially when many of the festivals were far away from cities. Other artists talked about the challenges of staying sober and not getting too into drugs or alcohol while on tour. The last two years of touring, 96 and 97, were strange lineups that similarly reflected some of the unfortunate directions that music in the 90s were taking. It’s also interesting because as I read in another recent book, Pretend We’re Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the ‘90s by Tanya Pearson, late 1990s music took a very masculine, somewhat misogynistic turn, and this is reflected in some of the festivals like Woodstock 99 (along with the documentary) as well as Lollapalooza’s booking. While the festival was primarily a music festival, there’s also a need to make money, and the promoters and organizers needed to balance the art and commerce. That’s probably how Metallica, who was getting ready to release their Load album, which was not really a metal album, was invited to headline the tour. Although this would bring a lot of fans, some of the other artists (and news reports included in the book) detailed the challenges from performing to audiences that either were not familiar or not interested in their work. It seemed like audiences became lest curious or welcoming. This was even more apparent when a band like James played in 1997 and were confronted by Korn fans, who seemed really hostile to other acts. Despite these challenges, Lollapalooza did bring many different fans and musical styles together. This book especially highlights many of those differences while also sharing some interesting and entertaining stories about what happened behind the scenes, and dishing on what it is like to tour for the summer. I absolutely loved this book, and I can’t wait to read the other book about 80’s hair bands by Bienstock and Beaujour (Nothin’ But a Good Time). Highly recommended book!

A very enjoyable read. I personally liked this slightly more than the authors' previous book on hair metal/hard rock, but it was close. What can you really say about "oral histories," though. I think you either like'em or hate'em.

This book flows cohesively, year by year, lineup by lineup. I wish I had attended the 1995 iteration. I never did attend any traveling Lollapaloozas, but did take in the 2005, 2006, and 2008 Grant Park shows. Then, it lost ALL semblance of a rock music festival. 2025 looks like a particularly miserable lineup, but as we know, it's no longer about the music, but I digress.

Great historical work, I recommend to youngsters and Lolla vets alike.