(Reuters) (03/29/04)

By Ray Waddell

Edited By Michael Bennett

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA - Morrissey, The Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth and String Cheese Incident are among the acts confirmed for the 2004 LOLLAPALOOZA tour.

This year's event will mark the debut of a two-day format and a more diverse musical lineup.

Tour founder Perry Farrell will also be involved as a DJ or host, although his band Jane's Addiction is not expected to be on the bill.

Offers are also out to such acts as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Le Tigre and The Fire Theft.

"The only theme to the whole thing is eclectic music not driven by the commercial marketplace," says Marc Geiger, the agent for Lollapalooza at The William Morris Agency, one of the founders of the festival.

"Lollapalooza is different from year to year, if you look at it historically. Some years it was more indie, some years more dark."

Two days means more bands, Geiger points out.

"There are just too many great bands, and the one-day rock festival with 13 acts format has been co-opted by the radio shows," he says.

"What we're doing is more akin to the great European festivals that originally inspired Lollapalooza, as well as Coachella and Bonnaroo."

"The two-day format will once again differentiate Lollapalooza from what everybody else is doing."

The pioneering rock festival returned after a five-year absence in 2003 and grossed $13.7 million from 25 shows reported to Billboard Boxscores.

The lineup featured Jane's Addiction, Queens Of The Stone Age, Incubus, Audioslave, The Donnas and A Perfect Circle, among others.

High production costs led to the cancellation of two shows at nontraditional venues, but most dates performed relatively well.

But with the 2003 outing somewhat less than a home run, why come back with a two-day fest?

"This year has nothing to do with last year," says Geiger, who did not work on last year's show.

"We're moving forward and offering more value. Ticket prices are looking to come significantly down from last year."

Farrell launched Lollapalooza in 1991 with a bill that featured the final appearances of Jane's Addiction until the group reunited in 1997.

The tour's best year was 1994, when it reported more than $21 million in grosses.

The last year before the hiatus, 1997, was its weakest, with $7.4 million reported from 24 shows with Snoop Dogg, Korn, Tool, Tricky and others.

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