Lollapalooza 2019 is officially a thing of the past now, but at least we can look back and discuss the parts that stood out to us the most. Over 100 artists played Grant Park, of which I saw quite a fair share, and now I’m using this post to put my Lolla experience in terms of what stood out the most and provided the best moments.
Check out our list of the top 12 acts we saw at Lollapalooza 2019.
Boy Pablo
The beauty about Lolla is that you can always learn about someone new at the festival, and even with the fact that I try to keep up with new music on a daily basis through our coverage, somehow this Friday afternoon set was my introduction to Boy Pablo. This Norwegian outfit provided the necessary good vibes for a hot summer day with their synth-driven Indie Pop. If you like Mac DeMarco, Clairo, and Cuco then you’d be enjoying this performance as well. Along with an a cappella rendition of “Afternoon Delight” that didn’t feel ironic at all, the group’s “Losing You,” “Everytime” and the uplifting closing number “Dance, Baby!” made for a set that proves you should never devalue what the first half of the daily schedule can offer.
Childish Gambino
If I had to pick one artist that owned Lollapalooza 2019, that will have to be Childish Gambino. A real renaissance man of his era, Gambino delivered a performance that was worthy of closing out the Friday of one of the most important music festivals of the world.
Now, I must admit that I was only witness half of his Saturday night performance because the Georgian artist was pitted against Tame Impala (more on that later) at the same time slot. My decision to see the second half was rewarded with what I can only classify as spectacular renditions of songs like “Riot,” “This Is America,” and “V. 3005” for which all of us in the crowd got beyond hype as we sang/rapped along. The biggest moment of the weekend, arguably, was when Gambino played the iconic “Red Bone,” which was a performance that will surely bring me chills for years to come. ‘Bino’s vocals sounded just like that in the record and the music was as powerful as you would imagine. Childish Gambino at one point came down to the pit and interacted with the crowd, taking pics and reaching out to fans; the way it was shot for the screens made it look like a movie and it felt like we were part of something big.
IDLES
The pure & raw energy of this set was the kick in the ass that a festival like this needs. The move towards featuring artists with more Pop leanings make sense for Lolla and I don’t oppose it entirely, but whenever there’s a chance to get mean with it I’m all about it and you can’t get any better than IDLES. The British group gave us a healthy dose of Punk, playing their songs furiously, a member found his way every now and then, mosh pits sprang up regularly, and social commentary on topics like suicide and immigration. It was all so good. Legit, one of my favorite sets of the year.
J Balvin
History was made on Saturday night when J Balvin became the first Latino to headline Lollapalooza, and the Colombian reggaetonero sure proved he was worth it. Balvin is one of the most important artists in the genre and Spanish music in general, so this was the perfect stage to demonstrate everything he’s got to offer. The stage production was fit for the occasion with giant these FriendsWithYou figures and costumes (also seen at Coachella), and the setlist felt like a celebration of Reggaeton… so much so that he made sure to honor it by including covers of Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” and bringing out Wisin & Yandel for “Rakata.” It wasn’t just history, it was pure dopeness pa’ la cultura and I’m so pumped to know I was there. Latino gang!
Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne made a career proclaiming to be the “best rapper alive” and at Lolla 2019 he provided a hell of an argument to prove his case. Weezy’s performance was exactly what fans wanted out of him and it should be used as an example of how artists should step up to the task of playing at a festival of this magnitude. His catalog of originals & features has little to no rivals so it was incredible to see him run through tracks like “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “Go DJ,” “A Milli,” & “Uproar.” Oh yeah, and song of the summer “Old Time Road” got the Lil Wayne treatment too. You can’t doubt his legendary status, and this Lolla appearance just further cemented that.
Omar Apollo
It’s been exciting to see Omar Apollo’s rise to fame. The Hobart, Indiana native grew up just east of Chicago, so he’s kind of one of us in that sense of being able to play his local music festival so quickly. His brand of genre-bending music not only made it to Lolla, but he was also able to put it on display on the Bud Light stage, the second biggest at the spectacle at Grant Park. This performance was a gift to the fans that helped propel Omar to this point of his career, and he rewarded them with an experience that was fitting of that.
Rosalía
Rosalía lived up to the hype. The Spanish singer’s Flamenco-tinged vocals were entrancing and her choreography was equally captivating; she gave it all to the people that gathered. With J Balvin’s brilliant headline set and Rosalía’s own fantastic appearance, Pop Urbano is going mainstream and we can thank Lollapalooza for being one of the first to embrace it at this scale.
Saba
This hometown star continued to build on his legacy with his Lolla opening day show. Saba has had a tremendously fruitful 2018/19 run that included the release of his latest LP Care For Me, his crew’s debut album You Can’t Sit With Us finally arriving earlier this year, and most recently he contributed to Dreamville’s ROTD3. That kind of productivity has turned Saba into a highly-skilled performer with the ability to attract and maintain large crowds during an evening slot on the lineup. The set also reflected how much great music he’s got to pull from those projects and beyond, with highlights including performances of “Sacrifices” with Smino, a bit of “PROM/KING,” “Westside Bound 3” with his exuberant brother Joseph Chilliams, “Heaven All Around Me” & “Life.”
Sharon Van Etten
Sharon Van Etten had the tough task of competing in the same time slot on Day 4 as the mega popular Chicago DJ duo Louis The Child (which boasted a skywriter above the Bud Light stage drawing up their name and crown logo), Denzel Curry, people wanting to leave midway to catch the buzzing Rosalía, and fest’s novelty act Shaq appearing just over the hill at Perry’s Stage as DJ Diesel. With all that against her, SVE made sure to prove to fans why they made the right decision to witness her instead. The emotion she pours into her performances was just what the gathered crowd needed during those dwindling hours of the festival with the sun also starting to hide behind the downtown Chicago skyline, with “Comeback Kid” & “Tarifa” providing the more memorable moments. At one point during her set Sharon looked into the crowd and said “I know they say that Rock is dead, but I don’t believe them,” and this Lollapalooza appearance sure backed it up.
Smino
Smino’s the swaggiest dude around. On the first day of the festival, Saba brought out Smi for a surprise appearance and afterwards he told his fans “(he’s) from St. Louis but he’s a Chicago legend” and he couldn’t have been more right about that. The stage was adorned with a pink Pontiac and rims, “KLINK” and “Z4L’ have become live staples (the latter getting some necessary feminist banter, updating the standout hook to now say “I’m too grown to teach you how to find the clit”), he brought out Chance to do their TBD collab “Eternal” live for the first time, and “Netflix & Dusse” is as smooth as ever. Smino is a true showman.
The Strokes
I’ll keep my fanboying to a minimum. Say what you will about The Strokes and their selective world comeback this year, whether you want to think this was an obligation to stay relevant in the minds of the streamer generation or if you’re in the camp thinking this was an iconic band giving fans the return they’ve been asking for, this was a damn good show. The setlist was confined to songs from their first three albums, arguably their definitive work, hitting the mark on everything the crowd wanted to see. From Julian’s (still) charmingly apathetic stage presence to Albert Hammond Jr.’s scene-stealing guitar work, to performing the hits like “Reptilia,” “You Only Live Once,” “Someday,” & “Last Nite.” You wanted The Strokes, you got The Strokes.
Tame Impala
Lollapalooza is cruel if you have even the tiniest bit of an interest in a variety of musical genres. Friday night turned into a battle for people’s attention between Tame Impala and Childish Gambino, and I made an effort to catch them both in that order. Tame Impala leader Kevin Parker address the schedule conflict, telling the crowd “I’m grateful that you’ve come to see us tonight. Especially because you could be watching Childish Gambino instead. It’s OK… Actually, it’s not OK with me. But we’re gonna try to make it worthwhile.” And he was true to his word, treating us to signature tracks like “Let It Happen,” “The Moment,” “Patience,” & “Elephant” early on.
*Photos come courtesy of the 2019 Press Photos made available by Lollapalooza.
