Lollapalooza Kicks Off In Grant Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- From the Red Hot Chili Peppers to local bands trying to make it big, Lollapalooza kicks off Friday in Grant Park.
As CBS 2's Courtney Gousman reports, the gates were set to open late Friday morning, and anyone without tickets is likely out of luck, since the three-day concert festival has been sold out for some time.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding reports
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Lollapalooza was created by Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell as a farewell tour for his band in 1991. In 2005, it changed from a tour to a destination festival, and has called Chicago and Grant Park home ever since.
Also on the roster are Florence + the Machine, At the Drive-In, Bassnectar, Avicii, the Shins, Justice, Passion Pit, Kaskade, the Weeknd, and Sigur Ros. Look also for Franz Ferdinand, M83, the Tallest Man on Earth, Frank Ocean, J. Cole, and local favorites J.C. Brooks & the Uptown Sound, among many others.
The festival also attracting up-and-coming artists such as Laura Warshauer from New Jersey, who appeared on the CBS 2 Morning News with Vince Gerasole Friday.
As of 11 a.m., all the stages and gates were in place. Multiple layers of 8-foot-tall fencing have gone- up to keep non-payers from crashing the party, like in previous years.
Meanwhile, new trees and bushes have also been planted in Grant Park to help restore the park from last year's festival, when wet conditions created a muddy mess in Hutchinson Field.
And not only are coordinators dedicated to ensuring this space stays intact, but they're also watching out for the 270,000 people expected to flock to Grant Park this weekend.
"We'll just be constantly monitoring the event to improve safety measures and keep everyone having a good time," said event spokeswoman Lisa Hackey.
An estimated 90,000 people are expected to show up each day for Lollapalooza.
If you can't make it in person or don't have a ticket to the sold out festival, Lollapalooza is hosting a live stream online.
It runs through Sunday.
