Perry Farrell created Lollapalooza some 24 years ago as a farewell tour for his eclectic alt-rock band, Jane's Addiction. Not even Farrell, the outlandish front man whose legacy coincides with those of the Chris Cornell's and Dave Grohl's of rock and roll, could have seen it expanding into a longstanding three-day amalgamate of music it's become.
Then, Lollapalooza championed lesser known bands - like Nine Inch Nails and Cypress Hill - added exposure at a time when grunge rock, and to a lesser extent gangster rap, dominated MTV airplay. Farrell's goals were a little more auspicious then: travel for months at a time with artists' that could adjust to the schedule.
Fans' interest waned as bigger groups joined, mainly because Lollapalooza was meant to focus on alternative culture rather than what aired on mainstream radio. Soon, Farrell lost interest. A five-year gap between 1997 and 2003 gave it a temporary reprieve, but slow ticket sales put the kibosh on a planned North American tour in 2004.
It wasn't until Farrell partnered with C3 Presents, which puts on Texas' renowned Austin City Limits Music Festival, one year later that Lollapalooza began to mirror what it is today; a weekend extravaganza annually held in Chicago's Grant Park.
Some of Lollapalooza's most memorable moments have come alongside Lake Michigan. In 2007, Daft Punk played so hard the main stage's speakers blew out, though Farrell later said he still saw attendees dancing way in the back. Rage Against the Machine, who was a festival staple until 1996, returned 12 years late to a crowd of over 60,000 people, many which jumped barricades and eluded security just to get an earful of Tom Morello's indelible guitar riffs.
Metallica was one of reasons concert-goers abandoned Farrell's festival in the mid-90s. Yet they're one of 2015's more anticipated headliners this time around, along with Florence and the Machine, Kaskade - who made a Spotify playlist for his set - and iconic Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.
With a well-balanced lineup stacked with premiere musicians, there's little worry about Lollapalooza disappearing anytime soon.
Date: July 31 - August 2, 2015
Time: Streaming from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. CST daily
Location: Grant Park, Chicago, Ill.
Artists to watch:
Cold War Kids (Friday) - The Long Beach-based quintet would have received as much acclaim following 2006's debut Robbers & Cowards without lead singer Nathan Willett's yearning vocals and soothing piano chords. While reviews of their most recent LP, Hold My Home, are mixed, there's no doubt Cold War Kids are one of indie rock's most vibrant bands.
Death from Above 1979 (Saturday) - Canadian dance-metal duo Death from Above 1979 is a welcomed addition to any festival roster. So it wasn't too surprising when Jesse F. Keeler - aka MSFTRKRFT - and singer/drummer Sebastien Grainger left Coachella 2011 audiences in awe after reuniting from a five-year hiatus. Look for some of the same at Lollapalooza.
Galantis (Sunday) - Anyone familiar with Miike Snow's brand of electro-indie pop can appreciate Galantis' bold debut, Pharmacy. "You," their second single as a band made its way through EDM festivals throughout the 2014 summer and made way for monster hit "Runaway (U & I)," which has been remixed over and over again since its release last October.
Live Stream: Lollapalooza.Redbull.tv
Live broadcasts over three somewhat-themed channels start at 2 p.m. CST each day, beginning with English indie rock bank Glass Animals on channel 1 and longtime DJ/HARD Events founder Gary Richards - aka Destructo - kicking off EDM sets on channel 2. Sal Masekela and Ted Stryker will hosts shows, interview artists, and give behind-the-scenes sneak peeks throughout the weekend.
Redbull.tv webcast schedule (All times CST)
Friday, July 31
Channel 1
2:15 p.m.: Glass Animals
3:00 p.m.: Tove Lo
4:00 p.m.: Cold War Kids
5:00 p.m.: Hot Chip
6:00 p.m.: The War on Drugs
7:30 p.m.: Alabama Shakes
8:30 p.m.: The Weeknd
Channel 2
3:00 p.m.: James Bay
4:15 p.m.: St. Paul and the Broken Bones
5:15 p.m.: Father John Misty
6:15 p.m.: MS MR
7:15 p.m.: alt-J
8:45 p.m.: Kaskade
Channel 3
2:15 p.m.: Destructo
3:00 p.m.: Peking Duk
3:45 p.m.: What So Not
4:45 p.m.: DJ Mustard
5:45 p.m.: DJ Snake
7:00 p.m.: Dillon Francis
8:15 p.m.: Gary Clark Jr.
Saturday, August 1
Channel 1
2:15 p.m.: Holychild
3:00 p.m.: Django Django
3:45 p.m.: Charli XCX
4:45 p.m.: Death From Above 1979
7:00 p.m.: Walk the Moon
8:15 p.m.: Metallica
Channel 2
2:15 p.m.: Mick Jenkins
3:00 p.m.: Zella Day
6:00 p.m.: Delta Spirit
8:00 p.m.: Chet Faker
Channel 3
2:15 p.m.: Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas
3:00 p.m.: Wet
4:15 p.m.: Caked Up
5:15 p.m.: RL Grime
6:15 p.m.: Boys Noize
7:15 p.m.: Carnage
Sunday, August 2
Channel 1
2:05 p.m.: Night Terrors of 1927
2:50 p.m.: DMA's
3:45 p.m.: Moon Taxi
4:30 p.m.: Twenty One Pilots
6:30 p.m.: Of Monsters and Men
7:30 p.m.: Paul McCartney
Channel 2
2:05 p.m.: Twin Peaks
3:45 p.m.: George Ezra
4:30 p.m.: Marina and the Diamonds
5:30 p.m.: Lord Huron
6:30 p.m.: G-Eazy
7:30 p.m.: TV on the Radio
8:30 p.m.: A$AP Rocky
9:30 p.m.: Bassnectar
Channel 3
2:15 p.m.: In the Whale
4:00 p.m.: Mako
4:45 p.m.: Galantis
5:45 p.m.: The Chainsmokers
6:45 p.m.: Logic
8:30 p.m.: NERO
Watch Lollapalooza in its entirety on Redbull.tv.