There was one The artist to watch on Day 1 of Lollapalooza 2024: Chappelle Rowan. Fans, eager to get a good spot, ran from the Grant Park entrance gates to the T-Mobile main stage and camped out as early as noon to wait in the blazing sun for her 5:00 p.m. set. The anticipated draw was so huge that organizers swapped Rowan’s original spot on a smaller stage across the field with Kesha, who seemed to approve of the switch, sharing a snippet on her Instagram Stories of herself and some friends singing Rowan’s “Pink Pony Club” after her set. Beyond the sea of fans who filled Rowan’s side of the park to the headliner levels, several artists — including Megan Thee Stallion, Hozier, and Kesha — were in attendance. – Delivering impressive performances alongside emotional speeches this election year, as the Democratic National Convention approaches in Chicago.
WWE Superstar Chappelle Rowan Makes Headlines Without Actually Having a Main Role
Chappell Roan didn't hold her own against her pop star rivals, but she managed to hold her own once her long-awaited album hit the market. painting Top 10 Songs. Dressed in a latex wrestling suit with cowboy-like leather fringe, she lifted weights and danced in a manner worthy of a top diva. There were ten bodybuilders lifting weights. A drummer played inside an elevated boxing ring. Forget “Femininomenon.” Forget “Got so close but then you lost it.” When thousands upon thousands of fans scream the words to every song and every lyric, even the new—and yet to be released!—”The Subway,” there's no denying it: Chappelle Rowan is a bona fide pop star who's firmly established herself on the charts. If other artists are planning the biggest crowds of the weekend, well… good luck, baby! North Carolina
Megan Thee Stallion Defends the Rights of Beautiful Girls
After performing at Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s rally in Atlanta, Megan Thee Stallion took time during her main set to further encourage voting. “They were getting all mad because I was raising it to Kamala, and I don’t think they heard what she said,” Megan told the crowd during her rousing set that included “His,” “Thought Shit” and “Wap.” “Kamala said she wants a ceasefire. Kamala said she supports women’s rights,” she said. She added that she wasn’t giving “her newest moves” but “her hardest moves” to pretty girls to force them to do what they want to do “when they want to do it,” before declaring “Girls for Harris” to cheers from the packed crowd. While her Atlanta speech required sharper lyrics and a fitted pantsuit, the Houston rapper in Lola let the crowd loose, taking a triumphant lap for her second headline performance (her first was in 2021) at the festival in a sparkly pink two-piece. She also received a surprise visit on stage from Angel Reyes of Chicago Sky. the
Hozier sings for peace and calls for more peace
Aside from the single that propelled him to international success, Hozier managed to create a lively dynamic between his bandmates and the audience that oscillated between religiosity and preaching, not quite a preacher, but a spiritual conduit. In between the usual pop applause (“Little Angel of Death and the Codeine Scene,” “Dinner and Speeches”) were ecstatic songs that allowed his voice to shine, like “Francesca” or “Movement.” Hozier’s evolution over the past decade has been one of gentleness and harmony, despite the power of his blues-rock. It’s fitting, then, that he spoke passionately about the civil rights battles in Ireland, the power of direct action, and the need for an “occupied Palestine.” Urging the audience to contact their representatives about a ceasefire carried extra weight when tempered by “Nina Cries Hard” and, earlier, the debut single “Nobody’s a Soldier.” Hozier wasn’t promoting religion, but he spoke about his core principles in a way that made his fans believers. – North Carolina
Kesha takes us on a fun ride.
Whether it was P. Diddy (having the crowd chant the altered “Wake up in the morning like f**king P. Diddy” lyrics three times) or slamming J.D. Vance (“Can someone tell J.D. Vance he’s a total slut?”), Kesha’s fiery show was all about calling out bullshit and embracing empowerment. She mocked the idea of a childless cat lady in the Republican Party, having her dancers wear cat masks as she sang “Woman”; before “Blow,” she introduced the song with a sample of Kamala Harris’s “Do you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”). She also opened up about her first appearance at Lola in 2009 on a small stage, saying she was terrified at the time, but adding that she felt judged 15 years later. “It tore me apart,” she said. But that hatred “turned me into a strong woman.” By the time she reached the penultimate song in her set, “Joyride,” the freedom she was finally able to celebrate was palpable. the
Teela rides a tiger for her tigers.
It looked like things couldn’t get any hotter in the afternoon sun by the time Tayla took to the stage, but her sizzling set proved that theory wrong. Dressed in futuristic metallic gear and at times appearing to ride a giant inflatable tiger sitting center stage, the South African star delivered a powerful mix of R&B, amapiano and pop. Tayla’s fans, as she calls them, were treated to several songs from her eponymous debut album, including “Safer” and “ART,” while she and her dancers put on a sexy dance routine. “I got something special for you guys,” she said, before mixing Aaliyah’s “Rock the Boat” with her own “On and On.” Her set climaxed with her smash hit “Water.” the
Fleshwater Lure 90s Gothic Alt-Rock Into the Sunshine
Massachusetts five-piece Fleshwater, whose mix of alternative rock, FuseTV-like grunge, and lead singer Marissa Shearer’s throbbing vocal range, lit up the opening interlude of Lollapalooza with an hour of angst. The band performed primarily from their 2022 debut album We are not here to be loved.Hard-hitting songs like “The Razor’s Apple” and “Kiss the Ladder” were incredibly successful live, with newer track “I’m Not Here” providing a much-needed break. Live, singer and guitarist Anthony DiDio – who co-founded Fleshwater as a side project of the melancholic metalcore band Vein.fm – couldn’t shake his heavy instincts, screaming and driving a circular pit. Shearer doubled down on that tone during standout “Linda Claire” with muddy hooks and rhythm-distorting breakdowns. “I bet you’d love it if I was a loser,” she quipped through her curls, “but thanks to you I’m just getting started.” North Carolina
Blondshell makes its debut in Lolla
Watching Sabrina Teitelbaum, who performs under the name Blondshell, in the middle of the day was almost sacrilegious, when her slow-burning ramblings about problematic love, nagging addictions, and intense lust were the sort of topics that might keep one up at night. But her enthusiasm for performing at her first Lollapalooza was infectious as she delivered crowd favorites “Kiss City,” “Tarmac” and “Salad.” While her set and her band were among the first to be booked at 1:50 p.m., she made a pointed observation about the crowds that would fill the stadium for Chappell Roan’s show two hours later, commenting on seeing a lot of “pink horses” in the audience. the
All eyes on Eliana
Raised in Nazareth before immigrating to California at age 15, Palestinian-Chilean singer Eliana decodes diaspora through her pop, R&B, and electronic music without watering down its realism or depth. Singing primarily in Arabic while her bandmates play the oud and tabla, she released her debut album Walidto Iliana sang with her soft voice and silky hair, wearing a keffiyeh and a dress decorated with watermelons. Iliana’s elegant vocals and silky hair seemed to extend the sparkling white dresses worn by her dancers. After “All Eyes on Palestine” appeared on the screen, Iliana tearfully sang Janet’s 1982 hit “El Muchacho de los Ojos Triste,” a tribute to her grandmother who “always sang this song to welcome me home.” North Carolina
If you teach a lesson in girls' groups
The first rule of any girl group’s success is to master the art of harmony. The second rule is to perform vocally without overpowering each other. And on Friday night, Flo taught us by example. The London R&B band proudly expanded their girl group lineup with two new singles, “Walk Like This” and “Caught Up,” while also paying homage to icons of the past with a medley of songs by Destiny’s Child, Spice Girls, and Pussycat Dolls. From underrated tracks like “Summertime” to her collaboration with Missy Elliott, “Fly Girl,” Flo beamed on stage with a sense of shared joy, thus fulfilling rule number three: have fun with your friends. North Carolina
forest enter the groove
British dance group Jungle set an instant buzz with funk-infused tracks like “Problemz,” “I’ve Been in Love” and “Dominoes” on their 2023 album volcanoKnown for their carefully crafted music videos, the band toned down the visuals and let the instruments and their harmonious vocals carry the set—though they did reserve one great number for launching beach balls into the crowd. The opening drumbeat of “Back on 74” sent the crowd into a frenzy, with fans instinctively reenacting the viral dance inspired by the song and singing along to the chorus. They also took a drive down memory lane, with tracks “Heavy, California,” “I’ve Been in Love” and “Casio.” South Korea
Saint of the Levant, representative of the nation
Born to a French-Algerian mother and a Palestinian-Serbian father, Saint-Levant represented his heritage, draping the Palestinian flag over his shoulders as fans waved keffiyehs in the air. He sang about Palestinian activism and displacement, playing the saxophone on tracks like “From Gaza, With Love” and “From Gaza, With Love.” Deira “On this land.” Although he performed multicultural songs in English, French and Arabic, his heart was with his homeland. At one point, he stopped his performance to speak directly to his fellow Palestinians in the audience: “The moment there’s a ceasefire, you get on that plane, you go home,” he said. South Korea
Labrinth gets high
Labrinth, dressed in a black cloak and heavy jewelry, performed several pieces of music from trance – The soundtrack he composed in 2019, including the synth-heavy “Still Don’t Know My Name,” the mournful “Forever,” the bass-heavy “When I RIP,” and “All of Us.” He was so shocked by the turnout during his performance that he paused to confess his love, saying, “You made my fucking day,” before resuming with darker tracks about love and loneliness like “Beneath You’re Beautiful” and “Mount Everest.” South Korea
