Lollapalooza made its return to Grant Park, Chicago last week, from August 1-4. The festival’s lineup had experienced several changes since its original release in March: Tyler, the Creator and Tommy Richman dropped out of the festival earlier in the summer, Megan Thee Stallion stepped up to fill Tyler’s headlining slot, and Dominic Fike cancelled his performance just days before Lollapalooza began due to health purposes.
Despite these setbacks, the four-day festival still delivered a diverse lineup that had fans dancing and singing along from start to finish. Our review takes you through the highs and lows of this year’s musical extravaganza.
Chappell Roan’s Lollapalooza Crowd Makes History
On day one of Lollapalooza, fans were jam-packed together at the T-Mobile stage in high anticipation to enjoy Chappell Roan’s set. Even CNN reported that Chappell’s set may have drawn the biggest crowd in Lollapalooza’s entire history.
At exactly 5 p.m., Chappell took the stage in a vibrant blue and pink outfit as her audience chanted along in excitement to “Femininomenon,” one of her most streamed songs from her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Chappell even rocked a luchador mask for the first few minutes of the set, before at last unveiling her face during “Naked in Manhattan.”
Up until a few weeks ago, Chappell was scheduled to perform at one of Lollapalooza’s side stages. While her upgrade to the T-Mobile stage downgraded Kesha to the much smaller IHG Hotels & Resorts stage, it’s safe to say Lollapalooza made the right call.
Metro Boomin And Future Disappoint Fans With A Shortened Set
There’s no doubt in my mind that Metro Boomin and Future performed the most disappointing set of the weekend. Their set, originally scheduled to begin at 8:45 p.m. on the Bud Light stage, started 30 minutes late, and didn’t run a second past Lollapalooza’s 10 p.m. curfew. The set began with “Superhero” at 9:15 p.m., and while the stage was covered in fire explosions and flashing lasers, Future and Metro still lacked majorly in stage presence.
Even halfway through the set, the performance came to a complete halt: stage screens flashed with cautionary messages and security instructed fans to take a few steps backwards in order for the show to safely resume. Having attended this set myself, I can attest to the crowd’s rowdiness and chaos; I even saw several people faint in my surrounding area.
“Type Shit” was clearly the fan favorite of the night, and it was even played for a second time as the set’s very last song before Metro and Future were abruptly cut off. Ultimately, though, it felt as it Metro and Future’s hit setlist and expensive display could not make up for their reduced stage time and lack of engagement with fans. Metro and Future’s Lollapalooza performance was one of the first in their collaborative We Trust You Tour, and I hope to see much more effort put in hyping up and satisfying fans in the dates to come.
Chance The Rapper Shows Support At Both Reneé Rap And Teezo Touchdown’s Sets
Chance the Rapper made not only one, but two appearances this year at Lollapalooza. During Reneé Rap’s performance at the T-Mobile stage on day two of the festival, Chance ran on stage and helped her to perform “D.R.A.M. Sings Special” and “No Problem,” two songs off of his 2016 album Coloring Book.
Two days later, on the final day of Lollapalooza, Chance surprised fans yet again.
About halfway through Teezo Touchdown’s daytime performance on the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage, Teezo paused his music to discuss a few important moments throughout his career. He specifically recalled when Chance reposted him on Instagram a few years ago, which in turn contributed to his exponential growth as an artist.
Immediately afterwards, Chance leaped into sight from backstage, grabbed a microphone, and began to praise Teezo’s determination and overall hard work. He even confidently remarked that Teezo is here to stay in the music industry.
Altogether, while I hope to see improved crowd control and scheduling at next year’s Lollapalooza, I would still deem the festival an overall success, especially with its roster of current artists like Chappell and nostalgic guests like Chance. I especially am interested in watching the We Trust You Tour unfold in the months to come.
