Lollapalooza 2009
Want to end your summer with a bang? Lollapalooza, one of the many summer music venues, takes place in the heart of the Windy City. This festival, founded by Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction, offers a contrast to the other music festivals. Being one of the few festivals that take place in a big city, Lollapalooza encompasses the night scene along with the day scene. Lollapalooza is a great way to wrap up summer festivities by bringing over 130 bands to the Midwest. This year's headliners live up to Perry's past bands by being as outlandish as ever, with an interesting mix of genres: Electronic meets MTV rock meets the Beastie Boys. Although it will be difficult for these headliners to out-do years past, the middle tier more than makes up for it. With Perry's mix of TV on the Radio, Fleet Foxes, Ben Folds, Ben Harper, Snoop Dogg, Thievery Corporation, Andrew Bird, Atmosphere and more, everyone attending this festival is sure to leave with a smile on his or her face. Aside from great music in a great city, Lollapalooza strives to be eco-friendly, and offers several other activities, including kidzapalooza. Tickets are on sale now for $190 at lollapalooza.com.
—Jenny Peek
Sasquatch! Music Festival
How would you rather spend your Memorial Day weekend: Grilling out, chatting with your folks and playing catch with your dog in the backyard, or going to a three-day music fest at one of the most gorgeous venues in the United States? That was hypothetical; of course you'd go to the festival, and that festival is Sasquatch.
It's a bit of a trip from Madison—it's in Washington state—but if you can make it you'll be rewarded with the breathtaking sites of the Gorge and some amazing acts, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon, Nine Inch Nails and Animal Collective.
Besides the music, there's a slew of comedy acts to make you giggle, such as Tim and Eric, Azis Ansari and The Whitest Kids U' Know.
So take a road trip and bring a tent—did I mention you can camp out?—to Washington, because Sasquatch will be a festival that delivers. A three-day pass costs $154.50, and an additional $95 to secure a campsite for four days.
—Gabe Ubatuba
Summerfest Music Festival
It's right in our backyard, yet most people overlook the world's largest musical festival amid the hoopla of Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. Summerfest spans 11 days in late June to early July, bringing in over 700 acts from every musical niche and genre.
This year's lineup is no less expansive, featuring legendary acts like Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson to modern popular mainstays like Lupe Fiasco and The Fray. If country is your scene, The Big Gig offers Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney. Feeling blue? They've got Buddy Guy. Check out alternative rockers Guster or the supremely talented rap rockers the Roots if you can—both have played at Summerfest in the past and entertain devoted, energetic followings.
Summerfest is truly an immersion of Milwaukee culture, and there's not a better place to be in the throws of Summer than the Milwaukee Lakefront catching the fireworks or your favorite band with a beer in each hand.
Entrance runs you $15 (though they offer countless promotions to get free or reduced-cost tickets), but Marcus Amphitheatre acts cost extra. www.summerfest.com
—Al Morrell
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Between June 11 and June 14, hippies, folk rockers and indie kids alike will convene on the campgrounds of Manchester, Tennessee, a mere sixty miles southeast of Nashville, as it plays host to one of America's most diverse and well-known music festivals, Bonnaroo. Boasting everyone from Phish (who will play two sets) and Wilco to Animal Collective and Phoenix, from Grizzly Bear and Neko Case to Crystal Castles and of Montreal, Bonnaroo's lineup reads just like a typical college kid's iTunes library.
David Byrne will be the first artist to curate a stage at Bonnaroo this year when he brings Santigold, Dirty Projectors, Ani Difranco and St. Vincent together the Friday evening.
Aside from just music, Bonnaroo also hosts a film cinema, art galleries and comedic performances. Along with the dozens of XBOX 360 kiosks and MLB batting cages, the onsite Bonnaroo Cinema is a popular destination for festival-goers. The air-conditioned seated area plays a wide array of movies 24 hours a day, taking breaks only to air NBA playoff games.
The four-day passes are on-sale now and range in price from $224.50 to $249.50 depending on how fast they sell.
—Kyle Sparks
Vans Warped Tour
Each summer thousands of high schools flock to dance and sing to all the pop punk bands they've helped make famous. In its 15th year, the Vans Warped Tour is back boasting radio favorites such as 3OH!3, Breathe Carolina and Sing it Loud. Don't write off your local stop because of the aforementioned overplayed bands, Warped is still packed with plenty of quality acts such as Chiodos, Dance Gavin Dance, Bad Religion and Anti-Flag. Music spans a full day, with each band playing a 30-minute set on various stages. One of the greatest aspects of Warped Tour is for the knowledgeable fan, bands are walking around the grounds when they aren't playing and it's possible to run into your favorite musician without the crowds of teenage girls screaming. Warped Tour is kicking off June 26 and runs all summer.
—Danny Marchewka
10,000 Lakes Music Festival
Nestled in the pristine northern wilderness of Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, Minn., the 10,000 Lakes Festival offers patrons four days of camping and music in a beautiful setting to go along with the wild escapades that often accompany the jam band festival experience. This year's festival invokes memories of its first line-up with the return of Widespread Panic for two nights on the main stage, where they will be joined by festival newcomers Dave Matthews Band and Wilco. The rest of the line-up features Minneapolis products Atmosphere, Mason Jennings and Trampled by Turtles to go along with a stellar variety of national acts such as Umphrey's McGee, Gomez, Railroad Earth, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Tea Leaf Green and Steve Kimock's Crazy Engine. Soo Pass Ranch offers festival goers four distinct campgrounds to crash, the favorite among 10k veterans being the shaded Northwoods site, scattered with tranquil ponds, rolling hills and friendly hippies! A favorite site for those too late to claim spots in Northwoods is the shores of Lake Sallie campground, where campers can sober up with a dip into the cool waters of Lake Sallie and take in breathtaking sunsets while preparing for the night's shows. Tickets are on sale now for $160 at 10klf.com.
—Justin Dean
Pitchfork Music Festival
With around 15,000 attendees a day and three stages set up in Chicago's Union Park, the Pitchfork Music Festival (July 17-19) isn't on quite the same scale as its neighbor Lollapalooza, but with tickets at a fraction of the cost of most other major festivals ($75 for a three-day pass, $35 for one day), Pitchfork also costs several times less.
Organized by the Chicago-based music website of the same name, the Pitchfork lineup slants more toward underground up-and-comers (and fans who would rather catch the National or Grizzly Bear than the Killers) than the average festival. On a logistical level, Pitchfork's organizers have thankfully avoided the clutter of larger festivals. No more than two acts are ever on stage at the same time, keeping A or B decisions to a minimum, there are always enough restrooms for everyone present and over the past few years the food and beer options have been nothing short of excellent (and vegan-friendly). The festival always brings in a few headliners with name recognition outside of the aficionado crowd too, with the Flaming Lips, the Jesus Lizard and Built to Spill topping off this year's lineup.
—Matt Hunziker
