Lollapalooza 2024 - Day One Report

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Thursday August 1, 2024 @ Grant Park, Chicago

Lollapalooza 2024 kicked off with an explosive midday performance from Chappell Roan. It was most likely the largest audience a single performer has ever played to in the festival's history with the entire park at the T-Mobile stage. Everything on day one was leading up to this performance and as some of the aerial views show, the rest of the park for that one house was sparse, as it appeared over 80,000 were in attendance just for this set to see the Midwest Princess deliver a performance no one will ever forget. A weather forecast of storms and thunder hung over the first day as forecasts showed rain for most of the day, but fortunately, the heavy rain held off until an hour after the close of the festival. While Chappell Roan proved to be the biggest draw of the day, day one was full of incredible sets by a wide variety of artists and genres, many of which you will hear from again.

Abby Holliday 12:30
Kicking off Lollapalooza was 27-year-old Abby Holliday who delivered one of the loveliest performances of the day. Performing songs from CRACK A SMILE COME ON STAY A WHILE Holliday was at ease on the concert stage delivering a confident and heart-warming set. Hailing from Cincinnati, OH but now residing in Nashville, TN, Holliday navigated a lot of emotional terrain in her early set. She brought a sense of wonder with her dreamy lyrics pining for what is now & what is coming. Shifting sounds between folk and alternative pop/singer-songwriter, she was a revelation on the Lollapalooza stage. She was a perfect opener for the festival and while early sets don't draw the same crowds as late evening headliners, everyone who saw Holliday's set will not forget it any time soon.

Chance Emerson 1:00
The BMI stage is easily the secret weapon of Lollapalooza every year and is where Lady Gaga performed before her debut album had even been released. Every year I see upwards of a dozen incredible talents take to the BMI stage and it's always refreshing to see performers who are overflowing at the brim with talent and Chance Emerson was no different. A Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter from Hong Kong based in Providence, RI, Emerson was not afraid to crank his guitars up and invite sing-a-longs to his set. While his sound is closest to Americana, his set focused on the more melodic folk songs from his debut album Ginkgo shined under the trees and shade of the BMI stage. "Angela", "Ecstasy" and "House We Share" proved to the receptive audience that Emerson not just has the talent but songs to back him up.

Blondshell 1:50
Born Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum, the performer best known as Blondshell brought a sensational set to Lollapalooza. Opening with the superb "Veronica Mars", she delivered her indie rock set to an alert crowd. Reaching deep down and singing from her gut, Blondshell captured the imagination of the crowd and her voice showed shades of the late Dolores O'Riordan from the Cranberries. There was a husky soul to her set that fluctuated with the intensity of someone who was giving it their all.

Goldie Boutilier 2:30
Goldie Boutilier contains multitudes. Hailing from Canada, she has a lengthy recording career under her belt, along with being a DJ and model. Formerly known as My Name is Kay, Boutilier has reinvented herself as an alternative country and pop musician. With a series of singles and EP's she's reinventing herself in a day and age where it is no easy feat. Her splendid set included the Hall and Oates cover "Out of Touch" amongst a wave of synths.

Tyla 3:30
There was a huge blow-up tiger sitting in the middle of the T-Mobile stage for Tyla's set and the South African singer Tyla delivered a surprising, gliding and groove laden set with her brand of R&B pop. Her self-titled debut album from March took up most of the set and she and several backing dancers put the large stage to full use. While she won a Grammy award earlier this year, she has not been on the road and her Lollapalooza performance was a welcome return to the road for her. While many in the audience were waiting for Chappell Roan, they welcomed Tyla and took in her sensual set.

Olivia Dean 4:00
The British neo soul singer performed opposite of the stage Chappell Roan was set to perform on and as a result, she played to an enormous crowd. She harnessed her strengths, notably her goosebump induing vocals that are breezy and yet provide a powerful punch on "UFO" and ither songs from her 2023 album Messy.

Chappell Roan 5:00
Chappell Roan's set at Lollapalooza was nothing short of mythical. W conservative estimates of 80,000 fans watching her set, it was the largest gathering of individuals in Grant Park since the Chicago Cubs won the baseball World Series in 2016 and the victory celebration took place here. When I saw Roan at a small club in Kalamazoo in June, I told friends watching her was like seeing the face of God. It was a singular performance so powerful; it entrenches itself into the architecture of your soul. All throughout Lollapalooza you could see the effect she has had on culture with pink cowboy hats and more merchandise than just about any other artist playing this weekend.

Her shows usually have themes and Roan appeared onstage in a wrestling outfit showing Chicago she was ready to get in the ring and fight for this place (she has on @bustedbrand + @zanabayne, her stylist @genesiswebb, hair @domforletta and make-up artist @ali.scharf). The crowd reactions to Chappell Roan are religious. Her sex-positive messages speaks to not just the LGTBQ+ audience but to anyone who has ever yearned or had their heart broken. Despite having only one official album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, the entire set played like a greatest hits album. Every song went over bigger than the previous one in an awe-inspiring set. "Femininomenon", "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" and "HOT TO GO" went over like Queen songs at a sporting event. Each performance became more fevering and intense.

While the twenty-six-year-old singer-songwriter appeared onstage fully formed and realized, her success was not overnight. She started releasing singles in 2017 and a supporting slot on Olivia Rodrigo's arena tour heightened everyone's awareness and with the release of the single "Good Luck, Babe!" she has begun to rise to new heights. She has a distinct sense of self and identity, which is precisely why she is striking such a chord currently. She may arrive onstage in make-up and different outfits, a look influenced by drag queens, but the artist known as Chappell Roan is painting pictures of romance gone wrong, unattainable love and coming to terms with your sexuality. Her lyrical specificity, which embraces lesbian romance, is an essential element of her artistry. The struggles of same-sex love often isn't given the same space as hetero love, and "Babe!" is specifically about two women in love with one being closeted and not willing to admit to the relationship. She makes the mistake of marrying a man for comfort rather than love. Despite the breezy synth that highlights the song, the longing and anguish is accentuated by a soaring vocal by Roan that makes you feel the heartache in your bones. The way Chappell Roan tackles every song with a powerful first-person experience is why she has emerged as not just a blooming artist, but as an authentic voice because she's a woman who loves other women and does not shy away from this in her songs. The force of "Casual" in concert, with the audience zealously singing along to every word, is not something anyone will forget anytime soon as its sensuality washed over the audience. In terms of sexual identity, Chappell Roan is owning it in a way that previous generations came to terms with theirs. She has claimed this better than almost anyone on her scale before and so much of it comes from confessional songs. She may sing from a young queer perspective, but she's reaching a much broader audience. She's not just showing young people how to navigate their lives but many LGTBQ+ fans from older generations.

Watching her navigate the crowd with these tales of longing was nothing short of extraordinary. Every single person sang along to every single word. Every. Single. Word. This had to have been the biggest audience for a single artist in the history of the festival, I don't think a single football stadium in the country would've held this many people, they spilled out into the sides and streets and certain aerial shots show that the other side of the park was practically empty. Every song was a touchdown, it was like hearing every hit imaginable by your favorite artist all in a row. Chappell Roan slayed the audience; you can't put it any other way.

Credit needs to be given to her all-female band with Eliza Petrosyan on guitar, Lucy Ritter on drums and Valeria Falcon on bass. The trio help elevate Roan's material and give it a muscularity not found on the album. They're an essential part of the show and they are a large reason why the world has become so enraptured with Chappell Roan as a performer. The latter part of the set was especially intoxicating. A new song ("The Subway") was played, the melodic and erotic "Red Wine Supernova", the pop perfection of "Good Luck, Babe!" and the set closer "Pink Pony Club" which everyone wailed at the top of their lungs in one of the greatest unifying moments of my concern life. As the crowd wailed "Girl, what have you done!," everyone transported to their happy place. We spend so much of our lives denying who we are or burying our dreams far down, that we need to make sure we don't lose who we are in the process. That's what "Pink Pony Club" is about, finding a place to call home and cherishing it. The timetable for this path to bliss will be different for all of us, but as we search for our own versions of the pink pony club, it is imperative we all keep on dancing until we find it.

Kesha 6:00
One must give Kesha endless props as she exchanged stages with Chappell Roan to ensure the new star could play to the largest crowd, but while she sacrificed the larger stage, she brought a tight sixty-minute set with endless hits and walloped the Lollapalooza crowd. While new songs such as "Freedom" and "Joyride" made their mark, it was the hits that washed over the crowd, still one of the biggest of the day, that made her stand out. With a new lease on life and her career, Kesha didn't waste time as she danced, sand and lived it up. The set was marked by a sense of joy and when she tore through hits such as "Tik Tok", "Cannibal", "Timber" and "Blow" there was a renewed sense of purpose in her performance. The young woman who emerged fifteen years ago still had something to prove on the stage and her set was a powerful reminder to never count an artist out who still has something to say. "Praying" and "We R Who We R" closed her tight set reminding the Lollapalooza audience, she is more than a pop star but an artist who can still light the way.

Lizzy McAlpine 7:15
The indie pop folksinger from Philadelphia has been making waves for the last several years. She's gone viral on Tik Tok, dueted with Noah Kahan and Niall Horan. Taking to the second biggest stage at Lollapalooza, she was a respite from a day heavy on pop and dance music. "Broken Glass" and "ceilings" brought a hushed atmosphere to the festival with her gentle wails. She even included a Sufjan Stevens cover "Death with Dignity". The only downside if her set was brief and a mere nine songs, with most of the audience wishing for more.

FLO 7:45
The British female trio brought their brand of R&B to Lollapalooza. Their harmonies glistened as the sun began to set over Chicago. While they owe a great debut to Destiny's Child, their beats and songs show promise. The group has only been in existence since 2019 and while they have yet to release a full-length album, they have several EP's and standalone singles include "Fly Girl" which features an appearance from Missy Elliott. FLO returns to Chicago in a little over a month to the Aragon Ballroom on September 6th.
Hozier 8:30
The Irish musician known as Hozier has had quite a career with the global smash "Take Me To Church" from 2013 but what few could see was how "Too Sweet" would emerge more than a decade later and become an even bigger hit, reaching number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. Hitting the stage at 8:30 sharp, Hozier emerged to an enormous crowd spilling out into the street welcoming him back to Lollapalooza. Kicking off the set with "Eat Your Young" Hozier and his band were fierce and proved the audience at Lollapalooza was in the mood for roaring guitars and thunderous drums. He debuted a new song, "Nobody's Soldier" next before "Jackie and Wilson" found him crushing a tambourine against his chest while he sang like his life depended on it.

His sixteen-song set was a sweet spot for the Lollapalooza crowd. It may be wrong to classify Hozier as rock n' roll but as Lollapalooza has ventured into more hip-hop, dance and pop, the singer-songwriter stood out. He tipped his hat to the blues, soul and folk. Hozier does it all and his set was a reflective one that started strong and never relented. Hozier delivered a breathtaking set capturing all the essential essence of his last decade. The ending of the set with "Too Sweet", "Movement" and "Take Me To Church" was a victory lap not just for the first day of the festival, but Hozier as well as the performance was nothing short of towering.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMUSIC Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He has seen over 1,000 concerts in his life and has covered Lollapalooza in-depth for over a decade. He can be contacted at tonykAT antiMUSIC DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

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