Lollapalooza 1991

My giant “go through everything you own!” project has proven rather emotional as well as fruitful in many ways. I’ve been able to reconstruct a lot of what I have forgotten from the years 1990-1995, based on letters from friends, journals, and boxes of souvenirs.

One of those treasures: my original Lollapalooza concert ticket from August 1991! This was the very first year the festival was held. I believe I went with… Kathryn? Peter? Margaret? I actually cannot remember who was there with me. I do know it was super hot, my seats were on the lawn, and that during Siouxsie and the Banshees’ set shortly after dark, people started throwing their plastic drink cups in the air. Suddenly, EVERYONE was throwing their drink cups in the air. It was like a swarm of angry cups, gleaming in the stage lights, had descended over the entire audience. And of course people threw other things as well. I got hit in the head with someone’s half-eaten turkey leg. Delightful.

The lineup included Henry Rollins, the Butthole Surfers, Jane’s Addiction, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails, and of course Siouxsie. Actually I don’t quite remember if NIN played in Dallas; I know they played some cities but I have also seen NIN at that venue other times so I may be conflating the events in my memory.

I showed this to Jamie and he said, “I don’t know what I am looking at.” The child has never seen a paper concert ticket! He said, “I guess you could print it out the barcode from your phone save it as a souvenir.” Not the same, kiddo. Not the same.