Photos: Lollapalooza through the years, from traveling circus to destination festival
Lollapalooza started as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction in 1991.
More than 30 years later, the festival — now a destination event showcasing hundreds of bands, from emerging artists to rock stars — is here to stay (until at least 2032).
We’ve been there since it began as a traveling festival with a stop at the former New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park (now Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre), capturing the sights and sounds of the summer music staple that now draws hundreds of thousands of fans to Grant Park every year.
We took a look through our archives to find photos that captured the vibe, energy and scene throughout the years and to show the festival’s evolution from a roving concert featuring nine performers to a behemoth multi-day event boasting hundreds of artists, from up-and-coming bands to global superstars.
Relive some of the festival’s seminal moments in the images below.
Street fashion at Lollapalooza music festival at New World Music Theater in Tinley Park, July 2, 1993. Lollapalooza — which took place on one day and one stage — debuted July 18, 1991. For the next month and a half, the tour’s nine performers visited 21 cities, including Aug. 3 at the New World Music Theatre (formerly the Tweeter Center, currently Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre) in Tinley Park.
Sun-Times file
Many of the young fans at Lollapalooza in 1993 dressed in stylishly disheveled clothes that looked as if they’d been passed down from older siblings, but probably were bought brand new at their local mall, the Sun-Times reported at the time.
Sun-Times file
Zack de la Rocha, of Rage Against the Machine, wows the crowd at Lollapalooza in Tinley Park, July 5, 1993. The band returned in 2008 as one of the headliners, testing the boundaries of festival security after fans crashed the gates.
Al Podgorski/Sun-Times
The 1993 iteration of Lollapalooza provided plenty of non-musical offerings to fill the long hours in the summer sun, including places for attendees to get temporary tattoos and piercings.
Sun-Times file
Fans line up to enter Lollapalooza music festival at New World Music Theater in Tinley Park, July 2, 1993.
Sun-Times file
Fashion trends in the 1990s included tie-dye and band tees for people to display their musical tastes.
Sun-Times file
Surf and turf style was a popular look in 1993 at Lollapalooza. Eric Chapman (center) drove down from Holland, Indiana, with a couple of friends dressed in an oversized T-shirt and knee-length yellow shorts, both purchased at his favorite skateboarding stores.
Sun-Times file
A fan crowd surfs in the lawn seats/mosh pit while Cypress Hill plays during Lollapalooza, July 15, 1995.
Jon Sall/Sun-Times
Fans in the lawn seats mosh at Lollapalooza 1995 while Cypress Hill plays, July 15, 1995. Crowds at the festival have grown over the years; in the 1990s, when the festival was at New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, the capacity of the venue was around 28,000. Today the festival draws 100,000 people a day over four days to Grant Park.
Jon Sall/Sun-Times
Sinead O’Connor performs at Lollapalooza at the New World Music Theater in Tinley Park, July 15, 1995. The controversial singer was on her first American tour since she angered many Roman Catholics in 1992 by tearing up a picture of the pope on “Saturday Night Live.”
Jon Sall/Sun-Times
Dan Talbot, of Star Security, takes matters into his own hands as he cools off the crowd during Lollapalooza, June 30, 1996.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Sun-Times
The Ramones perform during Lollapalooza, June 30, 1996.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Sun-Times
Attendees slam dance in front of the main stage at Lollapalooza, June 30, 1996.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Sun-Times
Desiree V. Castro as Anti-Popper in Dream Circus performs during Lollapalooza at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, July 12, 2003.
Scott Stewart/Sun-Times
Jurassic 5 performs during Lollapalooza at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, July 12, 2003.
Scott Stewart/Sun-Times
Crowds gather to watch Dream Circus perform during Lollapalooza at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, July 12, 2003. After losing money, the traveling festival went on hiatus after 1997 and after a lukewarm post-millennium resurrection beginning in 2003, Lollapalooza seemed doomed.
Scott Stewart/Sun-Times
The crowd gets up for the Dandy Warhols during Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Sunday, July 24, 2005.
Tom Cruze/Sun-Times
Wayne Coyne, lead singer for the Flaming Lips, rolls around the crowd in a big ball before the band’s first song at Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Aug. 5, 2006.
Tom Cruze/Sun-Times
People stand, watch and listen to the sounds of Lollapalooza before Chicago Police Department and security officials tell people they can’t do that, Aug. 5, 2006. The festival has beefed up security in recent years after people attempted to scale or knock over fences around the festival to gain entry into the event.
Tom Cruze/Sun-Times
Fans flock to Grant Park for day one of Lollapalooza, Aug. 1, 2008. The festival was first held at Grant Park in 2005.
Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times
Amy Winehouse performs at Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007. It was one of her only U.S. festival appearances before she died on July 23, 2011, at 27 years old of accidental alcohol poisoning.
Brian Kersey/AP file
An attendee walks through Grant Park during Lollapalooza, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008.
AP Photo/Russel A. Daniels
Todd Peterson, of Accenting Imaging, Inc., fixes lighting cables on day one of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Aug. 1, 2008.
Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times
Lady Gaga performs during Lollapalooza, Aug. 6, 2010. Three years earlier, she performed on the BMI Stage with Lady Starlight.
Tom Cruze/Sun-Times
Jariya Cheng Charoen and Mark Kowal, both from Chicago, kiss during Lollapalooza, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2011.
Sun-Times file
Concert-goers watch the band Foster the People perform during Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Friday, Aug. 5, 2011.
John J. Kim/Sun-Times
A Lollapalooza attendee plays in the mud after a strong late afternoon rain storm passed through the area Aug. 7, 2011, turning Grant Park into a mud pit. The torrential downpours led to memorable set by headliners Foo Fighters; midway through the band’s performance, singer Dave Grohl thanked the crowd for sticking with him and sang “Times Like These” by himself, celebrating the special moment, the Sun-Times reported at the time.
Tom Cruze/Sun-Times
Many concert attendees play in the mud after a strong late afternoon rain storm passed through the area on day three of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.
Tom Cruze/Sun-Times
A lone concertgoer dances in the middle of Columbus Drive during the Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012.
John J. Kim/Sun-Times
Concertgoers wave their hands while listening to Anamanaguchi during the Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012.
John J. Kim/Sun-Times
Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, performs on the third and final day of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2014. Five years later, he returned as one of the headliners.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
James Sykora, 18, and Alyssa Kuciunas, 18, both of Downers Grove, relax during Lollapalooza, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014.
Alex Wroblewski/Sun-Times
Paul McCartney performs on day one of Lollapalooza in Grant Park on July 31, 2015. McCartney’s headlining set marked a big return to nostalgia for Lollapalooza, where musical legends mingle with newcomers — bands with a couple of radio hits vs. musicians who have been around for decades.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Paul McCartney performs on day one of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, July 31, 2015. He performed at the same time as The Weeknd, a classic example of attendees’ constant struggle of choosing between nostalgia vs. newcomers at Lollapalooza.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Fans dance and cheer during Kid Cudi’s performance on the second night of Lollapalooza, Aug. 1, 2015.
Saiyna Bashir/Sun-Times
Guitarist Dave Navarro and lead vocalist Perry Farrell perform with Jane’s Addiction on day three of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Saturday, July 30, 2016. Farrell, who founded Lollapalooza in 1991 to celebrate the group’s farewell after its second album, “Ritual de lo Habitual,” commemorated the 25th birthday of the festival and “Ritual de lo Habitual” by performing the entire album.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Muse vocalist Matt Bellamy performs in the rain on day one of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. The set — as well as Lorde’s — was cut short due to weather, forcing evacuation of Grant Park.
Santiago Covarrubias/Sun-Times
Chance The Rapper performs on day three of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017. The Chicago artist has performed at the festival many times, including a set in 2013 on the BMI stage, widely known as the stage to see emerging stars.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
A masked festival-goer stands among thousands of unmasked people during Mick Jenkins’ show on the second day of Lollapalooza at Grant Park, Friday, July 30, 2021. It was the city’s first pinnacle live event post-COVID in 2021.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
J-Hope performs on day four of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Sunday, July 31, 2022. The BTS member made history as the first South Korean artist to headline a major U.S. music festival.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Fans hold up lights and cheer as J-Hope performs on day four of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Sunday, July 31, 2022. In recent years, K-pop artists have been prominently featured on the lineups, expanding the reach of what was mostly an alternative music festival to a more diverse event.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Jared Leto performs with Thirty Seconds To Mars on day two of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. For Thirty Seconds to Mars’ opener “Walk on Water,” Leto made his way to the very top of the stage and, tied to bungees, leaped to the ground below in a daring move that made many people audibly gasp. “I almost killed myself for you,” he jokingly exclaimed.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
A person yells after falling inside the mosh pit during DJ Diesel’s set at Perry’s Stage on day two of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023.
Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times
Karol G performs on the Bud Light stage on day one of Lollapalooza, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. The singer made history as the first Latina to headline Lollapalooza.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
A festival-goer screams as water is thrown on the crowd during Destroy Lonely’s set on day three of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023.
Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times
Chappell Roan performs on the first day of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. The star’s meteoric rise in the pop music world had organizers scrambling at the last minute to move her performance to a bigger stage, drawing one of the largest crowds in the festival’s history.
Peyton Reich/Sun-Times
Megan Thee Stallion performs on the T-Mobile stage on day one of Lollapalooza, Thursday, August 1, 2024. The rapper’s high-production set is one of the ways the festival has evolved over the years from a more minimal setup during the festival’s roving days to the destination event it is today.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Downtown buildings facing Grant Park are lit up in rainbow colors to celebrate the the fourth day of Lollapalooza, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
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