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Lollapalooza confirms Berlin event

By | Published on Friday 7 November 2014

Lollapalooza

The Lollapalooza festival is going on a mini-break, to Berlin! Which will be sehr cool, depending on das line-up.

Lolla’s organisers have confirmed the first ever German version of the event will take place at Tempelhof Airport on 12-13 Sep 2015, with Team Lolla (aka the US-based William Morris Endeavor and C3 Presents) working in collaboration with Reading/Leeds/Melt! bookers Festival Republic (the Live Nation-controlled Festival Republic, which is interesting given the live major is mooted to be buying half of C3 Presents).

The Berlin festival will be Brand Lollapalooza’s first European event, sitting beside still-active sister fests in Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. Lollapalooza creator and one-time Jane’s Addiction man Perry Pharrell says: “Berlin’s energy, vibrant art, fashion and music scenes are a mirror reflection of what Lollapalooza is all about and I can’t wait to share in this cultural exchange”.

Marc Geiger, head of WME’s music division, has said that, while he and the team had wanted to bring the franchise over to ‘the continent’ for a while, they’d felt “intimidated by the rich festival history Europe has had for 50 years”. And yet, he adds, in the same ‘Berlin is the best ever!’-style: “Berlin feels like it is ready to explode as a city and cultural centre and we want to be there to grow with it”.

Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn, meanwhile, has this to say: “Working to bring the Lollapalooza brand to Europe gives me great pleasure in not only building upon my relationship with these global partners, but allows me to return to the iconic Templehof site in September”. Nice of him to share.

Now stifle all yawns, please, because it’s time for a quick history bit. Created back in 1991 by rock/pop star Pharrell as a touring swansong for Jane’s Addiction (pre-reunion), the Lollapalooza festival ran on a yearly basis, roving North America, till 1997, and was revived again in 2003. Cancelled in 2005 over low ticket sales, the franchise was restyled as a ‘weekend destination’ the following year, and given a permanent Stateside site at Grant Park in Chicago.



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