Another year, another Lollapalooza in the bag. This year bore the usual draw of some of the biggest names in music, and left nothing to be desired in the way of a diverse lineup. The weekend was full of incredible performances that we could go on about forever, but instead we’ll just give you the highlights.
Some festivals try to keep it low-key on the first day, to help the crowd conserve energy for the forty-eight hours of music and partying that follow, but not Lolla. The day was full of memorable performances from the likes of Lorde, Zedd, and Lykke Li, but the real kings of day one were really no surprise. The Arctic Monkeys blew through an incredible set that leaned heavy on material from their latest album, “AM”, with frontman Alex Turner boasting the type of swagger that would make both Mick Jagger and Jay-Z jealous(even if Jigga thinks that’s a female trait.) The festival threatened to peak early, giving Eminem the closing slot for opening day, and as much as Marshall might like to rap about murdering his ex-wife and others, there’s no question that he killed his set. Soon-to-be tour mate Rihanna came out, and the duo cruised through a melody of their shared hits “The Monster” and “Love The Way You Lie,” as well as Rihanna her vocals to the Dido chorus of “Stan.” The bar had been set for the weekend’s remaining headliners.
Saturday had talent spread throughout the long day of music and debauchery, and attendants were kept alive by inspiring performances by the likes of Manchester Orchestra, Foster the People, and Grouplove. Gramatik turned in an incredibly lively set, incorporating real instruments into their wholly upbeat EDM set. The Southern California band took the crowd to another level when they performed covers of “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys and “Drunk In Love” by Beyonce. Outkast ruled the night, to no surprise, continuing their summer domination of the festival circuit, with this stop including fireworks. Calvin Harris held his own against the hip-hop heavyweights though, with possibly the best stage show of the whole weekend.
Sunday was yet again packed with an all star line-up, spanning all genres of music that couldn’t be held down by the rain that came down steadily. Bleachers played early, helping keep things uplifting. Chromeo and The 1975 kept people moving with the former having increased the level of crowd enthusiasm and dancing than previous outings. Community’s Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, proved that he’s not just another actor turned rapper, keeping the crowd engaged in his incredibly lively set. The nighttime brought the hardest choice for concertgoers all weekend, as the most stacked lineup of headliners ran concurrently. Nobody would be that disappointed with their decisions as Skrillex, Chance the Rapper, and Kings of Leon all did more than admirably closing out the weekend. Chance the Rapper channeled his hometowns love, getting embraced by a massive crowd with his night closing set. Skrillex shook the whole park with booming bass and a crazy stage show, continuing his reign as the poster boy of dub step. The Followill brothers of Kings of Leon brought the rock, making sure Lollapalooza closed with the type of music it got started with that included a cover of“Dancing On My Own” originally done by Robyn.
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