Today, thousands of music lovers will gather in Chicago’s Grant Park for the three-day blowout that is Lollapalooza. Unfortunately, the large majority of people who would love to go to the festival will not be able to attend in person.
But you can still watch the the performances live, thanks to YouTube.
Starting Friday at 2:30 EST, you’ll be able to watch streaming shows on two different channels. First up today on Channel 1 is Yellow Ostrich, and on channel 2 it’s Michael Kiwanuka. UPDATE: Someone just proposed on the main stage…
If those names don’t ring a bell, later in the day you can watch The Shins, The Afghan Whigs, and The Black Keys.
This year’s headliner, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, will perform at 9 pm EST on Saturday night.
YouTube streamed Lollapalooza last year as well, with impressive results. Here’s what they had to say in a blog post:
Live shows by artists like U2, Kenny Chesney and Coldplay have drawn millions of viewers to YouTube, and last year’s Lollapalooza webcast saw viewers spending an average of 44 minutes watching the show. We look forward to keeping you glued to your screen again this year.
Nothing’s like a live show, but hey, if you can’t be there you might as well follow the fun from the comfort of your own (air conditioned) home.
If live music isn’t your thing, you can download some free tracks from some of the performers, made possible by Google.