While so many festivals struggle these days, Lollapalooza not only perseveres, but has boomed. One of the biggest music festivals in North America, this year it enjoyed a three-part documentary about its entire history, from touring alt-nineties roots to its twenty-first century version in the center of Chicago at Grant Park. Yes, it’s not what it was, but that’s because instead of wallowing in the past, it has embraced today & tomorrow, with more music than you could possibly catch, Thursday-Sunday, August 1st-4th:
Ever since Lollapalooza extended to a fourth day back in 2016 (QRO recap), Thursday has been a bit of the red-headed stepchild of the festival, not as big as the ‘regular’ three-day weekend. Yet, that has also made it special, between having the energy of a first day to a more interesting line-up. Also, the skies didn’t rain until after the fest was over, always a plus.
It is tough to play early in the day at any festival, particularly as big a fest as Lollapalooza, not to mention the oppressive global warming heat that will eventually make all festivals impossible. Yet Texas’ BigXThaPlug took that challenge and ran with it on the IHG Stage, extolling their crowd, encouraging ‘left side vs. right side’ rivalry that is as old as time and totally still works. They even demanded that both sides open up their pits – it’s great to see rappers embracing the old hardcore tradition of mosh pits, and making it their own.
There are two secret gems every year at Lollapalooza, thanks to our corporate masters. There is the BMI Stage, which might be the smallest stage, but also the only one with full shade for the crowd. And right next to it is the Toyota Music Den, where Lolla artists do special second sets, flanked by automobiles. Toyota had the expansive indie-rock of NYC’s Been Stellar, the kind of music you might not expect to hear anymore at Lollapalooza. BMI had yet more of that in Brenn!, not to mention country gal Goldie Boutilier celebrating the sun coming out (the only stage where you could do so) and self-described “comedy band” Wolves of Glendale with songs about buying a horse and loud cars (unfortunately, the latter sometimes happened at the BMI Stage, right by the Lake Shore Drive).
But admit it, you were at Lollapalooza 2024 – certainly the Thursday of Lollapalooza ’24 – for Chappell Roan. The alt-pop star has become a star very, very fast this year – to the point where there was a New York Times article about her having to upgrade her venues on this tour after she hit it so big. There was her breakthrough Governors Ball appearance back in June (QRO photos), where she overshadowed the artists that came after her (and was cited in The New Republic). For Lolla, she was last-minute moved to the biggest T-Mobile Stage, and there was a crowd of her ‘Pink Ponies’ stretching all the way back to the opposite IHG Stage that she was originally supposed to play. Her on-stage outfits have become a “Femininomenon” all their own, this time dressed like a Mexican wrestler/luchadora, and she played her The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess material (very appropriate for Chicago), her 2024 hit “Good Luck, Babe!,” and more.
And like at Governors Ball, the massive Chappell Roan once again overshadowed other female pop artists, who have longer careers. Most notable was Kesha, who got swapped to the smaller IHG Stage, if later, but had to perform after Roan dominated that whole shared crowd area – but she still rocked her hardest, from 2010 hit “Tik Tok” with its revised opening line, “Wake up in the morning / Yelling, ‘Fuck P-Diddy!” to getting fans to “give me all your clothes!” during “Take It Off”. And then there was The Japanese House, who needed folks to head up to the other end of the long Lollapalooza festival grounds (under the hot sun), to catch them at Tito’s Bandshell.
For something of a reset to fantasies, Lizzy McAlpine shifted to playing seated at the Bud Light Stage. She was endearingly awkward, messing up her lyrics and multiple times thanking the crowd for just being there. Instead of giant exposition, it was intimate revelation (even if she did end 15 minutes early). Camden Cox had the unenviable position of being the DJ to close out Tito’s Bandshell between the final big Bud Light Stage acts, a Lollapalooza staple position for some reason.
And closing out the first day at that Bud Light Stage was none other than Hozier. Taken to heart by so many people when he once asked, “Take Me To Church”, he’s since become one of the rare alt-folk superstars (shades of Bon Iver – both of whom were parodied in a Saturday Night Live sketch). There is always the question with singer/songwriters who break through by showcasing themselves so clearly, whether they can keep it up, but Hozier proved that he does – like he has been on this summer’s festival-headlining tour (QRO photos headlining a fest the weekend prior).
-words: Ted Chase
-photos: Amelia Baird (save BMI Stage photos, courtesy of Erika Goldring)
