Story Excerpt:
(Chicago Sun-Times) Lollapalooza has revealed its official 2012 list of performers — a typically wide-ranging smorgasbord of genres and styles topped by nearly a dozen mainstage headliners: the Red Hot Chili Peppers, freshly reunited bands Black Sabbath and At the Drive-In, the Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, the Shins and Passion Pit, plus spotlighted electronic music including Swedish house titan Avicii, French dance duo Justice and DJ-producer Bassnectar.
The annual music festival is scheduled for Aug. 3-5 in Chicago’s Grant Park.
Rumored lineups have circulated widely, as they usually do, and Lollapalooza itself stoked the speculation in recent weeks via a series of CTA and online advertisements that seemed to hint at who would be playing.
The ads featured lyrics from such acts as Sigur Ros, Santigold, Jack White, Kimbra, Twin Shadow, the Weeknd, Bloc Party and more — all bands that wound up on the bill.
Pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath has been courting reunion rumors for some time. All four original members — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — made an official announcement in November of new shows (mostly summer festivals) and new recordings. Ward has since dropped out.
At the Drive-In played a surprise show — its first together in 11 years — Monday night in Austin, Texas, home of Lollapalooza’s producers, C3 Presents. The beloved El Paso-based rock band’s reunion will be spotlighted at numerous festivals worldwide this summer, including Coachella beginning this weekend outside of Los Angeles.
Some bands aren’t reuniting but returning after a hiatus, such as Bloc Party, which has been inactive for two years, and the Shins, back with a new record this spring, the first under that moniker since 2006.
A few of the top acts will provide deja vu for local fans. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are booked for a Chicago area show barely more than two months before Lollapalooza (May 28 at the Allstate Arena). The Black Keys just played the United Center in mid-March. Bassnectar has two shows this weekend at the Congress Theater. Meanwhile, Childish Gambino, fun., and SBTRKT are booked for Chicago clubs within the next few weeks.
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