2009 Lollapalooza Hits Chicago's Grant Park

Article begins here:

For the fifth year, the musical festival Lollapalooza is held in Chicago's Grant Park. Lollapalooza 2009 begins on Friday, August 7 and ends on Sunday, August 9. The event will continue to appear annually in Chicago until the summer of 2018. Lollapalooza 2009 is one of the most popular of music events, and this year's event occurs the same year as the 40th anniversary of the 1960's Woodstock musical festival. Lollapalooza features a line-up of over six stages and 130 bands including performances by Kings of Leon, Depeche Mode, Snoop Dog, The Killers, Lou Reed, Arctic Monkeys, Ben Folds, Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jane's Addiction.

Although a 39 year old man died of cardiac arrest after attending Friday's Lollapalooza, the event has been moving along peacefully as of Friday evening. The rain that fell on day one of the musical event did not keep away the 75,000 people, some with umbrellas and rain coats, some without, enjoying the music and all that Lollapalooza has to offer.

The temperature in Chicago for the weekend of the 2009 Lollapalooza will hit the 90's. Lisa Hickey, spokesperson for Lollapalooza, said to Chicago's ABC Channel 7 news, on Friday, August 7, that participants are allowed to bring water to Lollapalooza to battle the heat on Saturday and Sunday. Participants who attend the musical festival will also find water stations and first aid stations.

In the past ,musical videos on MTV were a huge promotional force for music, and now its live performances, according to Anthony DeCurtis, a music critic and reviewer for Rolling Stone Magazine, in an interview to Chicago's WBBM news. "People use music to forge an identity," said Anthony DeCurtis to Chicago's WBBM news on August 7, 2009. "Live performances are driving music."

Lollapalooza got a strong start but changed over the years. Inspired by Perry Farrell, of Jane's Addiction, among others, Lollapalooza began in 1990. It toured around the country and featured a line up of alternative and grunge bands such as Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Nine Inch Nails, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It also featured booths for artistic works, tattoo and piercing booths, open mic readings, mosh pits and other forms of alternative expression. In 1996, Perry Farrell left Lollapalooza and eventually the musical festival ended. In 2005, Lollapalooza returned, but no longer traveled around the country. It was contracted to appear in Grant Park, in Chicago Illinois, every August until 2018.

Sources:

Lollapalooza - Official Site

History of Lollapalooza - Wikipedia

ABC News - for Lisa Hickey

WBBM - for Anthony DeCurtis

Man dies after falling ill at Lollapalooza - Chicago Tribune