The 30th Annual Lollapalooza Music Festival Takes Over Chicago
This weekend Lollapalooza made its grand return to Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois for its 30th Anniversary, giving it the
Victoria Liotta
This weekend Lollapalooza made its grand return to Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois for its 30th Anniversary, giving it the title of the largest ongoing festival on the globe. And for those of you who just cringed after reading “largest” due to the pandemic that’s still in play, don’t worry. Proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test is required upon entry. The festival’s line-up is filled with tons of big names who are guaranteed to lure in large crowds. Artists like Miley Cyrus, Black Pumas, Marshmello, Post Malone, Journey and more will take the stage throughout the weekend to kick off Chicago’s biggest event since the pandemic lockdown.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement, “Here in Chicago, the word ‘Lollapalooza’ has always been synonymous with summer, great music and four days of unforgettable fun, which made last year’s decision to postpone it all the more difficult. Now, less than a year later and armed with a vaccine that is safe, effective, and widely available, we are able to bring back one of our city’s most iconic summer music festivals.”
A Lineup To Get In Line For
Lollapalooza began on Thursday, July 29th and will be turning up into Sunday evening. That’s four full days of music from an assortment of genres for a diverse audience. Thursday held performances from big names like Cyrus, Illenium, Playboi Carti,Black Pumas, Jimmy Eat World and Steve Aoki. We also took a trip back in time with performances from Aly & Aj, All Time Low and Jimmy Eat World.
Tune in to Hulu on Friday to watch live performances from Marshmello, Giveon, Jack Harlow, Subtronics, Tobi Lou, Emotional Oranges and of course others. Marshmello’s performance is highly anticipated after the release of his most recent album since 2019. Shockwave was released this year alongside numerous hit singles from pre-COVID to now. He has strong featured artists, some of who are attending Lollapalooza as well. Is anybody thinking what I’m thinking? Surprise guests on stage?! Fans are eager to get dancing to his music live and, where better to experience it than at one of the top music festivals in the world?
Crazy how I’ve only talked about two out of the four days so far and the anticipation for the entertainment has already reached maximum. Anyways, Saturday and Sunday will be jammed packed with more exciting performances to watch live on Hulu. Keep your schedule clear or have wifi wherever you go because you won’t want to miss performances from Post Malone, Journey, Megan Thee Stallion, Foo Fighters, BrockHampton and Modest Mouse. Need I say more?
Day 1 Performers
Lolla made its comeback with a profound list of artists to kick off the weekend. Whether it was the intense beats, captivating vocals or creative decor, every stage performance had you mesmerized.
Playboi Carti put on a fierce performance capturing so much traction that he had to pause his act and order for the crowd to calm down and take a few steps back because fans in the audience began passing out. After starting back up again, he moved from the stage and took advantage of every space in the crowd, making a stage out of almost anything. Talk about keeping the fans engaged. If you blink you might miss his next move.
Dayglow showed up in a trendy 70’s attire staying true to his iconic throwback style. Also known as Sloan Struble, the indie pop singer put on a performance of tracks from his most recent album Harmony House.
Saint Jhn got the crown turned up by beginning his set with a risk taking entrance that involved him walking into the crowd shirtless without security. Fans flooded towards him as he stayed energetic on the mic while getting on top of a friend’s shoulders for the start of his first song.
Steve Aoki did his thing, as per usual, welcoming the night with powerful electronic dance music that is remotely impossible to sit still to. The DJ admitted to having nerves before performing given that this is his first festival performance since before the pandemic. However, it’s safe to say that he absolutely killed it and gave the crowd everything that they’ve needed after a year of being apart.
Kaytranada’s performance had a total vibe of blended genres like R&B, dance, funk and hip hop. The DJ brought the crowd together with his top hits like “Be Your Girl” and “You’re The One.” And with all of that action he kept it classy with a bottle of wine next to him, cork out and halfway empty.
Illenium closed out the night, opening up on the Bud Light Seltzer stage with a picturesque scene of mountain ranges, fire-like lighting and one of his most recent hit tracks, “Crawl Out of Love.” And things only elevated as his time on stage continued. The Trilogy DJ executed a captivating light show with extreme beats and even divulged some unreleased music to his sizable audience.