The 15 best photos from the first Lollapalooza festival in 1991

By
published

1991 saw the inaugural Lollapalooza take the cities of America by storm. This is what it looked like in glorious Technicolor

Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers (Image credit: Steve Eichner)

Pretty much every major rock festival in the North America today was inspired (at least in passing) by Lollapalooza. It started in 1991 as the brainchild of Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell and soon became a touring behemoth, showcasing the brightest and best bands from every corner of the rock and metal spectrum.

Nowadays it’s based solely in Chicago and includes some of the biggest names in pop, indie, rock, hip-hop and beyond – but the original festival was an riotous, anarchic affair featuring Body Count, Butthole Surfers, Nine Inch Nails and Rollins Band. Imagine seeing that line-up today? Sadly it’s probably not going to happen, but you can pretend it is by scrolling through these photos of the first year’s tour.

Body Count with Henry Rollins

Body Count with Henry Rollins (Image credit: Ebet Roberts)

Butthole Surfers

Butthole Surfers (Image credit: Steve Eichner)

Crowdsurfers

Crowdsurfers (Image credit: Steve Eichner)

Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails (Image credit: Ebet Roberts)

Body Count

Body Count (Image credit: Steve Eichner)

Butthole Surfers

Butthole Surfers (Image credit: Steve Eichner)

Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction (Image credit: Steve Eichner)

Crowdsurfers

Crowdsurfers (Image credit: Ebet Roberts)

Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction (Image credit: Ebet Roberts)

Butthole Surfers

Butthole Surfers (Image credit: Steve Eichner)

Body Count

Body Count (Image credit: Ebet Roberts)

Living Colour

Living Colour (Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder)

Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails (Image credit: Ebet Roberts)

Stagedivers

Stagedivers (Image credit: Steve Eichner)

Henry Rollins and Body Count

Henry Rollins and Body Count (Image credit: Ebet Roberts)

Were you at the first Lollapalooza? Did it blow your mind? Let us know!

10 most defining moments in Ozzfest history

Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer

Founded in 1983, Metal Hammer is the global home of all things heavy. We have breaking news, exclusive interviews with the biggest bands and names in metal, rock, hardcore, grunge and beyond, expert reviews of the lastest releases and unrivalled insider access to metal's most exciting new scenes and movements. No matter what you're into – be it heavy metal, punk, hardcore, grunge, alternative, goth, industrial, djent or the stuff so bizarre it defies classification – you'll find it all here, backed by the best writers in our game.