Lollapalooza is starting to become an something like capitalist DIY society. Here are the clear reasons why, I think, it is so......
Reason no. 1: Ticket prices seem to have soared for Lolla every year. Learning from basic economics, I think this is likely due to supply and demand - more bands and more music artists performing in the event mean much higher demand, and hence that is why prices were inflated. Ticket prices were quite low and not-so-inflated in the first years Lollapalooza came to Chicago.
The inflated prices can also be blamed on royalties and mechanical license fees that Lolla has to pay to the artists and bands involved. And with more and more artists and bands performing now, I think the increase in prices are understandable. Another reason for the inflated prices are the elaborate stage sets in Lolla--some of the sets use a lot of electricity, lots of strobe lights, and other elaborate lighting effects. Such sets can be pretty costly also. Since 9-11, Lolla added some more security guards and this may have also reflected in the increased ticket prices.
I can remember when you can get a 3-day ticket pass for a little over $100 in the first years of Lolla. (I had been to Lolla in 2007.) Now, you cannot do it anymore. It seems like the passes now are inflated in price to a few hundred dollars. When the tickets do sell out, you have to go to a ticket broker but sadly expect to shell out as much as $700 to $800 from a broker for a good seat or a 3-day pass. Some people cannot afford paying ticket brokers and the only choice they have is to sit-out from Lolla. This hurts.
Reason no. 2: More and more people who wanted to go to see the Lollapalooza festival were out of luck in recent years when tickets did go on sale at the box office or online. In the worst cases, most of the tickets--or all of them--were sold out in a very mere 10-15 minutes, even on official ticket websites like Ticketmaster!! They were literally ripped off and gypped. My guesses for what I call "rigged sell-outs" is that Lolla's tickets go to the VIPs (and I am guessing there could be a lot of VIPs who will get tickets first) as prioirity before tickets are released to the general public, but that is all I know. So what happened? Those who found out that the tickets were sold out too fast responded with severe distrust with the festival, doing rants online (usually through Youtube) decrying their disappointment of not getting tickets. Some may have decided not to go to Lolla ever again.
Reason no. 3: Now suppose you already got your ticket to Lolla. Lucky for you! But Lolla has its sandbox--and you have to live by their rules!! Break these rules and you will either be denied admission, ejected, or even worse, arrested. One of the rules is that wristband you wear--if it is a 3-day, you cannot take it off for the whole 3-day period or you will not be re-admitted. Then there are the security checks that are a little like airports before you board a plane. And you have to deal with the list of allowed and forbidden items into Lolla, which can be challenging. It is a bit Orwellian to me, and probably to you also, but it is Lolla's rules, and if you do not like them, you need to take your fun someplace else!!!
There will likely be a revolt against Lolla in some form or another...maybe a protest, when this Lolla comes to Chicago this weekend. But for all of you who already have tickets to Lolla, it will be probably the biggest time of your lives as a music fan.....
