DOWNTOWN — The primo Lollapalooza climate continued into day two of the fest Friday, as followers flocked Downtown to kick off the weekend at Chicago’s largest music competition.
The perfect situations led to large crowds throughout the fest, from the Bud Gentle stage on the north finish to the T-Cell headlining stage on the south. Widespread crowd vogue included plastic flowers protruding of hairstyles, bunched-up braids and in lots of circumstances, as little clothes as doable.
Native Ravyn Lenae wowed the Lakeshore stage Friday afternoon, along with her easy, seductive vocals delivering her R&B hits like “Pores and skin Tight” and “One Want.” It was a triumphant look for the native South Sider, who enthused, “These of you who’ve adopted my journey know that this was not an in a single day factor.
“I’m simply so pleased with myself,” she mentioned with fun, because the besotted crowd cheered.
Rapper T-Ache invaded the Bud Gentle stage with star energy and an innate means for crowd engagement by leaning right into a string of covers, impressed by his 2023 launch, “On High of the Covers.” The joyful viewers gamely participated in T-Ache-led singalongs to acquainted tracks like Journey’s “Don’t Cease Believin,’” “Tennessee Whiskey” by David Allen Coe and “Low” by Flo Rida.
Native Teenage Headliner Star Bandz
At simply 17, Star Bandz, whose actual title is Star Ana Flowers, made waves Friday as one of many youngest performers headlining certainly one of Lollapalooza’s eight levels.
Named certainly one of Advanced’s 13 Greatest Teenage Rappers in 2024 and certainly one of 25 Rappers to Watch in 2025, Star Bandz commanded the stage as she carried out in entrance of tons of of folks.
Contemporary off two nationwide excursions and the discharge of her deluxe mixtape “Estrella Deluxe,” the native artist informed Block Membership Chicago she feels assured, excited and proud to carry out on the BMI stage on the metropolis’s largest music competition.
“It feels actually good. It appears like an accomplishment,” she mentioned. “I really feel pleased with myself … and I’m very grateful.”
The rapper, who turned 17 in March, mentioned she has discovered to cease overthinking earlier than performing and now feels extra pleasure than nerves. Her breakout hit, “Yeah Yeah,” helped catapult her onto the nationwide stage. A track that Star Bandz thought can be standard simply on social media turned her right into a literal star.
“Individuals begin calling and are fascinated by me. I’m like, dang… I wasn’t anticipating that,” Star Bandz mentioned.
If Star Bandz was nervous, it didn’t present. The younger rapper overrated the gang, urging every part to compete to see who could possibly be the loudest. She opened her set with an unreleased track that includes a clip from “Finish of Starting” by Djo, she then rolled into “Greater, Higher, Badder.”
The gang cheered as they sang together with the refrain “And no, I ain’t no dancer, however I acquired the strikes like Jagger/And ain’t no competitors ’trigger I’m larger, higher, badder.”
Star Bandz set featured two visitor artists, together with fellow Chicago drill rapper Chuckyy and
Sugarhill Ddot. She ended with viral hit “My Child,” a collaboration with Ddot. The pair danced on stage whereas members of the viewers sang alongside.
Though Star Bandz will quickly be again within the classroom, she has a busy schedule after Lollapalooza concludes. Most of that features dropping new music, she informed Block Membership. However she’s leaving this competition weekend on a excessive be aware.
“It feels good … to know that I acquired respect in my metropolis, and folks genuinely rock with me,” Star Bandz mentioned.
Djo, the musical title of actor (“Stranger Issues,” “Free Man”) Joe Keery closed the afternoon on the T-Cell stage to a welcoming crowd. A DePaul College alum, Keery’s made an enormous spash together with his 2022 hit “Finish of Starting,” a neighborhood ode with the nostalgic lyrics, “And once I’m again in Chicago, I really feel it/One other model of me, I used to be in it.”
Keery continued to honor Chicago with a blowup duplicate of The Bean on stage and appeared shocked by the large crowd turnout. “I don’t assume I’ve ever seen this many individuals in my complete life,” he enthused.
He continued to have enjoyable on stage, exhibiting a Facetime message from his “Stranger Issues” co-star Charlie Heaton on display forward of track “Charlie’s Backyard,” and at one level grabbing a digicam to movie his drummer’s large solo.
He confirmed off his personal musical prowess by switching between piano and guitar, and naturally main the gang in an “Finish of Starting” singalong. Not content material to make that the finale, nonetheless, he introduced out an clearly thrilled kids’s choir for transferring nearer “Again on You.”
Between Dueling Headliners, A Clear Winner
The night’s headliners couldn’t have been extra totally different: pop famous person Olivia Rodrigo on the T-Cell stage and metallic band Korn at Bud Gentle.
Rodrigo dazzled in a sequined two-piece set and black fight boots, which she put to make use of as she danced and rocked out on stage. Her Lollapalooza set is without doubt one of the closing stops on her GUTS World Tour, which is ready to wrap up this weekend at Montreal’s Osheaga Music Pageant.
The gang for Rodrigo swelled into the encircling streets and tree-lined horizon. Followers sang alongside on the high of their lungs to hits like “Vampire” and “Happier.”
The singer stunned the gang by bringing out Weezer for a particular onstage collaboration. She joined the band to play and sing alongside to their hits “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So.” Earlier than launching into the set, Rodrigo informed the cheering viewers that Weezer was very first live performance she ever attended.
Throughout the competition footprint was a totally totally different vibe as Korn took over the Bud Gentle stage. Exhausting to think about there can be a lot overlap between Olivia Rodrigo and Korn followers, however the Korn crowd appeared markedly depleted compared, possibly lower than half the dimensions, and much wanting the viewers that had swarmed that area to see nation star Luke Combs the evening earlier than.
Strutting the stage in a leather-based skirt, Korn singer Jonathan Davis pressured that the final time the California nu metallic band performed Lolla was in 1997, 28 years in the past. He appeared gratefuil for the band’s longevity, telling the gang, “I can’t thank all of you sufficient,” and shouting out “OG” Korn followers, a few of which confirmed up in precise ears of corn costumes. He then spurred the gang to lift their center fingers forward of the anthemic “Y’all Desire a Single (F–ok That).”
Many followers then trickled out on the finish of the lengthy day to go house and relaxation up for Lolla day three.
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