Russell Wallach Talks Lollapalooza’s 20-Year Global Revolution with Charlie Walker

This past August, Lollapalooza roared into its 20th year in Chicago as a global music giant with seven festivals in countries including Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France, and India. 

The festival reached new heights this year as more than 400,000 fans returned to Chicago’s iconic Grant Park to see artists like Blink-182, SZA, Hozier, Stray Kids, and Chappell Roan – who set a record with 110,000 fans at the T-Mobile Stage for the biggest daytime performance in the festival’s history. And more than 20 industry-leading brands created unforgettable moments for fans onsite and beyond the festival grounds. Whether you rolled through Coke Studio’s Roller Ring or got a glow-up at Ulta Beauty’s House of Joy, the magic of the live music experience was next level.

Russell Wallach (RW): Lollapalooza has become one of the world’s largest and most renowned festivals for music lovers worldwide. Now, fans can experience the magic of Lollapalooza in seven countries. What were some of the biggest challenges and triumphs that shaped the festival’s early years in Chicago and ultimately set the stage for its current global phenomenon status? When did you realize Lollapalooza had global potential?

Charlie Walker (CW): When we first became involved with the festival in Chicago, when the festival converted to a destination rather than a tour, we realized that the site and the city were as much a part of the Lollapalooza experience as anything else. We committed to only taking Lollapalooza to world-class cities with sites that were iconic on their own. Without those parameters in place, we would have many more Lollapaloozas around the world than we currently do.  

We knew Lolla and the music it presented was global after the first year in Santiago, where the kids were singing all the words. We were fortunate to be expanding during a time when streaming and the adoption of high-speed internet made the music world smaller by the day. We have had great streaming partners with Lollapalooza, going back to RedBull, YouTube and now, of course, Hulu. The fans have an idea of what to expect when Lollapalooza comes to their city for the first time because they have been able to see other Lollas online for years.

RW: This year, fans got a deep dive into Lollapalooza’s history with the docuseries “Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza,” and your team launched a special logo commemorating the Chicago festival’s 20th anniversary. How did you translate all that energy into an epic on-site 20th-anniversary experience for fans?

CW: Over the four days, we were able to book a lineup covering the last twenty years and the newest artists. I think we got an extra energy burst by having some tremendous female artists this year, like Megan Thee Stallion, SZA , Melanie Martinez, Chappell Roan, Kesha, Renee Rapp, and many more. Chappell’s crowd size got a lot of press, but all of those sets were HUGE and full of great energy in the audience.

RW: Since its inception, Lollapalooza has continuously reinvented itself, starting as a haven for alternative rock fans and expanding into multiple genres, including EDM, pop, hip hop, KPop and more. How do you stay true to your roots while innovating for the future? 

CW: I think the roots of Lollapalooza are innovation and looking ahead. The early lineups of Lolla featured very diverse lineups of cutting-edge artists. We are fortunate that we have a multi- day event as opposed to the one day show of Lollas past, so we are able to feature many, many more artists across ages and genres. If you ask any of the C3ers, we all enjoy going out early in the day and seeing an artist that we have never heard of or normally would not get a chance to see – that to me is a big part of what Lolla is about. 

Explore Lollapalooza Through The Years

RW: As pioneers of the destination festival, how do you keep raising the bar and enhancing the fan experience to attract fans from around the world?

CW: We try to refine the shows every year based on learnings from the current festival and the fans are able to tell us what they like and don’t through our festival survey. Working with the Live Nation Media & Sponsorship team, the on-site activations have evolved so much in twenty years. You only need to take a quick walk around the site to see the fans lined up and taking advantage of those activations like T-Mobile, Ulta Beauty, Coca-Cola and Dunkin’. Additionally, we try to curate the best food on the festival grounds from local restaurants and trucks as that’s a critical piece of any fan’s day. Operationally, we use technology to get people in faster, through the merch lines faster, and we want them to have the best audio and video experience possible, so we work on those basic parts every year.

Fan Experiences from Top Brands

RW: With festivals from Chicago and São Paolo to Paris and Mumbai, how do you ensure each festival blends the local culture with the broader Lollapalooza brand? 

CW: Going back to the previous question, the localized food concept is at every Lollapalooza. We don’t offer burgers and fries from a concessionaire but the best of every city’s food scene. We have been fortunate to be in cities and countries with vibrant local artists that we feature throughout the event and sometimes they are headliners. We rely heavily on local partners to educate us about how to best infuse the local culture into Lollapalooza. Our partners are some of the best promoters in the world and it shows.

A Taste of Lolla

RW: The brand now spans four continents, with the addition of Lollapalooza India in 2023. Could you tell us how going global has impacted how brands see and partner with Lollapalooza?

CW: Now that we are global, more brands than ever look to Lollapalooza to reach a wider audience. They know Lollapalooza is the highest quality event, and they know the great experience that they and the fans are going to get. The brands are having great success by offering unique activations that resonate with the local culture, which allows them to create quality connections with engaged music fans at every show.

RW: As Lollapalooza grows globally, what factors are most important when considering a new festival location? Are there any specific regions of the world you’re eyeing for future festivals?

CW: We are always looking for new sites, the caveat being they have to be in world class cities. We are looking at a couple different options right now, but I can’t say where they are!

RW: Looking back, what are some of your most memorable performances from Lolla Chicago?

CW: There are so many to choose from! I’d say Daft Punk in 2007, Rage Against the Machine in 2008, Foo Fighters during an unbelievable rainstorm in 2011, Paul McCartney in 2015 and Miley Cyrus in 2021 on the first night of Lolla. This was the first night of the festival (maybe any festival!) since the COVID shutdown.