In 1991, Perry Farrell put on the 1st Lollapalooza festival in Phoenix as a tour that heralded the return of music festivals!
Lollapalooza was conceived by Farrell in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction, which brought a collection of bands that made it a commercial success. After, the band's breakup the tour was put on annually til 1997 when festivals began to lose their steam, and the third Woodstock left a bitter taste with music fans after the catastrophe of that event.
The tour was revived in 2003, and is now an annual four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. Lollapalooza has always been about a blending of music genres and fans as its title is a metaphorical example of the lollipop it was named after.
The festival is one of the longest-running in the U.S. helping change the mentality of the music industry, and coining the term "Alternative Nation", and becoming the template for the modern American festival. The explosion of alternative rock pushed Lollapalooza into the mainstream off of the backs of bands like Soundgarden, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Pearl Jam. Mosh pits and crowd surfing became common place for concerts and second stages became launching pads for local acts to shine in front of mass numbers.
Perry Farrell's inspired idea has become the standard of the modern summer and the benchmark for mass music today.