Lollapalooza has revealed its 2024 lineup, with SZA, Tyler, the Creator and Blink-182 headlining the lineup. Also playing the Chicago festival will be The Killers, Future x Metro Boomin, Hozier, Stray Kids and many other artists that you've probably heard on the radio, certainly heard on TikTok or Instagram Reels, and may not actually care, as Tate McRae, Dominic Fike or Conan Gray. It doesn't really matter how you feel about those artists, because Lollapalooza was always going to book them anyway.
Since its return in a pandemic-altered 2021, Lollapalooza is headed toward an identity crisis. TikTok is now king, and the demographics, as inevitably happens in music, continue to skew younger. Additionally, fewer and fewer people are buying tickets to multi-genre festivals, and since Lolla is committed to attracting the largest crowds possible, it can't be as bold as neighboring Riot Fest or as critically curated as Pitchfork.
Get tickets to Lollapalooza 2024 here
Thus, Lollapalooza has been gradually reduced until it reaches where it can only exist: the middle of the road. There is nothing mistaken with half the way, necessarily. It's simply unfortunate that a legendary music festival has been losing so many layers of identity that it can't put together a better lineup than a top 40 radio station would offer.
That's most evident in this year's headliners, who are, well, okay. Look, SZA is amazing and her 2024 victory lap is well deserved. His name looks brighter at the top of the poster, even though he's there because a megastar they were looking for wasn't available. But Tyler, the Creator fair He headlined this festival three years ago, and if he doesn't have a new album out this summer, and a new live show, the choice will be even more disappointing.
Meanwhile, Blink-182 is somehow the weirdest headlining booking. Aside from their surprise appearance at Coachella in 2023, the reunited trio opted not to perform at any US festivals last year aside from Atlantic City's Adjacent Festival, and are currently only scheduled to headline this one in 2024. The Killers is A great live band, but it feels like they play this festival every four years. Future x Metro Boomin could end up being the busiest set of the weekend, and Hozier is quickly approaching “headliner or bust” territory. And there's Melanie Martinez, who… am I missing something? Has she secretly become a real big star? Is Björk's entire aesthetic a copy of last year's? Portals Does it really move the needle for her? Maybe it was, and it just completely flew over our heads.
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