Lollapalooza 2008 announces official lineup :: Music News :: Articles

Say what you will about Lollapalooza, but the drama surrounding the announcement of the festival's official '08 lineup has added some much-needed excitement to the rainy spring months. After the often controversial, sometimes insightful Chicago Sun-Times rock critic Jim DeRogatis leaked some of the headliners, Perry Farrell ran his mouth, calling the critic, among other things, Pepe LePew. The two have had some bad blood in the past, which just adds to the controversy. Any press is good press, right, buddies?

Anyway, here's the dirt: The festival goes down Aug. 1-3 in Chicago's Grant Park. Radiohead is headlining—something they'll be doing rather a lot of this year— but this time without their headlining buddy Jack Johnson (trouble in paradise?). Lolla also scored Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, The Raconteurs, Wilco and Gnarls Barkley. The festival has lined up some amazing Paste favorites as well, including The National, Broken Social Scene, Cat Power, Okkervil River, The Black Keys, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Mates of State, The Go! Team, the Black Lips, and Chicago favorites Office.

All the cheapo—assuming you count $175 as "cheapo"—early-bird tickets have sold out; however, advance three-day passes ($190) are still available. There's also a pretty ominous piece of fine print on the Lolla website that states "As levels sell out, prices are subject to change without notice." Oh, giant, corporate rock festivals. Don't ever change.

Lollapalooza 2008 line up:

Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
Nine Inch Nails
Kanye West
Wilco
The Raconteurs
Okkervil River
Louis XIV
Love and Rockets
Gnarls Barkley
Bloc Party
The Black Keys
Broken Social Scene
Lupe Fiasco
Flogging Molly
Mark Ronson
Cat Power
The National
G. Love & Special Sauce
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Explosions in the Sky
Brand New
Gogol Bordello
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Dierks Bentley
Amadou & Mariam
Blues Traveler
John Butler Trio
Girl Talk
Your Vegas
CSS
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves
Battles
Steel Train
Jamie Lidell
Bang Camaro
Butch Walker
The Blakes
Mates of State
Tally Hall
Spank Rock
White Lies
Brazilian Girls
Magic Wands
Chromeo
Electric Touch
Duffy
Innerpartysystem
The Kills
The Postelles
Rogue Wave
The Parlor Mob
The Go! Team
Bald Eagle
Mason Jennings
Krista
The Gutter Twins
Ha Ha Tonka
Yeasayer
Witchcraft
Grizzly Bear
We Go To 11
MGMT
Sofia Talvik
The Weakerthans
Booka Shade
Santogold
Black Kids
Black Lips
Dr. Dog
Nicole Atkins & the Sea
The Ting Tings
Kid Sister
Office
The Cool Kids
What Made Milwaukee Famous
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
The Whigs
Manchester Orchestra
Foals
Uffie
The Octopus Project
Cadence Weapon
Ferras
De Novo Dahl
Noah and the Whale
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
K'NAAN
Serena Ryder
Newton Faulkner