Radiohead's Thom Yorke

My first thought when looking over this roster, is that it's very much top-heavy. Let's think of the past couple of years: in '07, Pearl Jam finished everything off playing the final set (with no other acts playing at that time on any other stages) on the final night (Sunday) of the festival. It was the same with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2006. That was it, though, for tried and true headling acts. Lower on the bill was no shortage of extremely popular and capable acts (Interpol, Kanye West, Wilco, Daft Punk, Muse, etc.) who are all bona-fide established artists in their own right, but not that grand-slam calibre of the sort of act that gets their name printed on the top line of a festival poster. This year, though, it's clear that the organizers are going for a clear-cut ender for each of the three nights.
In Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Rage Against The Machine, that's what we certainly have on our hands.

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails

Rage Against The Machine

By the way..I'll never forget driving up to Toronto to see Lollapalooza #1 during the summer of 1991. I was a young teenager, and thankfully my sister and her boyfriend were going, and I was able to tag along! Anyway...everyone of course was there to see Jane's Addiction, plus Siouxsie & The Banshees, Butthole Surfers, and Living Colour..but somewhere towards the early part of that day, a band walked out wearing all black, with a singer whose long black hair and intense demeanor could be seen straight up in my seats in the nosebleed section. Nobody had really heard of them yet, but I do remember a couple of folks nearby saying, "oh, these are those Nine Inch Nails guys, aren't they?". They were, and they proceeded to tear the place up, and destroying at least one keyboard into a million little bits. They were certainly making their mark, and in a hurry. Good to see them back in the mix.

As well, perhaps you were at Lollapalooza #2 in '92, and caught Rage on the side stage. Their debut record hit later that year, and they were promptly on the mainstage at Lolla in 1993.

Love & Rockets

Easily the biggest (and most pleasant) surprise for me is the inclusion of alternative rock founding fathers Love & Rockets. One of my all-time favorite groups, I'm of course happy to see them on the roster, even if it is a bit baffling...their last new studio record came out in 1998, afterall. But perhaps the connection is this: Love & Rockets is the band Bauhaus minus singer Peter Murphy. Two summers ago, Bauhaus co-headlined the big Nine Inch Nails tour..so, perhaps there's the tie-in.

Wilco

Now here's what disappoints me about this lineup. It's simply the fact that there is a sizeable rash of repeat artists. I'm not talking about NIN playing in '91 and returning in '08. I'm talking about the likes of Wilco, The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, Louis XIV, Kanye, Lupe Fiasco, The Black Keys, Broken Social Scene et al. These artists have all been a part of Lollapalooza at some point in the past few years during this Chicago-only incarnation of the event. Don't get me wrong, anyone who's a repeat this year, is so because they are current and viable artists, most of which have excellent new records out right now. I say "most", because I just don't think the new Louis XIV is very strong, and nobody is talking about the new Gnarles Barkley record.
So yes, they are solid additions to the lineup (and when does including Wilco not work in this town?), but with so much incredible music being released out there by so many worthy artists..I tend to think that the initial spirit of Lollapalooza is lost a bit. Lost in the sense that they are the ones who should be featured on this stage and exposed to the audience...as opposed to simply re-booking the ones that you know will sell tickets.

Side note: Can someone please tell me what sort of incriminating photos of Perry Farrell that G. Love of G. Love & Special Sauce posesses, in order for him to keep showing up on this lineup 3 out of the past 4 years?!? Last I checked, nobody outside of an east coast college campus cared one bit about these guys.

Kid Sister

Office

The Chicago element remains strong at Lollapalooza, and that's a good thing. Yes, Kanye will be an enormous draw, and Lupe was an attraction last year and will be even more so this year. I just can't help but wonder though, isn't there any other exciting and emerging hip-hop out there (Chicago-based or not)? At least we'll have Chicago's Kid Sister representing some new ground in hip-hop during this festival. As well, Chicago indie rockers Office are an official Lolla act, after being a last minute fill-in in 2006. Look for lots more Chicago talent to get booked as the organizers flesh out more opening slots later this summer.

Cat Power

Brazilian Girls

People have already been asking me, "ok..there's lots of artists I've never heard of, who should I make it a point to check out??". Well, rest assured, there are always gems to be uncovered at this festival. The most fun for people in our business is to spot them when playing tiny venues, and Lolla sets at 10am, then seeing where they are in a year or two. Just look back to acts such as The Arcade Fire, Tegan & Sara, The Frames, OK Go, Spoon, and several more..who all played side stages sometime in the past few years.
For me, I would say not to miss Cat Power, nor half-American half-English duo The Kills, or The Gutter Twins. The Gutter Twins is the excellent new project of Mark Lanegan (of The Screaming Trees) and Greg Dulli (of Afghan Whigs).
I last saw New York's Brazilian Girls at the 2006 Iceland Airwaves Festival, and they are an infectious live band. I only hope they play after it's dark out, so that we can experience the full-effect of their lighting/staging. On that same note, CSS is an electronic outfit from Brazil, who had to cancel last year and are back on. They've emerged as a force in the electronic world, with many artists pointing to them as inspiration. I'm also curious about Duffy, who is looking like she will be 2008's British female export, a la Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. The National have released perhaps my favorite record in the past calendar year, so I'll be sure not to miss them, and Jamie Lidell has got to have the grooviest indie release of '08 so far. And though I've mentioned them earlier as a repeat act, I will still check out Broken Social Scene because they simply are that good...especially when you consider that B.S.S. consists of members of Stars, and also Feist, who just this week nabbed 5 Juno Awards (Canadian version of the Grammys).

So what do YOU think? Which bands are you excited to see? Which bands would you rather see on the lineup? Do you even care? Leave a comment and let everyone know!

All in all...it will, as it always is, be an incredible weekend of music. Here's to it NOT being 105 degrees this time.
cheers,
pogo