5 Must-See Acts At Lollapalooza 2023

With only a few days to go before the official start of Lollapalooza, we figured it would be appropriate to give our top five “Must-See” acts of the weekend! As always, these are in no particular order. We just want to make sure festival-goers know that these are artists they should see. On with the list!

Fred again.. (Friday, 6:45-7:45 PM, T-Mobile Stage)

This has been the year of Fred again.., and yet he is only playing two North American festivals this summer before returning in the fall for sold-out shows in New York and L.A. with a quick stop down in Miami for III Points Festival. Those two festivals? Lollapalooza and Osheaga. Regardless of your interest level in the electronic music scene, Fred again.. should not be missed.

J.I.D (Saturday, 6:45-7:45 PM, T-Mobile Stage)

The last time J.I.D played Lollapalooza, he said the word “Lollapalooza” as many times as he could for his Lollapalooza set to the Lollapalooza audience. Will we see a repeat of that? My guess is not, since he doesn’t seem like the guy to repeat a successful bit just for the fun of it. What we will see is another high-energy performance from one of hip-hop’s most notable voices. Almost a year after the release of The Forever Story, the T-Mobile stage gets to properly rage.

Sudan Archives (Friday, 2:45-3:45 PM, T-Mobile Stage)

If you haven’t listened to Natural Brown Prom Queen, you are either being a contrarian or don’t appreciate fine art. That’s all. Brittney Parks is incredible, and if you elect to miss a set from one of the most unique artists of our generation, that’s on you.

Alvvays (Sunday, 3:45-4:45 PM, Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage)

It’s always a bummer when artists have to back out of any performance. Though no details have been released as to why they won’t be able to make it this year, we hope that Gabriels are able to make it back to Lollapalooza next year. That being said: this replacement is the stuff of legends. Huston Powell and his team are wizards. After sub-headlining Pitchfork Music Festival just a week ago (at the time of writing this), Molly Rankin’s killer group of Canadian indie rockers decided they would swing back to Chicago for another one. Blue Rev picked up right where the band had left off with Antisocialites, and if you aren’t ready to dance at the Tito’s Stage during “After The Earthquake,” I feel sorry for you.

Franc Moody (Thursday, 4:00-5:00 PM, Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage)

If you remember our Outside Lands coverage from last year, you’ll remember that Franc Moody’s Saturday Sutro set was the stuff of legends. The fact that they are scheduled for the first day of Lollapalooza shows that C3 wants to get the party going immediately. If you’re also ready to dance in Grant Park on a Thursday afternoon in August, I’ll see you there.

Obviously, there are exceptional acts across the weekend, not just on those two stages, but these five are must-see for us and should be for you. Headliners weren’t included here because we all know that Kendrick Lamar is a must-see, right? It’s implicit. If you’re taking on Grant Park this weekend, be sure to say hey! We can’t wait to see you all.