Sitting here a week after the beginning of Lollapalooza 2023, we have finally recovered enough to look back on what we saw last weekend with fresh eyes. This year’s Lollapalooza was a rollercoaster of emotions, but man, was it worth it. As I always do, I’ll be providing a full recap and ranking of the performances we saw. This is not easy. And much like Outside Lands last year, the number one spot is taken by a tie. It feels like I’m cheating, but I’ll attempt to explain why I can’t separate these two from each other. Here we go!
Thursday
3. Dom Dolla
Personally, I am not the most well-versed in electronic music. There are subgenres on subgenres and a rich history in each of them, and all I really know is that if I can actually dance to it, we’re golden. When I got over to Perry’s for Dom Dolla on Thursday, it was honestly tough to leave Portugal. The Man early. If we hadn’t heard rumors that Nelly Furtado was going to show up, I might not have had the extra push to leave the T-Mobile Stage. All I really knew about Dom Dolla was “Rhyme Dust,” but that was enough to at least make me curious. And when I got over to Perry’s, he was just starting it. Almost immediately after “Rhyme Dust,” as if called by the gods, he announced that Nelly Furtado was his special guest for the set, and she came out to perform a few songs, most notably “Maneater.” It was awesome to see her back on stage in the United States, and the rest of Dom Dolla’s set after that was just a funky good time. Can’t wait to catch him again.
2. Portugal. The Man
Man oh man. I have so much history with this band at this festival specifically at this point, it’s crazy. In 2011, I elected not to see them, which is uh… Maybe justifiable, since I was just about to start high school. In 2014, I witnessed them put on one of the greatest midday sets I’ve seen in Grant Park and became a fan for life. In 2018, I saw them subheadline for Jack White on Sunday and use visual text as their only stage banter, and in 2023, I saw them put together a set that I had not expected at this point. Opening with “All Your Light (Times Like These)” is a power move, and although they may be stuck including “Feel It Still” in their setlists until the end of time, hearing it every so often is alright. The three-track run of “Creep in a T-Shirt” into “Modern Jesus” into “So Young” is etched into my memory forever. Thank you, boys. Here’s to the future. Portugal. The Man changed my life.
1. Franc Moody
I think these guys might be insanely talented. Just a hunch. I mean, this is the second time they’ve hit number one on the day they performed in one of these recaps. Ned Franc, Jon Moody, Amber-Simone, Rosetta Carr, Luke Bowman, and Dan Hale are, quite possibly, the saviors of dance bands. Contemporaries of Jungle (the other group I’d put in this category) and the heirs apparent to Jamiroquai and LCD Soundsystem, Franc Moody are out here making crowds move in the sweltering heat while standing on a patch of concrete. The sheer artistry it takes to make that happen is already impressive, and then you factor in that Jon Moody is the best non-hip-hop hypeman… If you haven’t seen Franc Moody live yet, what are you doing?
Friday
3. Fred again.. (Festival Set)
One of our most anticipated sets of the weekend did not disappoint. Watching Fred again.. build his tracks with live keys and using the visuals to showcase the people and videos he has used as vocal samples is a lifechanging experience. The man just knows music, and he always seems completely flabbergasted (is that a British enough word for this?) that he’s at this point. It seems like he never takes any of these moments for granted, and taking his festival opportunities to showcase Obongjayar to a wider audience is proof that he wants to bring up as many people as possible. This was the kind of set you just sit back and let wash over you. Until he builds up “Delilah (pull me out of this).” Then it’s time to boogie.
2. Kendrick Lamar
King Kendrick. K-Dot. Kung-Fu Kenny. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth. The man of many names and singular talent. He was the number one headliner of this weekend for a reason, and he brought it. Though there were some technical glitches, the most notable one was his microphone being a bit too low in the mix. And in the end, that didn’t really matter. The crowd was more than happy to provide the vocals when his mic was too low. In fact, there were many moments where Kendrick would just put his microphone down and listen to the crowd, soaking in the moment. Ten years after subheadlining for The Postal Service on the Bud Light stage, he was back. This was his time, and he made sure to give us the full set, going about ten minutes overtime to perform every song. Conjecture says this equates to a $50,000 fine from the city of Chicago. I’m pretty sure Kendrick doesn’t care about that. He just wanted to let us share in his moment, and we did just that. A master at work.
1. Sabrina Carpenter
Why yes, I did put someone over Kendrick Lamar. That’s how great this performance from Sabrina Carpeneter was. It’s hard to put into words, but I’ll try to use an analogy: Dua Lipa performed on the Lake Shore (now Coinbase) Stage in 2018. Four years later, she had put out an album that absolutely skyrocketed her career and was headlining on the T-Mobile Stage. Her 2018 performance was excellent musically, but the choreography was lacking. That’s not a grand revelation. We’ve all seen those videos. Sabrina Carpenter, in a very similar spot, put together a show better than that 2018 Dua Lipa set. Musically outstanding with exceptional choreography and an ABBA cover? If Sabrina Carpenter’s next album is her Future Nostalgia, it would not be too much of a stretch to think that headlining either Bud Light or T-Mobile would be in play. Let’s see what happens.
Saturday
3. Alex G
Four years ago, Alex G was on the Lake Shore Stage at 1:30, right before the man who took the number one spot on this day took the Grant Park Stage at 2:30 (if you know, you know), and I thought that was an incredible set. Alex G’s 7:45 Bacardi Stage set this year was somehow even better. Yes, I was about 20 minutes late for a very specific reason. But what I saw was exactly what I needed to see to know that Alex G has cemented his place. Yes, he’s been doing this since he was sixteen, but he was mainly a “musicians’ musician” until… well, now, honestly. Just judging from crowd size in 2019 versus 2023, he’s finally breaking past the MF DOOM – “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper” – space (R.I.P, nothing but love and respect for Mr. Dumile) and reaching a wider audience. Audience size doesn’t determine the quality of someone’s music, obviously, but Alex G is just being himself and putting out high quality albums. People are finally taking notice. Good.
2. Fred again.. (Aftershow)
Some might call this cheating, but if you had been at the Aragon Ballroom late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, you would know that it is not. The set was completely different from the festival set, and the crowd was, too. The Aragon had been transformed into a club for the night, due in large part to Ollie’s amazing lighting design (happy birthday, Ollie!), and the show sold out in 20 minutes for a reason. Fred’s energy is infectious. The man just loves being here. He loves getting people to dance. He loves bringing friends up with him. He loves to make sure every single person who makes his shows possible is acknowledged. That show will live in my memory forever. And somehow, it still wasn’t the best set I saw that day.
1. JID
In 2019, I almost threw hands at the guy next to me before the JID set for spreading obvious misinformation to first-year Lolla-goers. My friends know this story, and if you find me in person or on the internet in a private forum, I’m happy to go into further detail. That set lives in my head as the best set I saw that year. JID brought EARTHGANG with him, stormed onto Ariana Grande’s runway during “Westbrook,” and said the word “Lollapalooza” as many times as he possibly could. Four years and one day later, JID outdid himself. With another album under his belt, live keys and drums, and no guests, he said the word “Lollapalooza” as many times as he possibly could, jumped right into his set with 2017’s “NEVER,” and had the best setlist flow of any performer I saw this year. It was honestly heartwarming seeing how upset he was that he didn’t have the time to give us one more. He wanted to keep going, the crowd wanted him to keep going, but the festival has to stick to their schedule. Understandable, but man… let JID cook. Forever.
Sunday
3. Bakar
I’m obviously biased on this one. I mean, I’m biased on this whole list, but man… Bakar was the main reason I wanted to cover Lollapalooza in 2023. Nobody’s Home was my favorite album of 2022 right up until Little Simz dropped NO THANK YOU in late December. Even then, it was a very close second. 2022 was the year of Bakar for me. I pushed him on everyone I could, and Nobody’s Home should prove that he’s more than the “Hell N Back” guy (though that song is incredible). Even though he was put on the stage that is usually the weirdest and most hit-or-miss of the festival, Bakar took what he was given and amplified it by 40. An inspiration to us all. (Side note: 2023 was somehow the year of the Petrillo Bandshell, aka the Tito’s Stage. Good job, Lollapalooza.)
2. Rina Sawayama
I had wondered since seeing her in Minneapolis last April what a bigger stage and bigger production budget would mean for Rina Sawayama. If she was putting together performances of that caliber at First Avenue, what would she do on a festival main stage? Lollapalooza gave me the answer to that this year: she would solidify herself as pop royalty. Opening with “Hold The Girl” at a festival that requires immediate audience attention was a risk, and it paid off. The audience got drawn in by Rina’s vocals, and the rest of the production was built from there. The costume changes were fantastic, the setlist was perfect, and taking the time to not only sing “Happy Birthday” to her drummer but also proclaim that “Trans rights are not just for Pride Month” shows that when Rina Sawayama says she cares, she actually cares. She cares about her fans, her band, her crew, and everyone in between. Nothing but love from and for Rina Sawayama.
1. Alvvays/L’Impératrice
Ok, I know a tie looks and feels like cheating. I know that. But how do you possibly choose between the greatest indie pop band of all-time and the best Grove (aka Bacardi) closer since Childish Gambino eleven years earlier? Alvvays was a late addition to the Lollapalooza lineup, and it was as if they had been expecting to be there the entire year. There is practically no one that can compare to Molly Rankin as a songwriter, and for the band to be as tight as they are live is just completely unfair. Alvvays is a once-in-a-generation band, and it’s insane to me that they can just slide onto a festival bill one week before the festival and give that kind of performance.
As for L’Impératrice: what more can I say? I feel like I already said everything in the Day 4 Recap, but just for reiteration: Daft Punk was interpolated and covered. Attendees were literally diverted from their intended performance (i.e. heading from Lana Del Rey to Louis The Child) to dance at the Bacardi Stage. People were helping others avoid the mud pits that had formed from the rain. These are the moments and the bands you come to festivals for. There hasn’t been a performance quite this enthralling from the Sunday night Grove (aka Bacardi) slot in my first twelve years of attendance. Maybe Childish Gambino in 2012. Maybe. Regardless, there was no way I could choose between these two bands for this top spot. It had to be a draw.
Best of the Best
I can’t expand on these much more than I already did above, but I did kind of tip my hand early on as to who the number one spot was going to. This is how I would rank each day’s number one set against each other:
4. Franc Moody
3. Sabrina Carpenter
2. JID
1. Alvvays/L’Impératrice
What an amazing weekend. Thank you to Lollapalooza and C3 for having us. Thank you to all of those who were following our coverage over the course of the weekend. We were lucky enough to get face time with two artists this weekend, one of whom is on this list, so be on the lookout for interview transcriptions to be published soon! We can’t wait to see what Lollapalooza brings to Chicago next year.
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