In the middle of his set at Lollapalooza Friday night, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) went down into the security pit and took a moment to admire the crowd and the downtown Chicago skyline.
“This (expletive) is great,” he said, looking at the festival camera that was following his every move. “You don’t get (expletive) like this everywhere.”
The question is, is it enough?
Lollapalooza is one of the most popular, and certainly one of the most recognized, festivals in the world, and Glover is right that its setting makes it special.
But the country, and the Midwest specifically, is overrun with festivals that have followed in its footsteps. And with homogenized lineups making these events less special — not to mention the incredible expense (weekend general-admission Lolla passes were $340, before fees, travel, lodging, food or any other costs) — and we may be entering a period of festival fatigue.
Milwaukee’s Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival, this year reported its lowest attendance since 1986. Several festivals planned for this summer pulled the plug, including Diplo’s Mad Decent Block Party and Woodstock 50.
More: Woodstock 50 is officially canceled
And Lollapalooza sales were the slowest in recent memory. Four-day passes weren’t sold out until two days before the festival began. Two years ago, they were gone 2½ hours after going on sale, and there have been years when tickets were gone before the lineups were even announced.
A full four days of splendid weather — a rarity in the event’s 14-year Chicago history — likely helped Lolla hit its 400,000-person capacity.
But you’ve got to wonder what the future may hold, and what changes may have to be made, for Lolla to remain a truly great festival.
In the meantime, let’s look back at the best and worst from the weekend.
Best set
It was another tragic weekend in America with the deadly mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton (and a mass shooting at a Chicago playground early Sunday, with seven people wounded). Janelle Monae played Lollapalooza before all of that senseless violence, but reflecting on her sensational set at the end of the weekend, Monae’s moving message of equality for all and love over hate — set to unflappable funk and empowering hip-hop and pop, all performed by one the most infectious performers alive — was more important than ever.
More: Lollapalooza 2019: Lil Wayne, J. Balvin make history on Day 3; highlights from Day 1 and 2
Other artists powerfully merged messages with their music this weekend. Gary Clark Jr.’s clearly personal performance of his new anti-racism anthem “This Land” was visceral, as was Gambino’s live take of “This Is America,” whose title inspired a Twitter trending topic Sunday in response to those mass shootings. Considering the state of the world, and the 2020 elections approaching, expect Lolla to be more politically charged next year.
Biggest crowd
For perhaps the first time in Lollapalooza’s history in Chicago, none of the headliners definitively had the biggest crowd. That distinction belonged to Lil Wayne, who sprinted through his unparalleled discography (and his own “Old Town Road” remix) early Saturday night in front an overflow crowd on Grant Park’s south lawn. Combined with massive showings this weekend for Childish Gambino, 21 Savage and Meek Mill, the message to Lolla promoters is loud and clear: If they want to improve those ticket sales, they need to book even more rappers in the future, and especially more rappers as headliners.
Most significant booking, Part 1
Ariana Grande is one of our biggest pop superstars. It’s not opinion; it’s a fact. She’s proven herself with hit after hit — including the live premiere at Lolla Sunday of what’s likely to be another massive single, the brand-new “Boyfriend.” And she proved it when she nearly tripped during second song “Bad Idea,” experienced technical issues with her headset, grabbed a handheld mic and belted marvelously across a packed Grant Park, all in a matter of seconds.
More: Ariana Grande reveals new song, video for ‘Boyfriend:’ I’m a ‘trainwreck’
So while this honor is long, long, long overdue, Grande certainly earned the distinction of being the first female headliner in Lollapalooza’s history with her name at the very top of the lineup poster. And she absolutely cannot be the last.
Most significant booking, Part 2
Latin music is the fastest-growing genre in America, with streams skyrocketing 37 percent in 2018 according to Nielsen Soundscan. But aside from a handful of novel events like the Los Dells festival in Wisconsin, American music festivals are way behind the curve when it comes to representing songs en español.
That’s why J. Balvin’s booking as Lollapalooza’s first Latino headliner was so significant. Balvin paid tribute to the reggaeton artists that came before him — even bringing out the seminal Wisin y Yandel to perform their first single from 2005, “Rakata.” And with the most vibrant and festive headlining set of the year, Balvin offered a strong case that Lolla’s future will be bright with Latin music in the mix.
Worst set
There’s arguably no act in America that’s simultaneously as audacious and as lazy as the Chainsmokers. With their tedious opening-night headlining set, Drew Taggart and Alex Pall relied on the same predictable buildups and bass drops over and over between “original” songs that all sound the same. On top of that, the EDM duo subjected fans to Taggart’s atrocious singing, and had the nerve to ruin a good song like Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” with a cringeworthy cover.
Dishonorable mentions
- Apathy and old material are never a good combination, but such was the way with the Strokes. Julian Casablancas’ tired, cynical rocker shtick overshadowed Albert Hammond Jr.’s guitar chops, spoiling the nostalgia trip.
- Twenty One Pilots didn’t put on a bad show per se, but their headlining set was disappointing nonetheless. Four years ago, their genre-splicing, heart-pumping style was a revelation — there were so many fans jumping the Earth in Grant Park actually moved. But this weekend, they recycled favorite bits for fans who knew the drill — Josh Dun drumming on a platform held up in the crowd, Tyler Joseph climbing a scaffold and so on — and the audience energy (and size) was noticeably smaller.
- And NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal did a DJ set. Yes, you read that correctly. Let’s describe it this way: Shaq was better at free throws.
Most welcome guest
Chance the Rapper wasn’t booked for Lolla this year, but by the end of the weekend, he practically performed an entire set. He dropped his album “The Big Day” the Friday before Lolla began, and spent the weekend performing several “Day” songs live for the first time with album collaborators who were part of the lineup, including Death Cab for Cutie, Calboy and Smino.
Luckiest fan
A video went viral Friday of at least 50 people storming past a fence at Lollapalooza (and knocking one down), with one police officer literally stopping only one guy — who had a prosthetic leg.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications said in a statement that none of the fence jumpers managed to actually get all the way past security to get into Lollapalooza. (There are multiple barriers to get to the grounds.)
But the guy with the prosthetic leg did get in — thanks, it appears, to Lolla performer Rich the Kid. The Chicago rapper posted a picture of himself on Instagram with the guy who got stopped by security, and was now wearing a Lollapalooza admissions wristband.
“You tryna be Rich 4 a day or Rich Forever ???” the rapper wrote in the caption.
We reached out to Rich the Kid’s publicist for more information but have yet to hear back.
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
Piet also talks concerts, local music and more on “TAP’d In” with Jordan Lee. Hear it at 8 a.m. Thursdays on WYMS-FM (88.9), or wherever you get your podcasts.
