Talent Scouting at Lollapalooza

Every April, Lollapalooza rolls out its festival lineup on a glorious wave of breathless hype, sending thousands of music aficionados flocking to Chicago to dance, sing, and drink booze at high noon.  While the headlining groups may pack crowds and eclipse media attention, the festival also acts as a critical springboard for emerging artists, creating an opportunity for festival-goers to catch early incarnations of what may prove to be next year’s headlining attractions.  As perhaps the most infamous Lollapalooza graduate, Lady Gaga rose from the ashes of her 2007 performance only to command the Parkways Foundation main stage with pyrotechnics, giant angler fish, and fully fledged theatrical gusto a mere three years later. Comebacks aside, Lollapalooza has granted many side-stage performers a foothold in the nation’s musical psyche—singer Ke$a’s 2009 stint on the BMI stage helped launch her glitzy, gutterpunk-pop into the top 40 charts, while folk troubadour Elvis Perkins amassed a large following after his 2006 performance. Drawing on this time honored tradition of break-out stardom, Eleven caught up with three of Lollapalooza 2010’s up-and-coming performers to wax poetic on fame and fortune.

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This entry was written by Annie Rose Fondaw, posted on September 14, 2010 at 11:37 am, filed under New Music and tagged , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lollapalooza: Day 2 Highlights

So many bands, so little time – it was the best type of endurance test!  Here are Eleven’s Lolla Day 2 highlights:

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This entry was written by Jonathan Fritz, posted on August 16, 2010 at 6:57 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.