Is it worth it?

For the second year in a row, @LollaLeaks, a Twitter user who calls himself an anonymous insider, has leaked the Lollapalooza lineup, the same day that Bonnaroo, a June outdoor music festival in Manchester, Tenn., released its 2012 official lineup. If this leaked lineup proves to be as accurate as last year’s, driving six hours to Chicago and paying about $200 for the three-day music festival will be totally worth it.

At first I was skeptical. The initial adrenaline rush I experienced when I saw that rumored headliners include Beyoncé, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, Beck, Metallica and Sonic Youth, was more about the slim chance of Blue Ivy making an appearance than the actual headliners themselves.

It would be almost impossible to top last year’s headliners Coldplay, Eminem, Muse, My Morning Jacket and Foo Fighters. Not to mention appearances from Christina Perri, Foster the People, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Fitz & The Tantrums and a stream of other stand-up artists. The only thing that could have made 2011’s lineup any more magical would have been Adele.

But then I dove a little deeper into the lineup and saw Missy Elliott’s name, which immediately reversed my doubtfulness about whether I wanted to attend this year. Other leaked acts include The Shins, Passion Pit, Antlers, Wale and Guided By Light. M.I.A. is also listed, who, besides her appearance in the halftime show of the 2012 Super Bowl as no more than a backup dancer for Madonna, I hadn’t heard from since I was in high school.

Looping back to the headliners for a second, Red Hot Chili Peppers are a must-see. I studied in Barcelona, Spain, Autumn Quarter, and they played there Dec. 15, the night before I flew home. I would have loved to get myself a going-away present of tickets to their concert, but, alas, they were too expensive. Then, in its effort to follow me wherever I am in the world, no doubt, the Chili Peppers announced a Columbus concert. But the cheapest tickets were almost $150, which was quite a distance from my price range. So if a concert featuring just the Chili Peppers in Columbus is just slightly cheaper than a music festival with countless bands in Grant Park, I’d say their presence alone makes it worth it.  

But as much as I love this lineup, especially the Missy Elliott rumor, there is a huge chunk of my concert-loving heart that hopes @LollaLeaks’ predictions are wrong.

There is one huge, gaping, supermassive black hole missing in 2012’s lineup: Lana Del Rey. Since the release of her album “Born to Die” a couple weeks ago, she’s proven there’s no one who better deserves to headline Lolla. Until Lollapalooza releases its official lineup, I’ll be holding out hope. And I’ll be whistling your name, Lana, even if you’re not there.

So yes, it’s worth it.