A collection of interviews has been collected and compiled into Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival. The eye-opening stories and memories unveil the madness that went on behind the scenes of one of the most legendary alternative music festivals in the US.
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Interviews with everyone from performers to organizers shed light on how revolutionary the festival was. Perry Farrell managed to pull together groups of young artists and have them tour and perform. Across the US, young people marveled at the lunacy of the alt-music scene.
Throughout the various performances, bands, and organizers had to navigate the minefield of the festival circuit. Many narrowly avoided disaster, through stage dives, drink and drug binges, and wild stage theatrics. However, Ministry almost set themselves and their tour bus on fire with fireworks.
Looking back, Al Jourgensen, spoke about their nearly explosive Lollapalooza tour. He and Haynes thought buying some fireworks at a gas station could be fun. Rather than wait for the stage or their next camp, they set their fireworks off inside the tour bus.
To the horror of the driver, the bus caught fire, with the seats being burnt. He called the police, but they weren't bothered. According to Jourgensen, "I'll never forget, [the police] just went, 'Well boy, what'd ya expect! This is s'pposed to be rock'n'roll, not Moat-zart!'"
Fireworks, Fanastical Fans, and Fantastic Shows of Lollapalooza
The book really goes into just how wild the Lollapalooza tour was throughout its 90s run. The various interviews bring the many people involved back to the glory days of festivals. All this happened way before the days of social media and glamping.
The alternative music scene of the early 90s was still in its infancy. However, as 1992 rolled around, Nivarna blew up bringing grunge and everything that comes with it to the mainstream. As a result, alt-music groups became the big new thing, and Lollapalooza became the hottest festival ticket around.
Tour bus fireworks were just the beginnings of the wild tales told by artists and organizers. How the touring show went on as long as it did is a marvel.
