Summer Festivals Part 2

The Lollapalooza schedule has been posted, and it seems to almost purposefully create conflicts for festivarians.

I've never understood why Lollapalooza stacks their headliners against one another. Should people wanting to see Soundgarden's reunion have to miss The National and Arcade Fire? I'm not saying every Strokes fans will be devastated to hear they are missing Lady Gaga, but the allure of a festival is to hear music you wouldn't otherwise hear. Lollapalooza's lineup asks its attendees to make homogeneous decisions instead of branching out to a variety of sound.

I've had a rough night and I hate the fucking Eagles

Austin City Limits announced their full lineup today. Headliners Phish, Muse, and The Eagles could not be more befuddling as a trio. Jam band kings. Glammy Brit rock. Country rock nostalgia act. Certainly going for diversity there. Phish rarely plays a festival like this; I hope Austin's hipster chic scene is prepared to be flooded with insane hippies.

The second tier of bands doesn't produce any surprises, but is high quality and well chosen. These are basically 20 of our most buzzingest bands, few of which will be constrained by ACL's short set lengths. The highlights for me are the Black Keys, posted too low and deserving of a cushy late afternoon slot; Lucero, gaining steam and waiting for a breakthrough; and Gogol Bordello, another band crashing the cool party with a little freakiness.

Lollapalooza's headliners are more adventurous, but ACL's second tier probably edges out Lolla by a hair, if only because it doesn't include Cypress Hill. But Perry Farell knows how to order bands correctly. Bonnaroo's headliners suck, but it crushes ACL and Lolla for depth and diversity. Look where Phoenix, The Black Keys, and Lucero sit on Bonnaroo's lineup.