Jim DeRogatis at the Chicago Sun-Times peed in Perry Farrell’s corn flakes again yesterday, as he leaked the full Lollapalooza lineup last night, following up his reporting on the major headliners and supporting acts at this year’s fest. At this point, I’m expecting a throw-down in the press tent this year. As such, I’m taking bets and laying 6 to 1 odds on DeRo. Any takers?

This year’s lineup is actually pretty solid, with a good mix of acts that will bring out the casual music fan (Radiohead, Wilco, Kanye, Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, Cat Power, etc.) as well as those who follow bands that are just coming up (Does It Offend You, Yeah? MGMT, Santogold, Yeasayer). And while it’s not a My Bloody Valentine reunion, I’m pleased to see Love and Rockets filling the godfather slot this year.  

As usual, there are a smattering of Chicago acts, but fewer than usual: Wilco, Kid Sister, Lupe Fiasco, Office, The Cool Kids. Even if we include Kanye, that’s a slim list of locals, with only three newcomers to Lolla, and few that haven’t already broken wide. This might seem a provincial complaint to those outside of the city, but as the re-launched Lolla’s stature and influence has increased - allowing it to build a better lineup for its annual fest – it seems less interested in supporting local acts during those three days in August.

While this would be a minor issue taken in isolation, the context of the last several months ought to give Chicago live music fans some pause. The organizers of Lolla, C3 Presents, have increased their reach at Chicago’s live performance venues, as they now book Soldier Field and the Congress Theatre. While one could argue that local concerns ought not to figure into a national destination festival like Lolla, C3 is now a local player and ought to be held to the same expectations as Jam or LiveNation. In fact, you might say that because of the way that Lolla’s blackout requirements affect the summer concert calendar (no band playing Lolla can perform in the city for 60 days before or 30 days after), C3 has even more of a responsibility to bring in top-notch acts at reasonable prices during the rest of the year.

To be fair, C3 donates a big bag of cash to Chicago’s park districts every year for improvements, and organizers claim that this year’s fest will be carbon-neutral. But C3 are no longer guests in Chicago’s house, they’re our roommates now. And as such, they need to do their share of the housework and pay their half of the rent. Bringing over a really nice bottle of wine once a year just isn’t going to cut it anymore.