Lollapalooza Lineup Announced

It’s a little later than usual, and it doesn’t have quite the sizzle as in previous years. But we finally know who’s playing on this year’s Lollapalooza bill.

The veteran New York noise quartet Sonic Youth will headline the fifth installment of the modern rock festival, bringing a touch of heritage to a bill that also includes Courtney Love’s band Hole, rap group Cypress Hill, rockers Pavement, Beck and the Jesus Lizard, and ska merchants the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

The tour begins after July 4 and will end during August.

The surprise of this year’s lineup is Sinead O’Connor, the Irish singer who gave her career a slice to the jugular when she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II on “Saturday Night Live” in 1992.

O’Connor, whose latest album, “Universal Mother,” suffered middling sales, stands to gain the most from Lollapalooza. The mostly young Lollapalooza crowd may be unencumbered by her previous demonstrations; that means her 40-minute session will set her up to be discovered by a fresh audience.

Lollapalooza began in 1991, when participants such as nine inch nails and Siouxsie & the Banshees were still considered “alternative” rock. In succeeding years, nouveau rock superstars such as Pearl Jam, Green Day, Soundgarden, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys have taken part in the tour.

This year’s Lollapalooza will feature another midway of food, clothes merchants and high-tech diversions. There will also be a second stage for music, considered by many to be the real highlight of Lollapalooza.