Ah, Lollapalooza. The beloved three days that anually fall around the first of August.

On the North Shore, these three days are considered the best days of the summer. For readers who aren’t aware of Lollapalooza, or “Lolla,” it is considered the rock music guru of Chicago. Held in Grant Park every year, Lolla hosts over 300,000 people from near and far to see musicians like ‘Eminem’, ‘Paul McCartney’, ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’, and ‘My Morning Jacket’ perform.

For those who live in or around the city, such as my fellow Reginites, many would think that going to Lollapalooza is a no-brainer. Think again.

The first and foremost questionable aspect of Lolla is the type of person this venue is slowly beginning to attract. It was established in 1991 and originally attracted young adults looking to see and hear great live music. By no means does Lolla not have great performances anymore. In fact, the singers and bands who attend the 3-day festival typically put on unbelievable shows.

Recently, however, there seems to be less genuine fans, and more prepubescent middle school-aged youth who got mom to buy their ticket.

I am seventeen, therefore by no means am I one to call others out on being young for a concert such as this. However, the change from indie rock venue to teeny-bopper paradise in Grant Park is indeed a tad bit discouraging.

The next source of my skepticism is becaue Lolla has robbed me of over two weeks’ pay for years on end. Lollapalooza is expensive. While buying a ticket, many, including myself, don’t realize the external and unforeseeable costs.

Let’s do the math. A regular 3-day admission pass is $275 if it is purchased from the Lollapalooza website. $275 is really not that bad—only 91 dollars a day. Unfortunately, three day passes from the website sell out in less than an hour nowadays. Once they are re-sold on stub hub or Ticketmaster, companies jack up the price to as high as $450 for a 3-day pass.

The next factor to take into account is food. Clearly there is nowhere else to go to eat besides somewhere inside the venue, therefore I find myself trapped in a monopoly of $10 pizza slices and $5 waters. Because Lolla is an all day event (10:00 AM through 10:00 PM), most people have no choice but to buy at least one or two meals daily.

Last, but not least, transportation, the least painful of the expenses. One could assume about $5 a day for an L ride to Grant Park and home. Therefore, one should expect to pay anywhere from $350 to $525 for the weekend.

Luckily, Chicago is a wonderful place to live for music lovers, especially in the summer. For those who love live music but can’t afford to Lollapa-lose all your money, a festival like Pitchfork Music Festival is the perfect alternative. It is held in Union Park annually, and could be considered a host of more underground rock music, but still featuring headliners such as A$AP Rocky, Wilco, Mac Demarco, and Chance the Rapper. Plus, due to the fact that it is a well-kept secret, the $180 3-day passes are available for weeks before they sell out.

Under certain conditions, Lollapalooza is an unbelievable and fun event to experience. However, one must ask if the pros outweigh the cons.