Lollapalooza kept rolling on Day 2, with some tough set choices. The northern area anchored by the Bud Light Stage featured Bleachers and Korn. In contrast, the opposite end by the T-Mobile Stage and Lakeshore Stage had the opportunity to catch Djo, Wallows, and Olivia Rodrigo. Some of the big storylines of the day included the massive crowd that gathered to see Djo “back in Chicago” then mostly stuck around to see the people’s pop-punk princess Olivia Rodrigo rock her headlining spot, with an iconic guest spot from Weezer (!). But from before the sun set, here are some quick hits on some of the exciting moments from earlier in the afternoon:
- Tanner Adell kept the country party from the previous night going. Her opening set at the T-Mobile Stage was anchored by her strong vocals on sultry, assertive cuts like “Throw It Back” and “Snakeskin.”
- “I’m gonna need some motion in this ocean,” quipped hey, nothing’s Harlow Phillips early on at The Grove Stage. The crowd gladly obliged, bouncing along to the band’s folk-meets-emo cuts like “Too Drunk to Drive,” “Sick Dogs,” and “Like a Brother” (the latter of which featured a special guest spot from Nat and Alex Wolff).
- Otoboke Beaver blitzed through their set, getting a circle pit going at the Bud Light Stage. The Japanese punk rockers shredded with ripping guitar riffs and fierce vocals on tracks like “YAKITORI” and “Don’t light my fire.”
- Another day, another extremely passionate fan base gathered at the Tito’s Stage. This time, Del Water Gap thrilled the crowd, which eagerly screamed along the words to jangly indie pop/rock cuts like “Better Than I Know Myself” and “Perfume.”
- Orla Gartland got the Grove Stage off to a strong start with the rollicking “Kiss Ur Face Forever.” The Irish alt-rock singer’s anthemic vocals stood out on rocking songs like “Codependency” and “Three Words Away.”
And here’s a spotlight on more sets (including deeper dives on Djo and Olivia Rodrigo) that stood out from Day 2:
T-Pain
T-Pain threw a millennial’s dream party, taking the huge crowd gathered at the Bud Light about two decades back with rap and R&B hits like “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper)” and “Low,” with video game-inspired set design and an energetic crew of backup dancers. In the middle of the set, T-Pain pushed through a crowd-pleasing set of covers, starting by leading a singalong of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” But it was the next two – tackling Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” and Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” – that showcased both his genre versatility and powerhouse vocal chops. Toward the end, T-Pain thrilled the crowd once more with the exuberant “All I Do Is Win.”
Djo
Djo takes the cake for one of the coolest set pieces seen so far: When Joe Keery took the stage to an enormous audience at the T-Mobile Stage, he and his band were backed by a giant replica of Chicago landmark The Bean. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people in my life,” Keery remarked before launching into the bouncing electronic rock hit “Basic Being Basic.” He followed up this by taking up the keyboard for the jaunty, psychedelic “Charlie’s Garden,” which held a couple of surprises: The track was spliced with a special video message from Keery’s “Stranger Things” costar Charlie Heaton and was buoyed by jubilant trumpet from Chicago artist Nico Segal. Of course, the moment everybody was waiting for was his smash “End of Beginning,” which served as the penultimate song of the set. As the anthemic hit reached its cathartic close, the crowd roared along for a goosebump-inducing singalong.
Olivia Rodrigo
The fervent call for “Oliv-i-a! Oliv-i-a!” heralded the eagerly awaited arrival of Olivia Rodrigo, who seized the attention of the crowd from the get-go with the rocking cut “obsessed.” She delivered an early thrill by playing her smash hit “drivers license” on the piano, leading an impassioned sing-along with her fans. And later, the pared-back instrumentation of “happier” let Rodrigo’s beautiful, emotional vocals shine.
The middle of the set held an awesome surprise, as well. Rodrigo polled the crowd to ask if this was anyone’s first concert, leading into her fond memories of her first concert: Weezer.
“I watched this incredible band, and I am so over the moon because tonight, that incredible band is here to play a few songs,” she said, introducing Weezer. In an unforgettable moment, Rodrigo and Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo traded off vocals on “Buddy Holly” (which Rodrigo called “one of my favorite songs of all time”) and followed up with the jangly rocker “Say It Ain’t So.”
The main set came to an emphatic close with a huge sing-along rippling through the crowd with “deja vu.” But there was more: Rodrigo and her band returned for an encore that powered beyond her scheduled set time for a hit-filled encore. Throughout, her backing band proved key in giving her tracks an even harder rock edge, like on the screaming guitar solo of “bad idea right?” and the crunching riffs of the encore opener “brutal.” “all-american bitch” followed, with Rodrigo encouraging the crowd to vent all their frustration, and when the sound cut out, feral screams filled the night air. She finished with a satisfying one-two punch of “good 4 u” and “get him back!” with fans clapping along till the very end to the anthemic drum beat of the latter track.
