Lollapalooza Headliners Leaked

Aha! Finally some big Lollapalooza news.

Aside from that Nine Inch Nails news that Billboard leaked out a few weeks back, confirmations for this year's festival were largely stray. Aside from a few small confirmations, like Angel Haze and Imagine Dragons, nothing was firmly stamped down.

As per usual, The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot released the fest's first "confirmed" headliners. Previously rumored acts Mumford & Sons, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend are indeed on the billing alongside The Killers this year. All four performed at the festival in 2009 and 2010, but only The Killers and Phoenix were previously booked as headliners. M&S have obviously exploded since their 2010 appearance, so the headlining spot isn't surprising, but Vampire Weekend booked as an official headliner may be still curious.

Lollapalooza fans will recognize a slight gap in headliners - an electro act. Since 2011, festival organizers have made a large concerted effort to bring more electronica music to the festival, booking Deadmau5 in 2011 and Avicii and Justice last year. With the four new headliners and Nine Inch Nails, only one headlining slot remains. Nothing is confirmed, but expect that final slot to go to a major electronica act.

The four headliners weren't the only acts leaked, however. Previously rumored Postal Service and The National will also be heading to Chicago this August. Expect the full lineup release in the coming weeks.

Lollapalooza takes place August 2-4 this year. Stick here for more updates and rumors.

Lollapalooza 2012 Review: Day Three

Sunday, August 5 was a steady continuation of the current drought in the Midwest. The sun was high in a bleakly open sky. The park was sun-dried, putrefying the baseball fields and grass into a off-putting mud that rivaled Bonnaroo. And the night was set for the biggest acts of the entire weekend; Jack White and Justice. But more so than anything else on my mind was the imminent end of not only my weekend, but possibly my tenure at Lollapalooza. If it would be the final day - the truly final day - how would things end?

Day Three:

Five years in a row, three days a year. There's a passage in Into The Wild that reads, "Happiness is only real when shared." Since my second venture in Grant Park in 2008, I have ridden the Blue Line alone waiting for my friends to arrive late. And if this was truly my end, I'd rather share it than wade through half the day alone again.

We arrived pleasantly late - 3 p.m. to be exact. Slowly wandering the park, we traversed the seemingly endless mud pits on the South side of the park for a spot at Sigur Ros, electing to skip The Walkmen. Coming in, I've heard wild rumors about the Icelandic group's live performances; most notably how it can bring people to tears. Considering the heat and the relatively odd time for their performance (4 p.m.), the band put on one of the most memorable shows in Lollapalooza history. Tears didn't exactly happen, but rumblings of grown men crying did get around eventually. Even though the band left several notable songs out of their one hour set, including "Starálfur" and "Glósóli," the time was unmatched in terms of emotions. Jonsi, seemingly alone in a large group, could project unlike most other singers during the weekend to a continually stunned crowd.

Sigur Ros

While it seems like 80 percent of the park made their way to Florence + The Machine, my friends and I had just decided to spend the time languishing most of our last hours at Perry's with Dr. P, Big Gigantic, and Zed's Dead. It was a good change of pace just to not care for a while and joyously waste some time before the night ended.

The final night rounded out with the weekend's two biggest aforementioned acts - Justice and Jack White. Splitting among friends, I stayed for Justice on the North side. Considering last year's final venture with Deadmau5 proved to be a rain-soaked clusterfuck and that I still haven't seen Daft Punk, this would be the biggest electronica show I've ever seen. And that cannot be understated.

Justice

Justice are unbelievably intense live. Total non-stop, combining the best from their first two albums, It was a totally unique live experience. Although I'd relinquish Daft Punk's status at the top of the live electronica experience, Justice to me would be a fantastic second. It remained the best show of the weekend.

And that's how it all ended. What I'll be saying by this time next year is completely unknown to me, but for the time being I couldn't be happier of what these past five years have been.

Best Performances: Sigur Ros, Justice
Worst Performances: Zed's Dead

Highlights: "Varúð" by Sigur Ros
Lowlights: Mud

Lollapalooza 2012 Must-See Artists Pt. V

Today we'll continue our Lollapalooza countdown with part five.

#2: Sigur Rós
There have been very few artists as consistently remarkable as Sigur Rós throughout the years. With every new album (and side project), the band's enigmatic status continued to grow, with hauntingly emotional expansiveness made all the more surprising considering the fact that they sing in another language. 

There's a distinct fan-fare for the band, despite its Icelandic roots. In a niche entirely its own, Sigur Rós exists as an anomaly. The songs are lengthy and touchingly atmospheric, without connecting any certain meaning to its large English speaking fan base. But that insatiably memorable sound on standout tracks like "Hoppípolla" from 2005's Takk... and "Svefn-g-englar," the song most of us were introduced by from the group, is what keeps the legendary status of the band growing.

Word of the band's live performances sound almost cult-like in their absurdity. One description heard fairly often when viewing Sigur Rós is that it brings fans to tears. Literal tears. Would you miss an opportunity like that? I won't.

The band will be performing at 4 p.m. on the Red Bull Soundstage, Sunday, August 5.



#1: Justice 
Sitting at the top of my "must-see" list even before Lollapalooza became a staple in my life, French electro duo Justice could easily be the show of the weekend. Known for their chaotic light shows and live experiences, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay are the next in line to the fellow France natives Daft Punk  (not quite there yet) for their crowning live electronic music experiences.

The only unfortunate circumstance of Justice performing this year is that fans will have to decide between them and Jack White, who will be performing at the same time Sunday night, August 5. Considering I've seen White in various live forms already, I'll venture to the North side of Grant Park for what's sure to be a memorable party.

The band will be performing at 8:30 p.m. on the Budlight Stage, closing the festival.

New Justice video - New Lands

The clearly AC/DC inspired cut from last year's Audio, Video, Disco has been given the video treatment with this Tron-ish inspired futuristic football/roller derby mash-up. It gets a bit bloody.

Lollapalooza schedule, aftershow lineup released

With less than two months before Lollapalooza, the last stretch of the preliminary events has finally passed. Earlier today, the festival released their official three-day schedule, and their lineup of pre-Lolla and post-Lolla after shows. You can check out the listed shows here; FIDLAR & Delta Spirit is one I'm particularly excited for.

As for the schedule, we already knew which artists were playing on which days, but not at which particular times, so this is simply a clarification. As it is, the biggest obvious dilemma is Justice and Jack White closing Sunday night on opposite sides of Grant Park, which is a fairly big decision for a lot of us. However, because of the relative openness of the Sunday schedule, you have the opportunity to see either At The Drive-In and Florence+The Machine prior to the aforementioned acts with relative ease.

Outside of that, there have been more divisive schedules, but there are a few big decisions that will have to be made. Check out the schedule for yourself, here.

Justice - New Lands (A-Trak Remix)

With the long, fantastic weekend behind me, it's time to get back to work.

A new A-Trak remix of Justice's AC/DC-inspired "New Lands," from last year's "Audio, Video, Disco" has surfaced. The new take pushes to nearly seven minutes, with plenty of banger buildup. Check it out below.

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza rough schedule released

With three-day passes selling out yesterday, Lollapalooza released their "which artists on which day" rough schedule. The announcement (click photo for larger image) came with the release of single-day passes, which are available now for $95.

Conflicts are inevitable (in life as well, but, forget about that), and it seems that Sunday presents the biggest challenge. Jack White, Florence+The Machine, At the Drive-In, Justice, and Sigur Ros are scheduled to play as the day's largest acts, so decisions are likely going to be made, and unhappiness will spread like, let's say, smallpox.

While Sunday seems unfortunate, days one and two should be comfortable, with a super-strong mid-card scheduled to perform Saturday.

Check back to Bears and Bullets for when the official schedule is released.

Lollapalooza 2012 lineup revealed

So, the day's really here. And after the previous months/weeks of speculation, the biggest story of Lollapalooza 2012 ended up being that the lineup leaked from Sunday WAS 100% ACCURATE. It's the first time in recent memory that a complete leak like this has happened with a major U.S. music festival, so everything we heard tonight wasn't a surprise.

As you know, Black Sabbath, with all original members, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, At The Drive-In, Avicii, and Justice are the big names headlining the August 3-5 Chicago festival. And if you've been following, you'd already known that M83, Sigur Ros, The Weeknd, The Shins, and many others will fit the billing as well.

So while the fest isn't as particularly top-heavy as in years past, there's a more-than solid mid-card to support it, with spectacular acts like The Tallest Man on Earth, Jeff the Brotherhood, Michael Kiwanuka, FIDLAR, and many others. Alongside them is an extremely solid electronica lineup, with Bassnectar, Star Slinger, Madeon, Kaskade, and plenty others worth your time this year.

There were a few left-field acts, like Franz Ferdinand and The Afghan Whigs making the billing, despite zero previous rumors of their inclusion.

But as it is every year, there are some notable disappointments. Namely, the absence of Odd Future, St. Vincent, Fucked Up, and Refused, among others, not making the final billing.

Regardless, there is a ton of depth to Lollapalooza 2012, and plenty of reason to get excited. Tickets for the festival are still available. And as always, stay tuned for more additions (and subtractions) from the billing, and the lineup schedule, which should be available in a few weeks. As well, check out the official Lolla video below.
 

First Lollapalooza confirmations? Let's just say they are for the sake of fun.

Bare with me here, because it's been a pretty long time before I've been able to say that it looks like we finally have some Lollapalooza confirmations.

The reason is a bit different than past years, but Lollapalooza (three-day passes are on sale today, by the way) has posted adds around the Chicago public transit system. At the Logan Square station, four "clue" ads were posted, verified by several Chicago blogs including Wine & Pop.

The "clues" indicate lyrics from four different acts, of which are two suspected additions: Justice and Jack White, alongside two very surprising inclusions, The Weeknd and Die Antwoord.

Regardless of your opinion on the last inclusion - it's usually not positive - those are four big attention grabbers, and have hyped up a pretty exciting festival that, by the way, will be fully revealed April 11.

As always, stay tuned for more details!

Osheaga lineup announced

The annual Montreal music festival Osheaga announced their official lineup a few hours ago, with Snoop Dogg, The Black Keys, and Justice leading they way. If you noticed something, the festival's dates are scheduled conveniently (or inconveniently) on the same exact weekend of Lollapalooza.

In years past, both festivals usually had a heavy crossover rate. Last year, 20 of the 83 acts playing the Canadian fest also played Lolla, roughly a 24 percent carryover rate. That is, however, when the fest was a week before. As it stands, a lot of the artists on the billing are suspected to play Lolla, including the aforementioned Black Keys and Justice, along with Florence + The Machine, The Shins, Sigur Ros, Passion Pit, and more.

So far zero confirmations have actually been made for this year's Lollapalooza, which is pretty surprising now that it's getting into late March. This time last year, half of the headliners plus a few other had already been known for weeks. Regardless, the fact that Osheaga and Lolla fall on the same weekend doesn't rule any of the artists out, just that they obviously won't perform on the same days.

Bonus Notes: The $75 souvenir tickets for Lollapalooza have already sold out, despite no lineup confirmations, and early bird tickets go on sale next week, March 27. As always, stick with us for more rumors.

New Justice video - On'n'On

Maybe Justice's latest release, Audio, Video, Disco, wasn't what I had hoped, but videos like these make the so-so tracks a little more appealing. Check out the newest one for "On'n'On" below.

Coachella 2012 Lineup Revealed

As you probably have already heard, the first big music festival of 2012 released its lineup early today, and as you can see from above ... Coachella looks to the biggest event of the year. Not only has the Indio, California festival has enlisted Radiohead, The Black Keys, and Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg as the three primary headliners, but recently reunited At The Drive-In, Pulp, Justice, The Shins, Bon Iver and a crap-ton more have also made the list. Which, by the way, is a bit different this year.

If you haven't heard already (as I had no idea), Coachella is going to take place over two weekends. The lineups won't change from the weekends of April 13-15 to 20-22, but the artists will be playing twice because of overwhelming ticket sales.

Before I get into whatever inclinations this will have for Lollapalooza later this summer, I will affectionately say that this is absolutely the best festival lineup I've seen since Lollapalooza 2008. It's really just astonishing to look at.

Anyway, Coachella usually has a heavy layover of acts for Lolla. Last year, 31 of the 170-plus Coachella acts ended up playing both festivals, with roughly an 18 percent carryover rate. However, of those acts, none were considered the headliners. That doesn't bode fairly well for those hoping that Radiohead would make the Chicago date, but it doesn't completely rule them out.

If there are any tickets left, do your best. They'll be gone fast.

Monday Bears: New Justice - Audio, Video, Disco

Happy Labor day to all those in the U.S. that don't actually have to work today (this guy).

A few weeks ago we heard a 15-second sample of another one of Justice's new tracks "Audio, Video, Disco," the second heard song from the French duo's new album of the same name, due out late next month. Check it out, below.

Friday Bears: New Justice video - Civilization

After what seemed like an extended time of waiting, here's Justice's first new video from the duo's second album for "Civilization." The Edouard Salier directed video is the world we're leaving the buffalo.

The new Civilization EP is due out Monday, June 6.

Justice - Civilization

All the Lollapalooza rumors so far ... today.

It's been a while since I've filtered the website (and not my Twitter account, which you should be following) with Lollapalooza rumors, so I'll get back on base.

Yesterday, it was pretty much revealed through several sources and suspicious scheduling that A Perfect Circle are set to be one of the six main headliners at this year's festival. So, for those that need a refresher, that makes four confirmed headliners: Eminem, Foo Fighters, Muse (all three completely confirmed), and A Perfect Circle.

With two headlining spots remaining (and three Perry's Place, the electronic/dance stage, headliners still unnamed), there have been speculation for a small handful of artists, including; Coldplay, My Morning Jacket, and now Death Cab for Cutie.

Rumors, however, became even more interesting after Perry Farrell revealed in the March/April issue of Relix that, “I can’t tell you who’s gonna be headlining this year, but one of the headliners is a dance act." Early rumors indicate that the probable act will be either Justice, Deadmau5, who played the festival two years ago, or the Chemical Brothers. Daft Punk was also mentioned, but chances of them performing again seem like a disillusioned dream.

The festival's Last.fm page, which has every artist confirmed or semi-confirmed for the weekend, has also listed Justice. Again, it's not a confirmation, but a reasonable suspicion for the French duo's speculative appearance. From this point, I'd make them the most likely headliner to be named next.

Outside of headlining rumors, several acts have also been added to the billing, including; Arctic Monkeys, Surfer Blood, and Tennis. It may also be within reason to assume that the Vaccines will make the lineup. The group is currently touring with the Arctic Monkeys and have no Chicago dates scheduled around August 5-7.

Stay tuned to Bears and Bullets for any and all rumors and information regarding the annual festival through the coming weeks ...