8- The Michigan Daily Summer Weekly - Wednesday, July 14,1993
A RT'Somebody's boring me
Honey, I tattooed the kids
Lollapalooza '93 joins the mainstream market of America
. . I t h i n k i t 's m e . '
- Dylan Thomas
41
By SCOTT STERLING
Tumoutthelights,theparty'sover.
Lolla (rhymes with dolla') palooza, as
we knew it, is history. Anything that
was ever 'alternative' or outside-of-
the-mainstream about it has been lost
in the bottomless money pit that exists
Lollapalooza Festival
Milan Dragway
July 9, 1993
inside the mainstream.
Middle America, the people who
possess those much sought-after dol-
lars, were out in full force July 9th, at
the Michigan stop of the tour at the
Milan Dragway.
Pulling into the parking lot, it
seemed like we were going to see Def
Leppard and Richard Marx instead of
Fishbone and Babes in Toyland. The
number of 4X4 trucks, emblazoned
with Oakley stickers and Confederate
flag license plates, were uncomfort-
ably high. As Zack De La Rocha (vo-
calist for Rage Against The Machine)
put it from the stage, "You guys look
like a bunch of frat boys at summer
camp."
Lollapaloozaisnow asmainstream
as Garth Brooks or Janet Jackson.'The
(brand)name alone now attracts thou-
sands, many of whom could care less
who's playing.
But the most interesting fact about
Lollapalooza'93 is the strength of the
line-up, despite much press lamenting
abouthow weak it was going to be.By
day's end, this proved to be the most
consistent and diverse tour they've
assembled yet.
RageAgainstTheMachineopened
the show with a considerable bang,
whichtooknearlytherestofthedayto
match. Not only did it assault the
32,000+heat-soakedkids(the biggest
yet of this tour) with its inimitable
brand of bottom-heavy urban metal,
but it also used the opportunity to lay
down some serious knowledge (for
those that would listen).
Vocalist De La Rocha read
Ginsberg, explained why his band's
shirts weren't available at the conces-
sionstands(itrefuses tocharge$23 for
itsmerchandise,aLollapaloozarequi-
site) and generally challengedkids to
think while they moshed.
Babes in Toyland kicked such an
intense set of estrogen-fueled primal
rage that some concertgoers seemed a
tad intimidated. Its didactic, gut-
wrenching set was nothing short of
brilliant,andfurtherillustratestheneed
for even more femalebands on future
Lollapaloozatours(where'sL7?Hole?
Liz Phair?).
Unfortunately, all that Front 242
was good for was to prove that the
requisite "industrial" act for each tour
ain't really all that necessary. Watch-
ing middle-aged men "playing" dated
electro-thumpin broaddaylightis, quite
frankly, embarrassing.
ArrestedDevelopmentwassurpris-
ingly the biggest hit of the day yet.
Augmented by a live rhythm section,
Speech andcompany turneditout with
its energetic set. A.D.'s enthusiasti-
cally-receivedcountrifiedhip-hopalso
revealed the glaring lack of more rap
acts in the line-up.
It's usually a given that whenever
Fishbone hits the stage, a party's not
too far behind. But on Friday some-
thing was definitely askew. They took
the stage minus founding guitarist
Kendall Jones, amidst rumors of reli-
gious cults and attemptedkidnappings.
But even on an off night, the 'Bone
shames most bands out there. They
burned through chestnuts like
"Freddie's Dead" and grooved like a
'90s Parliament on new songs like
"LemonMeringue."Butone stillhas to
wonder what's going on in their camp,
and if they can get it back together
before it's too late.
All I can say about Dinosaur Jr. is
that they would've been great. Only
two songs into their set and God him-
self decided to give the sun-drained
I
I
Arrested Development surprisea the crowa at Lollapalooza.
In Chains hit the stage and played the
strongest set since Rage Against The
Machine.
Vocalist LayneStaleyresplendent
in a zoot suit and close-cropped hair-
cut,ledhiscohorts througharelentless
set of no future, junk-tinged nihilism.
For all the hoopla surrounding the
"Seattle sound" and its current back-
lash, Alice In Chains' brilliance was
undeniable.
Staleyhas avoicehordesofsingers
would sell their souls for, and amidst
the crash-and-burnrhythms lie hooky,
sing-along melodies. There is some-
thing frighteninglyironicabout Alice's
hugepopularity,though.There'ssome-
thing very disconcerting about 32,000
kids lustily singing, "I feel so alone,
gonna end up a big ol' pile of them
bones."
As Primus played their Rush-
meets-Mel Blanc freak rock, the fact
thattheyseemedallwrongtoclosethe
show suddenly was exactly why they
denizens a break. Unfortunately, it had
to be right as JMascis was about to tear
into one of his blistering solos during
"Just Like Heaven."
A brutal stormfront literally blew
the roof off the mother and sent the
Dinosscurrying forcover,nottoreturn.
<--On the good side, the temperature
droppedabout20degrees,saving many
ofus from sunstroke or plain old insan-
ity.
' - Afteralmostatwo-hourdelay,Alice
were the perfect choice. No social/
political commentary, no bulging bi-
cepsor"Christiscool"flowing tresses
here.Primus' geeked-outnerdboy(and
proud of it) antics are the true face of
what's become of the 'alternative na-
tion' -one big, twisted and confused
dichotomy between what's "cool" and
what's profitable.
I mean, when Primus releases a
disc that debuts in the Billboard Top
10, something's definitely weird. The
underground has been unearthed, and
in the process it has eaten itself whole.
At this point, Primus (or any other
band there) might as well be Def
Leppard,especially whenwomendown
front lift their tops to the glee of the
crowd, just like at a Guns 'N' Roses
show.
The vibe, the community that once
existed among these groups and their
fans, is gone. The social and political
awarenessofpastLollapaloozatoursis
nonexistent when Styrofoamandplas-
tic cups litter the grounds. Show orga-
nizers/profiteersbanbringing any food
ordrinkintothe eventandcharge$7for
a gallon of water. No wonder Perry
Farrell wants out.
But ultimately, I have to concede.
Maybe Lollapalooza isn't the elite,
members-only clubof the past.Maybe
the same people that used to make fun
ofusforlistening tobandslike the Red
Hot Chili Peppers or Primus are now
their biggest fans. I suppose if one kid
trades in his Mr. Big discs for the latest
by Tool, or his girlfriend buys a guitar
afterseeingBabesInToylandorsome-
onerefusestospend$25ona$5T-shirt
after hearing Rage Against The Ma-
chine, there must be some validity left
in Lollapalooza. I hope.
International Water
Resource Management
A Public Forum and Panel Discussion
with a multidisciplinary, multinational team of experts
Friday, July 16, 1993
1:30-4:00 p.m.
Marble Lecture Hall
Ground Floor, Wickes Hall
Saginaw Valley State University