By Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — The lineup for Lollapalooza’s 10th year Aug. 1-3 in Grant Park won’t be announced until next week, but industry sources confirm that the headliners will include Eminem, Skrillex, Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys.
Lollapalooza, which last year drew a capacity audience of 300,000 to the three-day festival, will mark return visits for all four bands. Additional headliners and the complete lineup will be announced next week.
Eminem previously headlined the festival in 2011 and late last year released “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” which debuted at No. 1 and has sold about 2 million copies.
Skrillex has been at the leading edge of the EDM (electronic dance music) movement for several years, and has been a Lollapalooza regular, first performing there in 2011 and returning last year with his Dog Blood side project. His rapid ascent coincides with Lollapalooza’s increasingly large role in advancing dance-music artists; in past years, electronic acts such as Daft Punk, Deadmau5 and Avicii have played high-profile sets.
Kings of Leon used the festival circuit as a springboard over the last decade to becoming an arena rock band, and they headlined Lollapalooza in 2009. Arctic Monkeys last appeared at Lollapalooza before a huge late-afternoon crowd in 2011, but this year marks the U.K. quartet’s first headlining slot there.
The festival will once again spread more than 100 bands and artists across eight stages. It became a destination festival in 2005, based in Chicago and promoted by Austin-based C3 Presents, after launching in 1991 as a multi-band touring event centered on Jane’s Addiction’s farewell tour.
Tickets are scheduled to go on sale next Tuesday.
Photo: Gonzo Chicago via Flickr
