In the closing song of Charli xcx’s newest album Music, Fashion, Film, she repeatedly sings “Nothing’s gonna last forever” 11 times. She says the word “forever” 91 times. So when she used the same song to close her 23-song long set at Lollapalooza this past Friday evening, I couldn’t help but apply that exact sentiment to the experience I, along with nearly 100,000 strangers, was living in during that moment.
Music festivals have a way of collapsing time. The multiple days of hitting your step goals, stretching your body, and locating the nearest food stand, bar, water station, or bathroom feels simultaneously fleeting and endless. The paradox that exists during these few days is that it won’t last, but the memories you walk away with always do.
This year’s iteration of the iconic Chicago music festival boasted some of the biggest names in contemporary pop music, including, for the first time ever, a majority of female headliners. Charli xcx, Tate McRae, Lorde, and Olivia Dean topped the four lines of the bill, followed by Chicagoland native John Summit, Blackpink’s JENNIE, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The xx. Sombr, Zara Larsson, Turnstile, Ethel Cain, Empire of The Sun, The Neighbourhood, and others sat just below the top line with crowds comparable (or in some instances, bigger) to the ones that the Top 8 drew.
Day 1 kicked off with high temps and ever high energy, holding off the rain for just one day until some scattered showers hit Friday, followed by a flood warning overnight into Saturday that unfortunately delayed the start time, inevitably cutting over ten artists’ sets entirely and shortening several others. But the muddy festival grounds certainly didn’t stop attendees from embracing the chaos, whether it was with with impromptu mud wrestling, running to neighboring department stores to buy rain boots, or simply accepting the fact that their shoes would not be wearable once the weekend concluded. Because for one extended weekend out of the year, Lollapalooza attendees get to exist in a vacuum of organized chaos, fun, and a true reminder of what life is all about.
Haute & Freddy
Photos by Ismael Quintanilla III for Lollapalooza
I kicked off my Lollapalooza weekend by catching a set from Haute & Freddy on the main stage: a band I’ve been listening to consistently after discovering their debut single “Anti-Superstar” towards the end of 2024. Michelle Buzz and Lance Shipp met in the Los Angeles songwriting scene and both have extensive history writing songs with artists like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Kylie Minogue. Their larger-than-life sound, often compared to artists like Chappell Roan, Kate Bush, and Prince, makes total sense when you pair it with their even bigger onstage persona: creating a world around two friends who left the circus as outcasts (described in the song “Freaks”) to create a world where everyone is encouraged to be themselves, no matter how “weird” you may be. The message is subtle but certainly political, and a heartwarming way to kick off many Lolla goers’ first set of the weekend.
Haute & Freddy’s stage presence is captivating: and it’s pretty wild that they’re so early on in their careers as performers. It’s evident that their experience as seasoned songwriters has given them the space to create a project that is exactly how they want it to sound and feel like, and the community of fans they’ve continued to grow exemplifies the vision.
5SOS
Photos by Frankie Vergara for Lollapalooza
Audrey Hobert
Photos by Pooneh Ghana for Lollapalooza
About 15 minutes into Audrey Hobert’s set, she told the audience that this was the biggest crowd she’s ever performed to. You’d think that would fluster most artists only one album into their career, but to Audrey, it only gave her more confidence to be her silliest self. The 27-year-old singer-songwriter, well-known for her collaborations with IRL bestie Gracie Abrams, set the bar high when it comes to excellent debut albums, releasing Who’s The Clown? in 2025 (voted Staged Haze’s best album of the year) and making waves for her endearing songwriting style, brutal honesty, and self-deprecation that just toes the line of being concerning.
Performing the entirety of Who’s The Clown? (including “Sue Me” twice – no phones allowed the second time) and “Punkrocker,” an unreleased track she’s been performing live, Hobert commanded the Allianz stage with a casual ease that felt simultaneously veteran and theater kid performing for their family at home (complimentary). Even though I just saw Hobert perform to a sold-out crowd in her hometown of Los Angeles five weeks prior, I felt just as entertained and locked in this time around.
Wet Leg
Image 1 by Anna Downs for Lollapalooza, Image 2-3 by Chad Wadsworth for Lollapalooza
Lorde
Photos 1-4 by Charles Raegan, photos 5-6 by Dusana Karam for Lollapalooza
There is always at least one headliner performing at Lollapalooza whose music I genuinely enjoy, but there really hasn’t been anyone comparable to the longstanding relationship I have to Lorde’s music. I’ve seen her (now) nine times and even attended her first show ever in Chicago back in 2014 as a freshman in college, where I got to meet her through a fence before her show. It also adds to the dramatics of it all that the last time Lorde was at Lollapalooza in 2017, her set got rained out about 20 minutes in due to thunderstorms. So her return to an even bigger stage after a massive tour run for her 2025 album, Virgin, was not only well-deserved, but highly-anticipated from her fans.
I saw Lorde’s show on the Ultrasound Tour last year, but knew she had done some revamping to the setlist, and the selection featured didn’t disappoint. Opening up with an unreleased song and then directly into a shortened version of “Royals,” Lorde’s 85-minute setlist spanned over a decade of hits, including “Perfect Places,” “The Louvre,” “Supercut,” “Team,” “Green Light,” and a closing performance with “Ribs,” a moment in time that I wish I could bottle up and replay in my brain for the rest of my life. The experience hearing that song with thousands of thousands of people singing and dancing, soaking up the experience of hearing a song that encapsulates the pain and the beauty of growing up, and realizing you’ll never be younger than you are in that exact moment, was the perfect representation of how live music can transcend a three-minute song.
While the inclusion of some of my favorite songs like “Hard Feelings,” “Liability,” “Shapeshifter,” and of course, “Ribs,” were some of my standout moments, I’d be remiss to exclude the appearance of Charli xcx towards the end of the set to perform “Girl, so confusing” with Lorde: something I had a feeling was coming but still electrified me with excitement the second Charli’s face appeared on the screen. Their live performance of the song was only the fourth time they’ve ever done it, and it gave fans a taste of what was ahead for Charli’s set just 24 hours later on the same exact stage.
Slayyyter
Photos by 1, 3, 4 by Charles Reagan, photos 2, 5 by Taylor Regulski for Lollapalooza
After many months of Lolla attendees speculating (and general anxiety on my end), Lollapalooza announced that Slayyyter would be moving to the main stage for an earlier set time, opposed to her 6:45 PM slot on a side stage. While the last minute scheduling change inevitably put a damper on some attendees’ plans, it was the right decision, considering just how many people made it to the Bud Light stage on Friday afternoon, let alone at 3pm (considered early to some) AND in the middle of on again, off again rain.
The crowd was so full that even Slayyyter herself appeared to be surprised onstage, doing a second take as she opened her set with “DANCE…” to a vivacious crowd ready to eat it up. There’s only a couple artists every few years at Lollapalooza to hit the stage just as their star power is on the rise: we saw it with Sabrina Carpenter in 2023 and Chappell Roan in 2024: and the same can be said for Slayyyter’s appearance in 2026: a once-in-a-lifetime, “you just had to be there” moment that will certainly go down in Slayyyter’s career as a true signifier that she “made it.”
“I always wanted to play Lollapalooza, and I’m so happy we’re doing this today y’all,” she said to the crowd, who was impressively locked in from start to finish: head banging and growling to the heavily rock-infused “YES GODDD,” rap-singing the addictive bridge to “CRANK” and bouncing on beat to “BEAT UP CHANEL$.” The 45-minute set was not only a win for Slayyyter after so many years of working in the industry, but for fans who got to see her perform to her biggest crowd yet, AND festival organizers for being vindicated for the decision to make a last-minute stage upgrade.
After Slayyyter’s set, I had the chance to to Australian band Day We Ran (Composed of brothers Matthew, Michael, and Daniel Lough), who were performing in Chicago for the first time ever. The band performed an after show with Balu Brigada at The Bottom Lounge the night prior.
Photo by Mia Vargo for Day We Ran
Kristin: How are you feeling?
Day We Ran: We’re super excited to be here!
Kristin: You just released your new EP, Naked At Your Door, which is your first new music in awhile. Are there any songs in particular you’re most excited to play live?
Day We Ran: Definitely the title track, “Naked at Your Door” and seeing how different people vibe with it in different cities. It’s been super fun so far.
Kristin: Anyone you’re most looking forward to seeing at Lollapalooza while you’re here? Anyone you’d like to collaborate with?
Day We Ran: We want to see Charli xcx and The Smashing Pumpkins, but they play at the same time.
Kristin: You can definitely see half and half. It’s worth the walk!
Day We Ran: For collaborating, definitely Geese or Ethel Cain.
Kristin: You’re getting ready to tour with Niall Horan next year, what are you looking forward to about that opportunity?
Day We Ran: It’s really cool to have an experience touring with a musician who’s been able to cultivate such a strong following. It’s admirable.
Kristin: Since we’re in Chicago and are all about hot dogs here…are hot dogs a sandwhich?
Day We Ran: No way! Definitely not sandwiches.
Balu Brigada
Photos by Chad Wadsworth for Lollapalooza
Zara Larsson
Photos 1-4 by Greg Noire, photos 5-7 by Pooneh Ghana for Lollapalooza
Following a delayed set time caused by Lil Uzi Vert’s performance being canceled, Zara Larsson hit the main stage at 6:20 PM. The crowd, who had gathered in the South end of the park for the previously scheduled start time, was just as big as before—no surprise, considering Zara Larsson has been skyrocketing into commercial success for the last year straight—she has more monthly listeners on Spotify than all of the headliners, by the way.
Opening (and closing) with her smash hit “Midnight Sun,” Zara’s hour-long set was a masterclass in pop performance: a backdrop donned with makeshift greenery, palm trees, lakes, a convertible, and a background dancers who got their own moment in the spotlight for introductions. Zara, who’s only 28-years-old, commented on her last performance at Lollapalooza, which took place in 2017: a reminder of just how long she’s been releasing music. The set was a perfect balance between songs of her past (“I Would Like,” “Ain’t My Fault,” “Never Forget You,” “Lush Life,”) and songs from her breakout album, Midnight Sun, (“Eurosummer, “Hot & Sexy,” “Pretty Ugly,”) which cracked the top 25 of Staged Haze’s best albums of 2025. But my favorite moment, and assumingly everyone else’s, was when Zara brought a fan up onstage for the “Lush Life” dance break.
Watching a fan let loose next to their idol, without a shred of self-consciousness, felt like the whole point of the song made physical. It’s become wholesome tradition on this tour and a nice reminder that Zara’s music isn’t just something to sing along to, but something to embody. For a few minutes, the entire crowd wasn’t just watching a pop star; they were celebrating one of their own, and the confidence her music preaches.
Not For Radio
Photos 1-2 by Andrea Escobar Garcia, photos 3-5 by Dusana Karam for Lollapalooza
Charli xcx
Photos by Henry Redcliffe for Charli xcx
I was anxiously anticipating Charli xcx’s headlining set at Lollapalooza. It came only one week after the release of her newest album, Music, Fashion, Film, and I was slightly underwhelmed at the singles she had released leading up to the album drop (minus “Camera,” that song was a banger in my eyes), and felt like the lack of marketing was throwing me off. But after a few listens of the project in full, I was pretty convinced on the concept and where she was going with her career. So I took that energy going into her very first full performance of the album ahead of her upcoming tour and was very amped for what was ahead, and not only was I NOT disappointed, her set totally exceeded my expectations for what a Charli xcx show could and should be like.
Opening the set with a performance of “Rock Music” and “Yeah,” Charli played it safe for the first couple songs, giving fans a taste of the new album but also keeping her cards close to her chest when it came to any songs from the BRAT era. Then we got “Apple,” “Track 10,” and to a lot of people’s surprise, a bit of the music from her work on the Wuthering Heights soundtrack, with a hilariously-timed performance of “House,” taking place right as the skies opened up on the crowd for a short, but heavy rain shower, and then a magical performance of “Dying 4 u,” one of my personal favorite songs that Charli’s ever released. But the fun didn’t stop there: her team of 15+ dancers made sure to keep the vibes going with an absolutely spectacular transition from “Dying 4 U” into “Club Classics,” plus we got “365,” “360,” “Sympathy Is A Knife,” “Von Dutch,” “Girl, so confusing” sans Lorde, and “Guess” sans Billie Eilish, with 100+ pairs of underwear falling from the top of the stage onto feral crowd members.
Strobe lights were plenty, vibes were high, and Charli delivered an unforgettable performance—and arguably a career best—with the debut of her new music and subsequent tour. Closing the set was a meta performance of “No One Lasts Forever” featuring THE outro of David Cronenberg saying the last lines of the song repeatedly, as Charli stood in silence, surrounded by her troupe of dancers. “Oblivion is freedom. They are dead, they are gone, no one lasts forever.”
No encore, no performance of the Icona Pop song “I Don’t Care” (which Charli wrote and often performs live), no “thank yous,” no “goodbye.” Just existing in the art that she created, personifying the concept that all that there will be left once she’s no longer on this earth is the art she has left behind.
Die Spitz
Photos by Pooneh Ghana for Lollapalooza
Despite the rain and flood delays that pushed the start time of day 3 from 11 AM to 3 PM, Lolla goers made the most of the rest of the day by getting to Grant Park as soon as they could. Luckily for me, the change in schedule allowed me to catch a few songs from Austin rockers Die Spitz, who have been quietly gearing up for a European run opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s The Unraveled Tour in 2027. For those who say that rock music is dead at Lollapalooza clearly aren’t familiar with Die Spitz, or several of the other rock bands on this year’s lineup (one who I feature at the very end of this story), or they’re just uncomfortable with the idea that women can make rock music just as well—if not better—than their male counterparts.
Die Spitz has only released two albums thus far into their career, and their 2025 release Something To Consume definitely garnered them new fans and more opportunities. Those fans came in droves to the AirBnB Stage (which is always going to be known as The Grove in my heart), for a pushed back set on Saturday afternoon, and didn’t waste any time moshing away in the pit, embracing the muddy mess along the way. The band, and the fans, made the most of Die Spitz’ 30-minute set, knowing that they were witnessing Die Spitz on the cusp of mega fame, and I’m so glad I got to catch just a few minutes of it.
Wolf Alice
Photo by Josh Brasted for Billboard
Sienna Spiro
Photos by Nathan Zucker for Lollapalooza
Photo by Brandy Fik for BMI
After Sienna’s set, I caught up with the Minneapolis band Porch Light (Zac Fogarty, Jackie Uhas, Henry Hughes, Kyle Siemon, and Tony O’Keefe), one of my favorite new discoveries in indie rock music.
Kristin: How are you feeling?
Jackie: We’re just excited to be here in general. Super stoked that we get the opportunity to play.
Kristin: Any artists you’re looking forward to seeing while you’re here?
Jackie: I think there’s a lot of artists we want to see. I’m excited to see The Neighbourhood tonight.
Zac: I’m excited for Wunderhorse tomorrow.
Henry: Might go see Ethel Cane right after this.
Kyle: Spacey Jane. We love them.
Tony: Hot Mulligan.
Kristin: You just released a new single yesterday! Tell me a little more about how that song came to be.
Jackie: We just really wanted to explore a heavier side. We all like heavy music and we thought, why not? These guys started jamming it out and all of a sudden we had this super sick instrumental. I was kind of inspired by Gwen Stefani a little bit. With how she has her cadence in a lot of her songs with No Doubt. I hadn’t written anything for it, really, the chorus-wise until right before we went to the studio. Then I just started yelling some stuff.
Kristin: So I know your origin story is pretty crazy, and that you guys discovered Jackie at a bar playing karaoke. Were you looking for a singer or was that just sort of fate?
Kyle: It was a little bit of both. We were looking for a singer, but it wasn’t like we were looking all the time. We just happened to be hanging out in the bar we always hang out at. She was singing karaoke. She was performing a Paramore song.
Afterwards, I was just like, are you in a band or do you want to join one? She’s like, yeah, let’s do it. That’s basically that. The intent was to play house shows and just to play music. They were just jamming and looking to start something different and just have some fun. It ended up taking off and now we’re here. It’s really cool.
Kristin: I know there’s a big DIY music scene in Minneapolis. Is there anyone in particular you’re loving right now?
Jackie: Honestly, all of them are absolutely incredible. It’s an untapped scene that I feel like people don’t recognize as much as they should. I’ve been loving Lana Leone.
Kyle: Call Me Fritz.
Tony: Our producer, Caleb Wright, his band The Happy Children.
Henry: Why Not.
Zac: Syncline.
Jackie: Also She’s Green. They’re dope.
Kristin: I know you’re gearing up for more shows this fall, any places in particular you’re looking forward to playing?
Jackie: Really excited to play the Troubadour in LA. Bowery Ballroom as well. I think we’re just stoked that we get to do this in general. Every show we’ve played so far, on tour in the last year and a half, has been overwhelmingly amazing. There’s some places that we haven’t gone before. We’re going to Vermont and Arizona. We’ve never been to Arizona. I think we’re just excited that we get to do it.
Kristin: Well, I have one more question…cause we’re in Chicago and hot dogs are really big here. Are hot dogs a sandwich?
Jackie: A sandwich is defined as two pieces of bread with meat and fillings on the inside. So I would classify it as a hot dog.
Tony: No, I disagree. It’s its own beast. It should be its own category.
Jackie: I think it’s a sandwich because then what’s a hamburger? I love hot dogs and I will ride for the hot dogs being a sandwich.
Olivia Dean
Photos 1, 3, 5, 6 by Dusana Karam, photos 2, 4, and 7 by Greg Noir for Lollapalooza
Just two years ago, I caught Olivia Dean’s debut at Lolla in 2024. She was playing an hour right before Chappell Roan’s subsequent historic Lollapalooza performance, which, was amazing of course, but inevitably gave Olivia Dean a smaller crowd due to the hundreds of thousands of people queueing for Chappell. But I made sure to catch Olivia’s performance regardless, and I’m so glad to see her getting her flowers just two years later during her very first time headlining a US festival on the T-Mobile Stage this year.
Dean has had quite the meteoric rise over the last 18 months, releasing her album The Art of Loving, which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart—the highest debut for a British female artist on the albums chart since Adele’s 30. In a typical year, this type of rise would have certainly got Dean a sub-headlining slot on the Lollapalooza lineup (last year, I saw her at Austin City Limits at 2pm), but the festival organizers took a gamble on her popularity and booked her as a headliner, which resulted in 97,000 people attending her set this past Saturday night, soldifying her status as one of the biggest acts in pop music today.
Despite Olivia’s music being generally mellow and relaxing, she has mastered the ability to make her live show feel lively and energetic. Opening up with “Nice To Each Other” set the 85-minute long set into a nice groove, starting the set off with a song that was known by the audience made perfect sense. She quickly transitioned into “Lady Lady” and then “So Easy (To Fall in Love,”) introducing the performance as a song about self-love and encouraging the crowd to believe that “everyone around you fancies you.”
Dean performed a solid mix of songs off The Art of Loving and her 2023 album Messy, plus a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up,” which gave the band an opportunity for introductions and their own moments in the spotlight, which is always fun to see. Highlights included a performance of the song “Carmen,” dedicated to Dean’s grandma for immigrating to the UK from Guyana when she was only 18-years-old. It was a fitting opportunity for Dean to take a moment to shout out immigrants for making the world a better place: a quiet but meaningful moment during her set.
Many of the headliners had special guests appear during their set, and Olivia made sure to join in on the fun with a surprise duet with English singer-songwriter Sam Fender for their massive collaboration “Rein Me In,” which recently broke a 73-year-old UK record by spending its 19th non-consecutive week at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart, making it the longest-running UK Number 1 single in history. It was the first time the pair ever performed it live in the United States.
Despite Dean is just a few years into her career, her performance made it evident that she will be on stages for years to come, and it was truly so wonderful and refreshing to see how many different types of people were apart of her history-making set at Lollapalooza.
I got to chat with the Portland-based, dream pop duo New Constellations (Harlee Case and Josh Smith) just a few minutes after they performed on the T-Mobile Stage Sunday afternoon and we talked about their new album, touring, and more.
Kristin: Tell me a little bit more about the new album. I know you guys were childhood friends then you came back together. I would love to hear more about that.
Harlee: Yeah, we grew up together and Josh recorded my first song for me when I was 14 and he was 16 and that was basically it for music for us for over 10 years. We both pursued music on our own and then eventually I was, ‘I want to be in a band, I want to try again’ and put it up on Instagram and Josh was like, ‘I should do that, we should do this together.’
Kristin: Wow.
Harlee: So we’ve just been figuring this out. At the beginning. I’d never written with anyone or done anything really collaborative. I was just playing guitar and writing songs, so Josh really nurtured the artist side of me. He makes a beat like, ‘how are we feeling today?’ I have a little therapy session, you know? But yeah, it took a long time for us to figure it out.
Josh: We put out our first album this year. We’ve been writing the songs over [several] years. And then a couple of them we wrote, took a step back and saw what songs we had, what kind of album was shaping up [to be], and what gaps needed to be filled.
Kristin: What is your favorite song to perform live or any traditions during shows?
Josh: “Believe Again” is my new favorite.
Harlee: Yeah, I agree. It means so much to us because it is this just personal anthem about trying again and believing in yourself. And it rings so true and beautifully, singing it on the stage. I’m like, ‘we did it.’ It’s hard for me to not get emotional, you know, every show doing it.
Josh: Traditions-wise, before every show, I always hug Harley and tell her that I love her and I’m proud of her.
Kristin: That’s good energy to keep and remember how far you’ve come. So I know you guys are about to go on a tour this fall. Are there any cities or venues you’re looking forward to playing?
Harlee: We’ve been wanting to play Europe for a really long time. And so I’m excited for all the places. We start in Warsaw. I’m excited to play in Paris and London, all these cities that I’ve always wanted to go to. And now being like, oh, ‘we had to upgrade the venue in London because it’s sold out three months in advance.’ Like, I haven’t even been there.
Kristin: That’s amazing. What do you do to stay grounded?
Harlee: Oh gosh. I do a lot to try to not get overwhelmed, but like I’m a big meditator and like taking space outside, getting my feet in nature and grounding down into the earth is really big for me.
Josh: I’m a real, just like time alone guy. So like when I start to feel overwhelmed, it’s just like, I’m not going to call anybody back. I’m not going to return any text messages.
Kristin: Who on the Lolla lineup would you like to collaborate with?
Josh: Ooh, The xx.
Harlee: I love Suki Waterhouse. Also I saw Not For Radio and that was amazing.
Kristin: Well, I have one more question…cause we’re in the Midwest and hot dogs are really big in Chicago. Are hot dogs a sandwich?
Josh: There definitely are. We [tour] with Night Heron, their thing is ‘everything is either soup, salad or a sandwich. So, hot dogs are a sandwich, ice cream is soup, nachos are a salad.’
Kristin: Well, anything else you want to end off on?
Josh: We’re just so grateful for every single day that we wake up and get to be in this band. Yeah. It’s an absolute dream come true.
ADÉLA
Photos 1-2 by Anna Downs for Lollapalooza, photos 3-5 by Taylor Regulski for Lollapalooza
Another artist who made this year’s Lollapalooza lineup right in time with their massive glow up is 22-year-old Adéla, who happened to be in the exact field of fans she was performing to a year prior to catch her friends Katseye also make their debut at Lolla on the same stage. The Slovak singer-songwriter and dancer just finished a run opening up for Demi Lovato on tour and is set to release her debut, full-length album, PRIMA, on September 3.
Opening her 40-minute set with a performance of “KGB,” (my personal favorite), Adéla proved that what she has to offer is unique: performing ballet onstage (she’s classically trained and moved to London to attend the English National Ballet School as a teenager).
The set could have used an upbeat cover of some sort, as some of her music is slower in tempo, but she still clearly has the star power to command a large audience on a big stage. My personal favorite moment was when she performed her new single “Ain’t In LA,” an ode to the hardworking women in smaller, unrecognized cities around the world. Several of Adéla’s songs are co-written by Blake Slatkin, an award-winning producer and lyricist who’s worked with several high-profile pop singers: so it’s safe to say that Adéla’s just getting started.
INJI
Photo 1 by Chad Wadsworth for Lollapalooza, photos 2-4 by Nathan Zucker for Lollapalooza
MUNA
Photos by James Richards IV for Brooklyn Vegan
As the girl who’s been here since the start of MUNA—like, seeing them open for Børns at The Metro in 2016—I was so ecstatic for the band to return to Lolla for the first time in awhile, but to also get a main stage slot. I caught their album release show in LA this past May so knew that they were polished and ready to perform for some of their biggest crowds to date with this album cycle release, and I was not disappointed!
The band opened with “It Gets So Hot” before immediately going into “Dancing On The Wall,” the album’s title track and lead single: giving the crowd the first big opportunity for a sing along. From there, they played all of their biggest songs, including “The One That Got Away,” “Number One Fan,” “Anything But Me,” (with a cameo from their inflatable horse named Stacey), “Stayaway,” and “I Know A Place,” a song that’s certainly become an anthem for love and inclusion.
MUNA has always been a political band, and they made a point to thank their fans for supporting their message for so many years. Before introducing “Big Stick,” one of my favorites from their new album, they made a point to say “F*ck Trump” and “Free Palestine,” which was meant with a roar of cheers from fans in the audience. The song is impactful, and I hope that people walked away from the set wanting to hear it again, as it’s a newer song and not necessarily known enough by audience members in a festival setting. Regardless, it hit for me. They also performed “So What,” “Eastside Girls,” “Wannabeher,” “On Call” and “Mary Jane” from the new album before closing with a singalong of “Silk Chiffon,” a performance that truly lamented the band’s impact on indie pop music: with nearly 100 million streams on Spotify alone, it’s safe to say that MUNA’s here to stay, and the start of this era is certainly going to be their best.
TURNSTILE
Photos 1-3 by Chad Wadsworth, photos 4-5 by Pooneh Ghana for Lollapalooza
I closed out my Lollapalooza weekend by heading North to the Bud Light stage to catch one more set: Turnstile. The rock band has been all over the place the last couple years, performing at major US festivals like Coachella and Kilby Block Party, and they’ll head to San Francisco next weekend for Outsidelands. I had to see it for myself, as hardcore punk isn’t generally what I listen to, but I like their vibe enough to take advantage of the opportunity when it arose. Their hour-long set was going against some heavy hitters across the park, and they still drew an impressive crowd, but it was fairly easy to walk up into the front of the crowd to catch all of the crowd surfing and moshing from a safe distance.
Turnstile’s been releasing music since 2013, but didn’t have their breakout year ’til the release of their 2021 album GLOW ON, which received three Grammy nominations. The 2025 album NEVER ENOUGH won two of its four Grammy nominations on top of also a commercial success, and the subsequent months of touring to support the album has cultivated a rapid following. Their shows are high energy and known for a lot of action, and it was really special to see that type of energy at a festival in the year 2026. Way less phones, way more living in the moment: even the cameraman got swept up into the mosh pit for a few minutes.
When I told a friend that I got a chance to catch their set, he asked me how to describe it in three words. The first word I thought of was ‘hopeful,’ hopeful to see a band with such a cult following curating such a safe community of fans that are respectful and share a love for the music and use the time spent with their favorite band to truly live in the experience. Even if that type of music isn’t for everyone, the way that their fanbase comes together to enjoy it respectfully was a message I wish everyone attending a major U.S. festival had the chance to witness.
After attending Lollapalooza twelve times, it’s safe to say that there’s always magic in the air that is hard to describe without experiencing it for yourself. The ability to lose yourself in the spectacle of live music for hours—and days—on end is certainly not for everyone, but for those hundreds of thousands of people who make the trek to Grant Park over and over again, it’s undoubtedly worth it. Even if your day gets delayed or a set or two (or multiple) get rained out, Lollapalooza weekend is a reminder that nothing lasts forever, so you may as well enjoy what’s in front of you while you can before it’s gone.
Check out all of our previous Lollapalooza coverage HERE and all of our festival coverage HERE.
Check out our after show galleries from this year below!
Paris Paloma | Bella Kay | Empire of The Sun | Not For Radio | Love Spells
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