Lollapalooza 2024 Chicago is a wrap and there were many great performances it's impossible to break them down by best.
So here are five memorable ones because at the end of the day we are all winners for having these great artists around and playing live for us.
In no particular order.
Blink-182, "Pink Pony Club"
Blink did a very cool thing as their headlining set on Sunday night at Lolla was wrapping up.
While they were finishing "Dammit," the song with the chorus that includes "I guess this is growin' up," the merged the chorus of Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club."
That song is about doing the opposite of growing up. It's about wanting to finally be free in Los Angeles and getting your freak on dancing in high heels after being cooped up in a more conservative part of the USA.
As fireworks were set off above their stage the band kicked back into the last lines of "Dammit" and it seemed like the trio were also giving props to Chappell who had brought out an enormous crowd Thursday afternoon - and who didn't need pyro to get the kids worked up.
It was a nice passing of the torch in a way from veterans to new stars. Quite sweet.
Chappell Roan, "My Kink Is Your Karma"
Before launching into "My Kink is Karma," Chappell Roan, playing to one of the largest and energetic crowds of her life, while her set was being livestreamed on Hulu, knelt down and spoke right into the camera:
“I dedicate this song to my ex who was bragging that they dated me at the bar in my hometown. This is a message for your fiancée: YOU SHOULD BREAK UP."
The only thing better than knowing her ex will definitely hear the message, is knowing the fiancée will too. But is it bad to tell people at the local bar that you used to date the Midwest Princess?
The Killers, "For Reasons Unknown"
Twenty year-old Oscar Reza is from Tijuana going to college in Minnesota. He had a sign that said he could drum. He worked his way up to the rail of the Killers set. His sign had a Las Vegas design on it so it was clear he only wanted to play with the Nevadans.
Singer Brandon Flowers noticed Oscar's sign and made sure he wasn't going to play quietly and soft. Oscar swore he wouldn't. “Are you confident? Because there’s like 100,000 people out here,” Flowers said.
When he made it on stage the best thing happened. He was not perfect, but he was fine.
How many times have we seen people like the Foo Fighters' "Kiss Guy" who shredded while in Kiss makeup when they were allowed on stage? Oscar was actually just ok. Which made his performance so much more real, and so much like what any of the audience would have hoped for if they also got that call.
When it was over Oscar tilted his head back to take in the pure excitement of it all, and again, he was one of us.
Kesha, "Backstabber"
During her lively set that reminded fans how much we love the singer, we were also reminded of the recently-wrapped up tragedy on the Rust set when Alec Baldwin was handed what he thought was a weapon with blanks.
A similar thing happened with Kesha who thought she was going to be given a fake knife but was presented with one that could actually do some damage.
The singer went on Twitter soon after and explained all.
Sounds like something from a Hitchcock film of a crime being done in plain sight, but thankfully Kesha quickly realized the situation and acted professionally.
Will the Kesha team now sell plastic butcher knives on the tour?
Megan Thee Stallion, "Where Them Girls At"
Here's a short list of things that are beloved in Chicago:
Hot dogs
Pizza
Mild winters
Music
Sports
So when Megan Thee Stallion was surprised by Angel Reese, the WNBA star of the Chicago Sky, not only was the rapper excited but so were a lot of the crowd who have nothing but love for the 6'3" 22 year-old first round pick of the team.
Watching Megan a little flustered, Reese nervous about truly bustin' some moves, and then the rapper showing her how it's done was a lovely scene.
Lolla was Megan's last stop of her Hot Girl Summer Tour.
Kesha only has one more date on her schedule. A fest in Mexico in a few weeks. Get tickets from her site.
The Killers head to Frisco for Outside Lands and then back to Vegas for an extended residency. Get your tickets on their website.
Chappell will also be at Outside Lands, then Europe which will include three nights at the Academy in Brixton.Then she comes back to the States at the end of September for more festivals through October. Get your tickets on Chappell's website.
And Blink-182's world tour continues in the midwest, then Canada, then Europe then back to the States. Get your tickets on Blink's website.
