Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice-T and more music icons are dishing on the impact of Lollapalooza in Paramount+’s upcoming documentary series, “Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza.”
“When I started Lollapalooza, it was a farewell for Jane’s Addiction,” the trailer, which dropped Monday, teases. “Perry said, ‘I want to do a summer tour. I want to leave on a high note. I want to do a summer tour.”
Lollapalooza cofounder Perry Farrell then chimes in, “We gotta do it again.”
The three-part series, which was produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and FunMeter, lands on Paramount+ on May 21-22.
The official synopsis reads, “‘Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza’ depicts the exciting and strangely symbiotic 30+ year relationship between the iconic festival and Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros). Throughout the series, Farrell reconnects with what the event has become and reflects on the festival’s cultural significance across multiple genres and decades.”
Many folks who participated in the project applauded the Chicago-based festival for providing a platform to up-and-coming musicians.
“We’d all been underground bands, but that was changing,” Flea says, as Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor agrees, “It felt like a revolution.”
“That was the Declaration of Independence of the alternative nation,” Morello notes, with Chance the Rapper adding, “Lolla picks great people when no one’s heard of them.”
Lollapalooza is a four-day festival that began as a farewell tour created by Farrell in 1991 for the rock band Jane’s Addiction. Since its creation, several artists, including Lady Gaga, Foo Fighters, Tyler the Creator and more have taken the stage over the years. The 2024 festival, which historically takes place in Chicago’s Grant Park, is set for Aug. 1-4.