Perry Farrell has revealed that Rick Rubin wanted to buy Lollapalooza following the cancelled 2004 revival.
Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza is a three-part docu-series directed by Michael John Warren that gives insight into the creation of Farrell‘s (Jane’s Addiction) music festival and its 30-year run going from a touring punk event to the annual music bash in Chicago’s Grant Park and beyond.
In a new clip shared by Rolling Stone, Farrell and Lollapalooza co-founder Marc Geiger open up about the failed 2004 revival of the fest.“We made some bad mistakes trying to revive something that shouldn’t have been revived,” Geiger said in the clip. “It fell on its face…We’d been through so much and the ups and downs, and trying to stay on edge where there just isn’t an edge anymore.”
Farrell then went on to reveal that American record producer Rick Rubin offered to buy the Lollapalooza name shortly after. “I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I was very embarrassed,” Farrell said.
He continued: “I was hurting for money. I don’t know why, but Rick Rubin decided to make an offer to me to buy the name for like a million dollars. I won’t tell you exactly how I put it, but I said no.”
In 2005, Farrell re-launched Lollapalooza as a stationary Chicago fest. Now, the successful music festival also has events around the world.
“When I started Lollapalooza, it was a farewell for Jane’s Addiction,” said Farrell in the previously released trailer for the docu-series. Along with the Porno For Pyros frontman, the docu-series will feature interviews with the likes of Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Ice-T, Chance the Rapper and more.
Details about the documentary were shared back in February of last year. “When Lolla was launched in 1991, the concert industry felt like a boring car ride that was running out of gas,” Farrell said at the time in a statement.
He continued: “We pumped new life into the live music experience and set the foundation for the youth’s counter culture to become important and exciting again. Now more than three decades young, I am happy to have this opportunity to give people an inside look at the festival’s contribution to music history.”
Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza is set to premiere on Paramount+ in the US and Canada May 21 and May 22 in the UK, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
In a five-star review of Lollapalooza 2023, NME shared: “Even in the midst of acts giving their best at the festival, there’s still an undercurrent of imperfection that makes it all approachable and real.”
It continued: “Lollapalooza isn’t trying to be anything it’s not, and by returning each year with a new plan to prioritise diversity in sound as well as a steadfast dedication to highlighting fresh acts (like on its BMI stage, where up-and-coming acts like Annie DiRusso and Beauty School Dropout are met with fans who sing along to every single word) the festival proves its dedication to just putting the music first, and the fans Lollapalooza draws in mirror that effort.”
Elsewhere, Blink-182, Tyler, The Creator, Hozier, SZA, The Killers and more are set to headline this year’s edition of the annual Chicago music festival.
Photo: Frazer Harrison
