Some people might not enjoy going out in the rain, but after two days of insane heat – insane for Grant Park, not on a global scale – Lollapalooza received some much-needed rain showers. No storming, thankfully, so we all got to stay and enjoy the tunes, and that rain gave way to one of the best sights we’ve ever seen at a music festival. While we did take it a little easier in order to save ourselves for a very particular aftershow, every set we saw was outstanding. So who did we see on this shorter day?
We weren’t able to get to the grounds until around 3:30 – Chicago traffic coupled with the rain is usually a bad mix – but right when we got through security, Suki Waterhouse was taking the Bacardi Stage. Though our onsite journalist is not particularly familiar with her records, it was apparent that she deserved a bigger stage. The crowd was as big as its ever been for a performer on that stage, and Waterhouse delivered in a big way. It’s hard to describe, honestly, but the music transcended this plane of existence, and the only time Waterhouse really brought us back down to Earth was during her cover of Taylor Swift’s “Lover.” It was a very grounding moment in the set, keeping the crowd from getting completely swept away in the wind and rain. If anyone needs us, we’ll be listening to I Can’t Let Go on repeat and reliving this mid-day set.
The canopy of trees at the stage formerly known as The Grove was a great shield from the heavier rains that showed up for about fifteen minutes after Suki Waterhouse, so we hung out for most of Jean Dawson’s set. Once again, we went in pretty blind, and we were blown away. The internet classifies Dawson as “experimental pop,” but his style is very much rooted in Britpop and emo rock. The explosion of guitars from the beginning of the set was astounding. Much like with Suki Waterhouse, we’ll be spending the next little while going through Dawson’s discography and wondering why it took so long for us to get there.
We did say “most of Jean Dawson’s set,” though, and that was for a very specific purpose: we had to run all the way down to T-Mobile to get as close as possible for the return of JID. Four years since his first Lolla performance (almost to the day), the Atlanta rapper took the stage and proclaimed: “I don’t got much to say. I’m JID, I’m here to make some raps.” And then he ripped into “NEVER,” showcasing both his lyrical prowess and crowd-directing abilities. Those who gathered at T-Mobile for JID were pretty much following his every direction, and he rewarded us by putting together one of the greatest Lollapalooza sets in recent memory. Not only did he shirk the “start hype, end slow” mentality with his set organization, but he also – possibly in reference to the first time he performed at Lollapalooza – tried to say the word “Lollapalooza” as many times as he possibly could. Towards the end of his set, we noticed that there was a rainbow in the sky, stretching from Lake Michigan to the T-Mobile Stage. We now know what the “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow is. It’s JID’s 2023 Lollapalooza performance.
And then, of course, we had more sprinting to get back to the Bacardi stage for Alex G. While we missed the first ten minutes or so because of the crowds on Columbus Drive, the middle-on from the Pennsylvania indie kid (can we still call him a kid?) was everything we needed it to be. Most of the set was made up of his excellent 2022 album, God Save The Animals, but towards the end of his set, we were treated to “Gretel” off of 2019’s House of Sugar. Truly exceptional stuff from Alex G.
Post-Alex G, though, we had a very difficult decision to make. ODESZA was the first-ever electronic headliner on the main stage (T-Mobile) in Lollapalooza’s history. Pusha T was headlining Perry’s and always puts on incredible performances. TOMORROW X TOGETHER was making their Lolla return as Bud Light headliners just a year after destroying Perry’s in a subheadlining slot. To make matters worse, we had a ticket to the most-anticipated aftershow of the weekend. If we stayed for the headliners, would we have the energy to make it to the end of the aftershow? If we left early, would we forever regret our decision to miss these three amazing options?
With all the respect in the world to ODESZA, Pusha T, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, we chose to go rest, recuperate, and replenish before heading over to the Aragon Ballroom. It’s a good thing we did, too. When we say that Fred again.. turned the venue into a Berlin rave, we’re only half joking. The lighting design was immaculate, and we need to shout out Ollie, Fred’s tech who turned twenty-three at midnight, but the music is what drew us all to the Aragon. While Fred’s festival set was honestly calming and uplifting, this Aragon set was closer to his legendary Boiler Room set, and the energy coupled with the anticipation of unreleased tracks somehow expanded that festival set to something we couldn’t foresee. A magical evening was had by all, and we’re forever grateful that we got to be in that room.
And that leads us to the final day! The Sunday schedule for Lollapalooza 2023 is stacked, and many difficult decisions will have to be made, but that’s just the festival life. Forgive us, o festival gods, for missing headliners in favor of Fred again.., and give us the strength to power through one more day.
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