Last night Lollapalooza announced the complete lineup for this year’s festival, and it looks a lot like every other big music festival that’s happened over the past five years or so. Reading through the list of second-tier acts on the bill is like running across an old commercial on TV where you surprise yourself by knowing every word in the script. Bright Eyes, Arctic Monkeys, Crystal Castles, Flogging Molly, Atmosphere, Cold War Kids, Cage the Elephant, Delta Spirit—haven’t I seen this exact lineup listed a dozen different places already? Are these acts all available to be booked as a package deal? Do Grace Potter & the Nocturnals still exist outside the summer festival circuit? And can someone tell me what Cage the Elephant even is? I’ve been to I don’t even know how many festivals where they were scheduled, but I suspect they’re made up.
