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AUSTIN, Texas -- Delivering
on the promise they made after last year's otherwise spectacularly
successful festival, the promoters of the now-Chicago-based Lollapalooza
have embraced musical diversity in 2006 as the concert expands to three
days, Aug. 4-6, and spans 69 acres of Grant Park, from Hutchinson Field to
the Petrillo Music Shell.
The biggest coups among
this year's bookings are local hip-hop superstars Kanye West and Common.
Although they've sold millions of albums, neither has played a hometown show
near the size of Lollapalooza, and Grant Park has never hosted a major rap
concert. The festival will be the largest celebration of the city's hip-hop
accomplishments.
Other top draws include
Chicago alternative country/art-rock heroes Wilco; Lollapalooza veterans the
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sonic Youth; darlings of "The O.C.," Death Cab for
Cutie; stoner rockers Queens of the Stone Age; Oklahoma psychedelic popsters
the Flaming Lips; the chart-topping Hasidic reggae/hip-hop artist Matisyahu,
and Spanish artist Manu Chao, who has been hailed for his mix of rock,
French chanson, salsa, reggae, ska and Algerian rai.
The nearly 130 acts were
announced Thursday by Perry Farrell, the former leader of Jane's Addiction,
who founded Lollapalooza in 1991 as a daylong traveling alternative rock
festival. Coinciding with the South by Southwest Music Conference, the news
conference was held in Austin, home base of primary promoters Capital Sports
& Entertainment, who boasted of "revitalizing the Lollapalooza brand" and
stressed the diversity of this year's bill.
"This is a kick-ass
lineup!" said Farrell, who sported a tuxedo jacket once owned by Fred
Astaire. Added Capital Sports CEO Charlie Jones: "We are really interested
in reaching out to as many people as possible, including all of Chicago's
different music communities."
In addition to making a
stronger effort to include hip-hop, the promoters have embraced the jam-band
crowd with acts such as Umphrey's McGee, Blues Traveler, the Disco Biscuits
and transplanted Chicagoans Poi Dog Pondering.
Other Chicago acts
include the Smoking Popes, Andrew Bird, the Redwalls and the M's -- a
relatively tiny sampling from the vast well of local talent, and the only
significant criticism of an otherwise impressive lineup. Jones and talent
booker Charles Attal emphasized that "this is a national festival," though
they said a few more local artists may be announced in coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the full list
of other performers includes the Raconteurs, Ween, the Shins, Ryan Adams,
Thievery Corporation, Sleater-Kinney, Nickel Creek, Broken Social Scene, the
New Pornographers, Iron & Wine, Coheed and Cambria, the Secret Machines, the
Eels, Panic! at the Disco, She Wants Revenge, the Dresden Dolls, the Rev.
Horton Heat, Gnarls Barkley, Stars, Cursive, Blackalicious, Editors, Lyrics
Born, Lady Sovereign, Hard-Fi, Calexico, Nada Surf, Feist, Aqualung, the
Frames, the Hold Steady, the Go! Team, Mates of State, Pepper and Particle.
Also: Mute Math,
Wolfmother, Sparta, the Subways, Of Montreal, Blue October, Jeremy Enigk,
Living Things, Sound Team, Hot Chip, the Benevento-Russo Duo, Matt Costa,
the New Amsterdams, deadboy & the Elephantmen, Sybris, Anathallo, the Burden
Brothers, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Manishevitz, Husky Rescue, the Towers
of London, Ohmega Watts, Boy Kill Boy, Jim Noir, the Standard, Be Your Own
Pet, Elvis Perkins, Trevor Hall and Midlake.
The promoters admit they
lost money last year in their attempt to reinvent Lollapalooza as a
destination festival in Grant Park, paying top dollar to the artists,
sparing no expense on fan amenities and raising $400,000 for park
improvements. But they consider the loss an investment in building an annual
-- and presumably eventually profitable -- world-class music fest.
A share of the proceeds
will once again go to the nonprofit Parkways Foundation, the philanthropic
partner of the Chicago Park District. Jones said he won't consider
Lollapalooza 2006 successful if he doesn't raise at least $800,000 for the
city parks.
Promoters are hoping to
draw 75,000 fans per day to Grant Park, more than double the 30,000 who
attended each day last year, though the size of the concert site has also
doubled.
Despite the wealth of
talent, tickets are once again priced at $130 for a three-day pass -- or
about a buck a band -- on sale now via the concert's Web site,
www.lollapalooza.com.
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