Daft Punk, Stooges, MMJ Join Pearl Jam At Lollapalooza
April 12, 2007 - Touring

By Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Daft Punk, the Stooges, My Morning Jacket, Muse, Modest Mouse, Interpol, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ben Harper and Snow Patrol are among the top acts joining previously announced headliner Pearl Jam at this year's Lollapalooza, to be held Aug. 3-5 in Chicago's Grant Park. The Roots, Patti Smith, Kings Of Leon, the Black Keys and Spoon are also on the bill.

Lollapalooza comes near the end of the busy festival season, following Coachella and Bonnaroo. It is also being held the same weekend as the V Festival in Baltimore, which will feature the Police, Smashing Pumpkins and the Beastie Boys.

"The thing we can't do is look at everybody else, because you start copying other festivals. But you have to stay current with what is happening in the music business," says Charles Attal, president of Charles Attal Presents (with Capital Sports & Entertainment) and talent buyer for Lollapalooza. "We always book from the bottom up. You can't go chasing headliners first, because you wind up chasing your tail."

Attal admits he's spent several years chasing Pearl Jam, who have not played an American festival in nearly a decade. The group largely stopped performing in general admission venues after the tragedy at Denmark's Roskilde Festival in 2000, when nine fans were killed in a crowd surge during Pearl Jam's set.

"My partners and I flew down to Monterrey, Mexico, to see the band and their crew has come to Lollapalooza to see what it was all about," Attal says. "They checked out the operation to make sure it was safe, and I think the amount of trust we've built up over the last few years led them to say yes."

Attal says he is particularly excited about My Morning Jacket, who he calls "his favorite band right now. Muse is also exploding. They just played the Forum in Los Angeles and sold it out."

Lollapalooza attendees have previously complained about the distance between one end of the Grant Park venue and the other, but Attal says there are no plans to revamp the positioning of the nine stages this year. "I walked it 50 times last year and had a blast doing it," he says. "There are so many cool things in the middle of it. There's also always a place you can go sit down in the shade and take a break."

In a new innovation this year, tickets are all-inclusive, with no extra fees or surcharges. "We listened to the fans who were tired of buying tickets they thought cost $150 but wound up being $180 when you add on this, this and this," he says. "We're simplifying the process for people and making it more fan-friendly."

Here are the artists for Lollapalooza:

Pearl Jam
Daft Punk
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Muse
Iggy and the Stooges
Modest Mouse
Interpol
My Morning Jacket
Satellite Party
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Snow Patrol
The Roots
Patti Smith
Kings of Leon
The Black Keys
Regina Spektor
Spoon
Lupe Fiasco
TV On The Radio
Pete Yorn
G. Love & Special Sauce
Paulo Nutini
Amy Winehouse
LCD Soundsystem
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Silverchair
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force
Yo La Tengo
Slightly Stoopid
The Hold Steady
Jack's Mannequin
Stephen Marley
STS9
M.I.A.
Blonde Redhead
Sparklehorse
Sean Lennon
!!!
Blue October
Son Volt
Motion City Soundtrack
The Polyphonic Spree
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Peter Bjorn and John
Silversun Pickups
CSS
The Rapture
The Wailers
Roky Erickson & the Explosions
Tapes 'N Tapes
Heartless Bastards
The View
The Cribs
The Fratellis
Ghostland Observatory
Tokyo Police Club
Rhymefest
Soulive
Cold War Kids
Annuals
Fields
Electric Six
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Sam Roberts Band
The Black Angels
Charlie Musselwhite
Aqueduct
Juliette & the Licks
Dios
Viva Voce
David Vandervelde
Los Campesinos!
Chin Up Chin Up
Ryan Shaw
Colour Revolt
The Satin Peaches
Illinois
Arckid
Mikey Avalon
The 1900's
Bang Bang Bang
Bound Stems
High Class Elite
Carey Ott
Matt Roan