If you were an alternative music fan in the 1990s, you went to Lollapalooza festival. And why not? The touring festival offered value for dollar. Tons of bands—some big, some soon to be huge, some to remain small—-for thirty bucks? Can’t beat that, can you? Of course not, and the youth of America thought so, too; the tours were hugely successful, bringing to the mainstream attention bands such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, The Breeders, Alice in Chains, and Rage Against The Machine. Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival takes a long, deep look at this touring juggernaut. 

The Lollapalooza tour started out as a sort of farewell party for Jane’s Addiction, who though they’d invite a cadre of different acts to celebrate their departure. It was a basic affair, but it was successful enough that the founders realized they had a good thing on their hands.  If 1991 was moderately successful (and it was), 1992’s iteration of the tour was an overwhelmingly rewarding venture. 1993 was a little disappointing lineup wise, but the tour bounced back nicely in 1994, cumulating what many have said is the best year of the festival. 1995 felt like a slump, but it was nothing compared to the tone-deaf booking of Metallica for the 1996 tour, which found the tour with larger audiences thanks to touring bigger venues, yet with no real satisfying lineup.  By 1997, the brand had lost its luster. A disjointed tour of disparate bands and no unifying headliner only furthered the problems from the previous year, and the name was quietly retired. It was an unceremonious end to a beautiful thing. The name would be revived in 2003, but after a canceled 2004 tour, it would rebrand again as a three-day festival held in Chicago. It has since expanded into a multi-day, multi-national event. 

Considering the vast amount of people involved in such a touring organization, Lollapalooza does a good job of talking to all levels of people involved, from road crew to management to artists and reporters and critics, and they all have stories. And those stories make for fantastic reading! You’ll hear about who were the beautiful people and who were the jerks. You’ll hear about famous incidents, such as Gibby Hayes and his shotgun, Ministry and their bones, Rage Against The Machines and their PMRC penis protest, and the infamous Courtney Love and Kathleen Hanna fight. You’ll find out about how Patti Smith made a surprise return to the stage at a one-off show. You’ll hear about how the band James combated homophobia from restless Korn fans. And you’ll learn a lot about the Jim Rose Circus. 

If you were there, you know how fun it all was, and this book will be a nice blast of nostalgia.. If you weren’t, Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival is a great way to get to know the Lollapalooza experience. Its oral history format makes it a fun, fast, and enjoyable read, and it’s easily one of the can’t-put-down books of 2025. 

Purchase: Amazon

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