In a blink, Day 4 at Lollapalooza arrived. The final day featured plenty of excitement around the Lakeshore Stage and T-Mobile Stage. A massive crowd gathered early to catch breakout pop group Katseye make one of their biggest appearances in their early career, and as the sun set, Finneas brought out collaborator Ashe to team up, including some tunes from their joint project The Favors. There was plenty of buzz around Sabrina Carpenter’s headlining set, and the pop star thrilled by bringing out Chicago legends Earth, Wind & Fire to perform together. And on the other side of the festival, A$AP Rocky delivered a dramatic entrance and high-octane headlining set at the Bud Light Stage. Here are some quick hits on some of the exciting moments from throughout the day:
- BoyNextDoor drew a huge crowd early at the Lakeshore Stage. Sporting a throwback style, the K-pop boy band charmed with sweet harmonies and jaunty keys on “123-78” and got the crowd grooving to their “Serenade.”
- Finneas’ smooth croon captivated on emotive heart-wrenchers like “2001” and “Little Window.” The singer’s fantastic chemistry and interwoven vocals with Ashe shined bright on cuts like “The Little Mess You Made” and “Till Forever Falls Apart.”
- Rebecca Black made an eye-catching entrance with the throbbing beat and defiant vocals of “American Doll.” She both nodded to and transcended her viral hit “Friday” by interpolating her debut single with the maximalist hyperpop of “Sugar Water Cyanide.”
- The Marías’ singer María Zardoya enchanted the crowd at the Bud Light Stage through sunset, getting the crowd to jump on early cut “Real Life.” With sturdy, rocking instrumentation, “Back to Me” served as a highlight in the back half of the set, keyed by Zardoya’s emotional vocal delivery.
And here’s a spotlight on more sets (including deeper dives on Katseye, A$AP Rocky, and Sabrina Carpenter) that stood out from Day 4:
Katseye
Katseye proved to be Sunday’s breakout stars, drawing a huge audience eager to catch their “Debut” at Lollapalooza. The chiptune beat of opener “Gameboy” got the crowd grooving from the get-go, while “Gabriela” proved to be a mid-set highlight, keyed by Daniela’s Spanish verse and the group’s intricate dance interlude with flowing skirts that evoked a flamenco-type style. Katseye kept the energy elevated through their closer, the swaggering pop cut “Gnarly,” which played with an even heavier edge live with a propulsive drum beat and crunching guitar riff.
Joey Valence & Brae
Half punk/rap mosh pit, half techno rave, all fun: Joey Valence & Brae brought a ton of energy to The Grove Stage for one of the most consistently hyped crowds of the day. The rap duo showcased their electric stage presence as they leaped around the stage while trading bars over brazen beats on early smashes like “PACKAPUNCH” and “HOOLIGANG,” the latter which got two frantic mosh pits going. Later in the set, Joey Valence & Brae previewed their imminent new record HYPERYOUTH and got the crowd bouncing to their spin on Charli XCX’s “365.”
A$AP Rocky
As the curtain dropped at the start of A$AP Rocky’s set, the New York emcee made a dramatic entrance, starting his set perched high above the stage in a huge helicopter set piece for “Grim Freestyle.” The fans eagerly obliged A$AP Rocky’s calls for moshing, bouncing to early hits like “A$AP Forever,” “Taylor Swif,” and “Praise the Lord (Da Shine).” The latter showcased the rapper’s swaggering flow and electrifying stage presence as he engaged all sides of the crowd from the stage’s catwalk.
Sabrina Carpenter
On the other side of the festival, Sabrina Carpenter surprised with a cameo from Chicago’s own Earth, Wind & Fire for an excellent collaboration on their iconic hits “Let’s Groove” and “September.” The second half of the pop star’s set played the hits, from the sultry groove of “Bed Chem” to the bouncing “Juno.” (The latter track’s recurring “fuzzy pink handcuffs” cameo featured a guest appearance from some of Twice’s members.) Carpenter’s vocals shined especially at the start of “Please Please Please,” and she kept the crowd dancing till the end of the festival with her sensual pop smash “Espresso.”
