For years, this has been one of my favorite posts to do, but MAN the Lollapalooza lineup bums me out. I always fear that Festival life is about to pass me by and leave me the bitter old dude still listening to his sound board tapes from the 1976 Dead shows at the Fillmore instead of trying new things. So far, I'm still pretty varied in my musical love, but I am definitely not the target audience of the 2019 Lollapalooza lineup.
But still, I love this post. I love the guessing game and murder mystery sleuthing that comes with trying to figure things out. This is a fun game for me. AND remember that last year had The Weeknd as the top artist for Lolla (which was depressing), and we avoided him in Austin! Hooray!
As usual, in my opinion, the Lolla lineup is always the closest indicator of who is coming to ACL in any given year. Both Festivals are booked by C3, and there is always a relationship between the two lineups. In some years, that relationship is conjoined-twin-level close between the headliner-type acts in the two shows. But in some recent years, it isn't that close (especially last year).
But still, I love this post. I love the guessing game and murder mystery sleuthing that comes with trying to figure things out. This is a fun game for me. AND remember that last year had The Weeknd as the top artist for Lolla (which was depressing), and we avoided him in Austin! Hooray!
The closest were 2012 and 2014, with 7/9 matching at the top of the bills:
2012:
2014:
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Third place was 2015, a 6 of 9 year, where we missed out on McCartney, Metallica, and Sam Smith (which almost got fully made up to us last year!)
Paul McCartney
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no
|
Metallica
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no
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Florence & the Machine
|
yes
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Sam Smith
|
no
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Bassnectar
|
yes
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The Weeknd
|
yes
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Alt-J
|
yes
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Alabama Shakes
|
yes
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Of Monsters and Men
|
yes
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Then 2011, 2013, and last year (2018) show that maybe the relationship isn't as strong as I thought, with only 4 out of 9 matches:
2011:
Eminem
|
no
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Foo Fighters
|
no
|
Coldplay
|
yes
|
Muse
|
no
|
My Morning Jacket
|
yes
|
Deadmau5
|
no
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A Perfect Circle
|
no
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Cee Lo Green
|
yes
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Damian Marley & Nas
|
yes
|
2013:
The Cure
|
yes
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Mumford & Sons
|
no
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the Killers
|
no
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Nine Inch Nails
|
no
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Phoenix
|
yes
|
the Postal Service
|
no
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Vampire Weekend
|
yes
|
New Order
|
no
|
Queens of the Stone Age
|
yes
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2018:
The Weeknd
|
no
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Bruno Mars
|
no
|
Jack White
|
no
|
Arctic Monkeys
|
yes
|
Travis Scott
|
yes
|
The National
|
yes
|
Vampire Weekend
|
no
|
Odesza
|
yes
|
Logic
|
no
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2016 was a little stronger than those two years, but it is kind of an apples to oranges comparison, because Lolla went to four nights last year in order to celebrate an anniversary. But you still get a 5 of 9 matchup (if you ask me), which is still a close link but not that strong:
Radiohead
|
yes
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Mumford & Sons
|
no
|
Kendrick Lamar
|
no
|
LCD Soundsystem
|
yes
|
Major Lazer
|
yes
|
Kygo
|
no
|
Chris Stapleton
|
yes
|
The Chainsmokers
|
no
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Flume
|
yes
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Two years ago, 2017, had the weakest link ever, with only 3 of the top 9 shared between the two festivals.
Chance the Rapper
|
yes
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The Killers
|
yes
|
Muse
|
no
|
Arcade Fire
|
no
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The XX
|
yes
|
Lorde
|
no
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Blink 182
|
no
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DJ Snake
|
no
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Justice
|
no
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In looking at the 2018 link, only having 4 match up seems low, but there is also the fact that the two festivals apparently value people differently. Khalid was the #7 artist on the ACL poster, but only #11 on the Lolla poster. Camilla Cabello was #9 on the ACL poster but was all the way down at #24 on the Lolla poster (which is honestly weird). Chvches was #13 on ACL, but #15 for Lolla. Why are all of our bands worse in the eyes of Lolla? So you can't solely judge off of the top two lines of the poster, even if those are usually the most exciting things to see.
First, let's see how I did last year: Wrong on 3 (said yes to Weeknd, Jack White, and Vampire Weekend, but they didn't show) but Right on 6 (said yes to Arctic Monkeys, Travis Scott, The National, and Odesza, and said no to Bruno Mars and Logic). That is also the same level of correctness from 2017, so respect my semi-authoritehhh.
So, how likely are we to see the top nine on the Lolla poster for this year? Let's dig in.
- Ariana Grande - Sweetener. I already looked at this for the "Critical Darlings" post, but I still can't honestly believe that she is the top headliner for Lollapalooza. The Festival that first featured Jane's Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, and Body Count is now bringing a pop princess to the stage. Honestly just weird, although I know the festival circuit has been trending this way for years as genres melt into each other and no festival really maintains a certain style anymore... Anyway, Grande is playing San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas in May, but skipping Austin (which isn't that surprising, big pop stars like Grande, Beyonce, or Taylor Swift usually skip us). Headlining both Coachella and Lolla. BUT, she's got a pile of dates in Europe right when ACL is happening, and a weight in my heart just lifted. She'll be playing Norway, Finland, and Sweden on and around weekend one, and then Germany and Switzerland in and around weekend two. Definitely not.
- Childish Gambino. Pardon my french, but fuck this guy right off. I was already much less excited than most last year, when he was inexplicably named as one of the top guys on the poster, but cancelling the show was a crap thing to do. I know, he was injured, and I should likely be more charitable, but if Dave Grohl can shred in a big, dumb guitar throne and Yungblud played last year's weekend two despite also having a broken foot, then Gambino surely could have crooned his way through a bunch of weak R&B tracks on one wheel. Look, I'm all for the fact that he is a multi-faceted star, and "Redbone" was a jam, but most of his music is solidly mediocre, and the only reason "This is America" blew everyone's minds was the video. By itself, that song blows. The video, combined with the song, was a revelation. Anyway, there is no way they re-book him, right? Like, can't you burn a bridge in this industry? Well, he's no longer on tour (and I remember a rumor saying he was planning to be done with the music side of his life at the end of 2019), but he is playing Bonnaroo and Lolla, both of which are booked by C3, so it would sure look like he is on a special tour just to make up to the C3 folks. Ugh. Going to say yes.
- Twenty-One Pilots. Man. That's three-for-three on things that I don't want to see, but my kids would love. Dammit. But, I think this one is not very likely at all. On the one hand, they are playing some of the International Lollas, now are on tap for the Chicago Lolla, and they made a huge impression a few years ago with their wild show and stage climbing antics. Also, their tour right now ends at Lolla Berlin on September 7, so they have the time to play. Seems like the perfect fit. BUT, they play the Erwin Center here in Austin on June 23 (and apparently haven't yet sold out that show, you can get a side view for only $80(!?!) freaking bucks right now!). Unless the usual rules about headliners playing in Austin too close to the fest have changed, that means they likely will not be named for ACL. No.
- The Strokes. Annnnnddddd another band I super don't want to see! Their set a few years ago was not great, and they haven't done any new music that is worth a damn since that debut album almost 20 years ago. Their last album was five years ago, why are we still on them? If their show was tired in 2015, what do we get today? Maybe they're just about to light the world on fire with another fire album of mediocre garage rock with bored-yet-too-cool vocals? I can't find any official announcement, just blogs and sites saying the band plans a "global comeback" this year. They have a handful of festival shows, but no proper tour, so they aren't coming through Texas all year. Obviously playing Lolla, and then their final show currently listed is at something called Ohana in California, the weekend directly before ACL. Which sure seems to point towards them being here in the fall. Ugh. Going to say yes.
- Tame Impala. Oh God, please, yes? This is the best thing on this lineup so far, and even then these guys should be on like the third line. Their shows back in 2015 were super dope, both firing me up with some excitement and chilling me out with some relaxation. Loved it. Still love that last album of tunes, and have enjoyed the new single out right now that previews the upcoming album release sometime this year. Playing Coachella, Shaky Knees (C3), Lolla (C3), a bunch of other fests, and then have nothing on tap after mid-August. Nothing on their tour comes to Texas (although it honestly barely goes anywhere except for fests), so they have the time and the space. I'm going to go with my heart and say yes.
- Flume. Flume is not actually on tour right now (this is EDM-type stuff, by the way), just doing Lolla and a handful of other smaller festivals, that end in mid-August. I don't guess that EDM guys even really put out true albums now, so I guess he just released a new mixtape thing called Hi This Is Flume, so he could be trying to impress people with those new bangerz. I dunno, I know so little about the electronic world, so I suppose this makes as much sense as any of the EDM guys. Sure.
- The Chainsmokers. God. I thought these guys had petered out by now. Is this still a thing? Looks like they are on a Vegas residency right now that goes into the summer, then they start playing some weird-sounding fests in Europe, and then (swear to God) the Iowa State Fair. I mean, if you can book the Iowa freaking State Fair, then you must be pretty dad-gum successful! Thankfully for my eardrums, they are fully booked during ACL, with shows in Detroit, Chicago, and St. Paul in and around first weekend, and Pittsburg, Buffalo, and Columbus during the second weekend. Sweet run in the rust bowl! Oh, also, I just got an e-mail from Ticketmaster trying to sell me a ticket to their "World War Joy Tour" (vomit) with a date in Austin on November 1. Definitely not.
- J Balvin. Oh, this guy is on the Cardi B track "I Like It," gotcha. He is playing Coachella, Jazz Fest, Lolla and a bunch of smaller fests, with the end of his tour in late August. So he's got the room to show up here, and it sure would make sense for the Texas festival to include the hot Latin artist du jour. Gut says yes.
- Kacey Musgraves. YES. As I said on the Critical Darlings post, She seems like a good fit to come back to ACL again - she's playing Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza, and her tour has a month gap in October after shows in New Orleans that would put her in the neighborhood right before weekend one. Lock it down, yes.
Now for other folks on the 2018 Lolla lineup that I wanted to consider (We had a bunch of these last year: Lil Wayne, Janelle Monae, Hozier, San Holo, Bishop Briggs, Japanese Breakfast):
- Gary Clark Jr. He's playing a hell of a tour this year, including the new Woodstock and a bunch of festivals all over the world, but then the dates end right at September 29 with a show in L.A. He's freaking coming home to play ACL. Supporting new music, hometown boy, playing Lolla, I say lock it down.
- The Revivalists. These guys freaking killed it two years ago - their Tom Petty cover of Refugee was spectacular. They played two sold out shows at Stubbs last weekend (end of March), so you know they can get butts in seats. They're also doing a taping at ACL TV on April 9, which would be pretty awesome to go to. Playing Whitewater in New Braunfels on August 31 (personal note, I should try to go to that thing!). The last show on their schedule is Red Rocks on September 21. So they have the time to get added to the poster and come back to Austin, but I wonder if the New Braunfels date messes with that potential? Kind of like being in Austin, just 30 min. down I-35. Huh. Could happen, but my instinct right this minute is that they were here just two years ago, will be in Austin or the immediate area four times this year, and maybe not. No.
- Maggie Rogers. Nooooooooooooo! I got super pumped when I saw her on this Lolla lineup, because her single off of that new album is an amazing tune. But, she's playing loads of shows during out two weekends and then two nights in a row at ACL Live at the Moody. So not going to happen. Sad face.
- Fitz & the Tantrums. Playing New Braunfels on July 5. Tour ends August 16, but I don't see why they would come. No buzz. Nothing making me feel this one. No.
- Sheck Wes. Immediate instinct is yes, for sure. The guy who raps "Mo Bamba," the ex-star of Texas basketball, coming to Austin to do it in person? Word. But he's playing Jmblya at the Austin 360 in May, which would seem to preclude him from playing ACL. I don't know, still feels right to me, he would be one of the exception guys who plays a May set but still comes back in October. Yes.
- Jade Bird. Her tour has a nice, big gap between September 22 and November 12, which would fit ACL just right (well, I guess its a little too big for just ACL, but she can also rent a hotel off of South Congress and make a documentary about making music inspired by Austin that sounds nothing like music made in Austin). Gonna go with yes.
- J.I.D. Playing San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston in June. But his website doesn't even mention the Lolla dates yet, so I'm not so sure how trustworthy it is. was all prepared to say yes, but the last show on his website is July 28, so it doesn't seem like he's out there doing anything by the time October rolls around. I'll say no, but it wouldn't surprise me (and he's awesome).
We take the following out of this list: Childish Gambino, The Strokes, Tame Impala, Flume, J. Balvin, Kacey Musgraves, Gary Clark Jr., Sheck Wes, and Jade Bird. Some of that sounds awesome. Some of it, less so.
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