Last year just before the end of Lollapalooza (QRO ’22 recap) Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that the festival and the city had signed a new ten-year lease, ensuring the massive musical event’s continued future (not so much a future for the Lightfoot as mayor, however…). Coming out of COVID, there was naturally a question as to whether big music festivals still had, their very size working against them in terms of being able to pull it off again. Yet Lolla has not only survived but thrived, and returned to downtown Grant Park, Thursday-Sunday, August 3rd-6th.
Of course, in 2023 it did have to deal with the weather, in twin threats: heat on the weekdays, rain on the weekends. This first weekend in August was coming off the hottest July ever, the hottest month ever, at least in records, probably since the dawn of humanity. Yet it wasn’t the crushing heat that has ruined many a festival (and even spawned some post-failure documentaries…), and Lollapalooza was certainly prepared with more hydration than you could shake a firehose at, from hydration stations to fill up your water bottle for free to the classy Hendrick’s Gin Grand Garden Bar where you feel like you were in Bridgerton while fanning yourself with their branded hand fans.
Saturday did experience the rain, though never bad enough to cancel a set or force an evacuation (like had happened just two weekends ago in Chicago at Pitchfork Festival – QRO photos). The most notable effect was the mud, particularly on the slippery hillsides & steps near the T-Mobile & Bud Light Stages. So maybe your festival outfit was ruined (hip look this year for women seemed to be bikini/bra/etc. top, but baggy pants/shorts – you could handle the heat, bring the heat, yet still sit on the ground or even the L train…), but hardly crushing.
And in the end, the rain came down on Saturday. While hardly a deluge, and a break from the heat, the showers may have ended in the afternoon, but the overcasts skies and muddy grounds continued for the rest of Lollapalooza. This didn’t stop Arcy Drive from having fun, both at BMI Stage (where they finished their set list early, so added two more on the fly) and Toyota Music Den, with some aughts indie feel.
The BMI Stage did well throughout Lollapalooza – being the only fully-shaded stage was an advantage in both the heat and the rain. Yes, you’ve probably never heard of any of the acts, and likely never will again for most, but one or two will have a career or even become Lady Gaga. Other acts there included the emo-indie of Windser, the revival of Danielle Ponder, and the soulful Ari Abdul.
Earlier in the day was another soulful artist in Tom Odell, even when just solo on piano up on the big Bud Light Stage (plus the Active Sign Language interpreter, always great with any act). Early at the Bacardí Stage, the rising Mavi was a strong hip-hop presence, while later the risen model-actress-musician Suki Waterhouse had a huge crowd, Morgan Wade brought country sounds, and Alex G brought modern indie-rock.
One issue with festivals and their big headliners is there are often fans of that headliner camped out at the front of the stage, who might be something less than receptive to the other artists playing that stage before. Yet the Tomorrow x Together army who’d camped out before doors even opened to get front row were nothing if not excited for Sylvan Esso at the Bud Light Stage – but that duo’s electro-pop never stops starting.
There are some styles & artists who are going to work at any festival. The soul-jam revival of The Revivalists works well anywhere, including at the T-Mobile Stage behind their new Pour It Out Into the Night (QRO review). Meanwhile, there was no one who couldn’t be charmed by Maggie Rogers at the Bud Light Stage, and her super excitement at playing there.
The headlining situation on Saturday was a bit strange. Tomorrow x Together was the clear big draw, the K-pop boy band the latest to conquer the States (which started last year when they headlined the same stage – QRO photos at ’22 Lollapalooza) – no rain could stop their diehards (just . Yet instead of Perry’s Tent closing with some EDM DJ work, that was moved over to the Bud Light Stage with ODESZA, who did have their customary festival light show. Meanwhile, Perry’s closed with Pusha T laying down rhymes to go with his beats, “Yayopalooza” that included some Kanye West collabs without mentioning Chicago’s controversial son.
-words: Ted Chase
-photos by Pooneh Ghana, Roger Ho, Miranda McDonald, Greg Noire, Ismael Quintanilla III, Taylor Regulski, and Dusana Risovic, courtesy of Lollapalooza, save BMI photos by Erika Goldring courtesy of BMI, and Hendrick’s Gin courtesy of Hendrick’s Gin
