Bands Through Town

My long Saturday began with Happy Landing, an indie folk group that is like a younger and more energetic cross between Mumford and Sons and Dave Matthews Band, with tight harmonies and a soaring fiddle, which would occasionally solo when the rest of the band needed a break. The crowd was hollering, loving every minute of the set, as did I. They were so entertaining that I did not want the set to end, proving that when you love to perform together, that bleeds out in your set, and the audience will follow that passion. A standout moment was when they somehow unintentionally made a mic hum work into a song. The creativity and fun they exuded made the start of my third day a happy one.

 

These feelings somewhat tapered with TV Girl. They responded to a large crowd and a good amount of anticipation by almost playing like they normally would in a studio, flawlessly working the electronic equipment while taking rips off of an Elf Bar. Their chill and easygoing nature, as well as their happy-go-lucky attitude (Brad Petering would occasionally offer riffs like, “We are gonna play songs that no one even likes” and, while performing on the Bud Light stage, “You could say it kills more people a year than heroin, but they make a good stage”) complimented the previous set. While it wasn’t necessarily the most extraordinary set in the festival, I appreciated the great mix of electronica with “real” drumming and the unique storytelling in the lyrics.

 

Then came the legendary Deftones who, unsurprisingly, showcased their professionalism and storied career in hard rock. Despite not needing to prove themselves, they played with an intense and intoxicating energy as if they did. Chino Moreno, at 51, performs with a measured ferocity that can hardly be matched, at one point expertly utilizing vocal modulation and equipment and at another running across the stage with his white shirt drenched in sweat. They let the music speak for itself and what it says is the deep nature and beauty of pain. Their set proclaimed clearly that they deserve the respect they’ve been given and their addition to Lollapalooza in 2024 was not only welcome, but necessary.

 

The energy kept flowing into Killer Mike’s set. As he performed “TALK’N THAT SHIT!,” it was apparent that, unlike other rappers, he has that flow live as well as in the studio. Additionally, one can tell, even if they only caught 20 minutes of his set, that he is a genuine dude: he spent at least five minutes spotlighting his “background” singers by having them flex their vocals as they introduced themselves one by one. He interrupts his own track to shout-out lifelong friends or advocate for social justice. These actions stuck out to me even more than his flow or his bars, which is remarkable since both are noteworthy, especially in contrast to the next set.

            

After waiting a half hour for their set, during which there was clear dismay among attendees, Future and Metro Boomin came out to perform glorified karaoke of their numerous hits, adding the occasional “I need everybody to put your middle fingers to the sky” or “I can’t hear you.” It felt more like a guided sing-along than watching a rapper perform, as long stretches of verses played over the speakers while Future would stand there. Metro served as nothing more than a hype man, not doing any mixing or showing any talent beyond yelling out the occasional lyric while jumping up and down. After the show was paused temporarily because of crowd crushing, with Future commenting proudly “y’all are getting too lit” while preteen girls were catching their breath amid sobbing, I decided to beat the traffic and go home.

 

As I was walking to Grant Park on the final day, two things happened that would shatter my already fragile predisposition that results from three full days at a festival—the first was a highly anticipated interview getting canceled, and the second was the sound of popping from my right hamstring, the latter doing more to guarantee I was spending the rest of the day at home. It was a major disappointment. I wanted to watch Nico Vega as I had interviewed them the day before and really love their work. I wanted to review Last Dinner Party, Teddy Swims and Two Door Cinema Club. However, to quote Mick Jagger, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you’ll find you get what you need,” and what I did not need was to end up in the hospital.

 

Regardless, going to Lolla was a formative experience for me. Every day I saw someone break down in tears, and every day I saw someone have the time of their life. The full spectrum of human emotion was on display, along with the full spectrum of musical expression. I saw strangers become Snapchat friends. I saw someone collapse right in front of me. I saw fists being thrown in front of cops. I saw historic crowd elation, and I saw crowd crushing. There is a price to pay for experiencing extraordinary events (in my case, it was a few hundred dollars, a pulled right hamstring, and another bout with Covid), but what you get in return is not only valuable but occasionally perspective-altering. This festival was certainly both.