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In the second year of its
third incarnation as a "destination festival" drawing alternative rock fans
from across the country, Lollapalooza has announced it is expanding to a
third day and branching out to occupy a larger portion of Grant Park.
As reported Jan. 30 in the
Sun-Times, this year's Lollapalooza will take place Aug. 4-6. On Monday,
concert organizer Capital Sports & Entertainment of Austin, Texas, announced
it not only will occupy Hutchinson Field, as it did for two days last
summer, but will extend north past Buckingham Fountain -- which will remain
open to the public through the concert -- to the additional site of Butler
Field, location of the Petrillo Music Shell and home of Taste of Chicago and
other city music fests.
The new and bigger plans
call for a total of eight stages and 130 bands, according to the promoters.
Information on ticket sales and the list of performers won't be announced
until mid-March, but sources said psychedelic popsters the Flaming Lips are
one act that is considering taking part, and persistent rumors continue
about another, reunited Chicago alt-rock heroes the Smashing Pumpkins.
Neither is confirmed.
Lollapalooza initially
was launched by former Jane's Addiction leader Perry Farrell in 1991 as a
touring daylong alternative rock festival. It went on hiatus from 1998 to
2002, returned again as a national tour in 2003, but was canceled because of
poor tickets sales in 2004.
The new Chicago-centered
Lollapalooza was deemed a success in 2005, however, drawing 30,000 fans each
day to Grant Park and raising $400,000 for parks improvements. A portion of
the proceeds this year once again will benefit the Park District, promoters
and city officials said.
Bob O'Neill, a spokesman
for the citizens' watchdog group the Grant Park Conservancy, said money
raised by last year's concert is enabling a restoration of Hutchinson Field
set to begin this spring.
"Lollapalooza this year
will mean even more funds for Chicago's parks," including the creation of
the proposed Solti Gardens in Grant Park," O'Neill said. "This is music to
our ears."
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