Leaked set list for Lollapalooza contains diversity

The Bonnaroo official lineup emerged recently, and soon after — possibly in response — came a screenshot on Twitter from what looks like the editing page of the official Lollapalooza website. This screenshot shows what the lineup page on the official website would look like if it were released to the public. It gave festival fanatics an unconfirmed taste of the headliners and other major acts that might perform at the August 2013 festival in Chicago.

Although these musicians are not yet confirmed for the festival, the potential headliners represent Lollapalooza’s stellar track record of bringing a wide range of top-tier artists to the venue.

As a Chicago native and Lollapalooza veteran, I was eager to break down these acts and how they would shape the festival. This leak indicated that high-profile artists such as The Cure, Jay-Z, Mumford and Sons, Skrillex, Blur, The Flaming Lips, Vampire Weekend, My Bloody Valentine, Kendrick Lamar, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and MGMT could potentially perform at the festival.

Conceived in 1991 by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Fewell, this once-upon-a-time rock festival has expanded to include the newer genres of hip-hop and electronic music while still bringing in a slew of classic rock and older bands from other genres.

Let’s take a look at the major acts individually.

The Cure is this year’s token vintage band, mirroring the selection of Black Sabbath from last year. These gothic rockers are close to completing their 14th album, and they headlined last summer at the U.K.-based Reading and Leeds Festival and Electric Picnic. I believe they will entice an older generation to come to the festival, which within the last few years has been overwhelmingly dominated by high school and college students.

Jay-Z is this year’s golden goose. Based on the age demographic of visitors, as well as the mainstream appeal of his music, Jay-Z will most likely be the most-attended act at the festival. Whichever day he performs would unquestionably have the largest chunk of Lollers present. Jay-Z’s potential attendance leads excited fans to wonder if Beyonce will make a special appearance at the show.

Mumford and Sons is the reason I will return to Lollapalooza. This British four-piece folk band has brought a very neglected genre to the spotlight and, interestingly enough, will have already headlined Bonnaroo just two months prior to playing at Lollapalooza — the band’s spot at Bonnaroo is already confirmed. Headlining two of America’s most popular music festivals demonstrates the band’s extreme popularity and astronomical rise, fresh off a certified-platinum sophomore album.

The selection of Skrillex is not necessarily an interesting choice, but it signifies an evolving Lollapalooza. Following the likes of Avicii, Kaskade, Justice, Deadmau5, Crystal Castles and Afrojack as electronic artists getting mainstream recognition, Skrillex is already a seasoned Lollapalooza performer, having previously appeared at the festival in 2011. He should be able to draw in a larger crowd this time around, given his increased name recognition since that time and his crushing the previous two Grammy Awards ceremonies to take home six awards out of eight nominations.

The Flaming Lips, also Lollapalooza veterans, should put on a fantastic show. Out of all the headliners, they’re most like last year’s selection of Red Hot Chili Peppers. As a festival attendee, I would definitely see the band if they weren’t playing at the same time as Mumford and Sons, according the the leaked schedule.

Blur is this year’s sleeper pick. These ’90s Britpop rockers — and heavy competitors with Oasis — reunited just five years ago as frontman Damon Albarn went on hiatus from his other project, Gorillaz, who played at Lollapalooza a few short years ago.

Both Kendrick Lamar and My Bloody Valentine stand out to me as the most intriguing non-headliners. Lamar’s debut CD, good kid, m.A.A.d city, met with rave reviews from critics and has catapulted him to being the fastest-rising star in the hip-hop game. The Irish rockers of My Bloody Valentine just released their first album in 12 years to universal acclaim. This is the perfect time to re-emerge as top-tier rockers.

A healthy mix of gothic rock, hip-hop, electronic, alternative, folk and punk rock should ensure a splendid variety of people in attendance at the festival, as there will be something for everyone to see. The attempts to diversify the crowd will surely create a success and bring more than just 20-somethings to the show, as several of these bands have been around longer than many of the festival’s attendees.

Although these high-profile artists have yet to be confirmed as performers at Lollapalooza, they continue to hype up a festival that has an exceptional reputation for bringing in incredible artists. It gives the fans who ravaged the early-bird and special-offer tickets in only a few minutes of their release — before any leaks even surfaced at all — a little peace of mind.

Remember that these musical acts are simply rumors and haven’t been confirmed. Official lineups should be released in April, but until then, all we can do is hold our breath.

Adam Krauss is the host of The Electronic View, which can be heard on 92.1 WPTS on Tuesdays from noon to 2 p.m. He can be reached at awk13@pitt.edu.