Lollaplaooza 2018

I have attended Lollapalooza 4 times since graduating from college (hard to believe that was 7 years ago!).  Each time is a different experience, but always a great festival filled with new music, classic Chicago food delicacies, and unique artistic work.  The famous event is held in Grant Park of downtown Chicago, and is a big weekend for the city bringing lots of tourists and needing increased security.

This year made me realize how much I've changed since my first Lolla.  I used to be obsessed with making my way to the front of every stage I was visited.  I loved being in the middle of it all, getting close to the artist, and jumping around with my fellow music lovers.  Not sure if it's my age, or my physical conditioning, but I could not be further from that person.  I now would much rather find a nice spot to relax, hang with my friends, and just listen to live music.  The more space, the better.  I'm willing to sacrifice my view for space to spread out.  Looking back, I see how much of a jerk I was pushing through people and inserting myself into a 5 inch crevice.  For anyone out there I did this to, I apologize.  I was young and stupid.

Lollapalooza used to be a 3-day event.  The first two I attended, I went for the whole festival and was there each day from start to finish.  Most recently I have went for the single day.  My wife and I got there in the mid afternoon and literally limped our way home after the 8 hour experience.  I have no idea how I used to survive.  Especially considering the first time I went, my friend and I slept in his car one night, and on the floor of a friend's apartment the other.  Yes, I get it, I'm old, but not that old!  I seriously do not know how people are managing the now 4-day festival.  I barely made it one.

The style of music I listen to is slightly different.  I used to be much more into electronic and hip hop.  It is not that I no longer enjoy the genres, but rather the new artists do not interest me as much, nor do the audiences they attract.  For those who have been to Lollapalooza, they are aware of the extremely young crowd.  By young, I mean 12-16 year olds.  Many of these kids are intoxicated, covered in glitter, and have no sense of social awareness.  I believe the festival should take a serious consideration into implementing an age limit.  I found myself avoiding stages like Perry's (EDM stage), and walking the opposite direction of new rappers.

My evolution and change in experience can be summarized in the final show I went to this year.  I finished the night with one of my favorite bands Vampire Weekend.  Their performance was at the same time as The Weeknd; one of my other favorite artists.  I made no effort to see his set because I wanted to avoid everything surrounding his stage: distance from the exit, young and annoying crowd, and personal space.  Albeit, Vampire Weekend was amazing and something that both my wife and I share.  Fun fact, Vampire Weekend is one of the first bands Annie and I bonded over :)

What hasn't changed for me as a Lollapalooza attendee is my passion for music and art (and food!).  The festival continues to be one of my favorite summer traditions and I will be going from years to come.... Just a little differently.  Below are the artists I saw, and a little blurb about there set.


Daya - This was the first artist we saw, and I recommended as I felt I recognized her name.  Turns out we all knew a few songs by her (Hide Away, Don't Let Me down, Sit Still Look Pretty).  She was fun and the perfect way to kick off the festival.

Autograf - My friend recommended them who knows a lot about electronic music.  They were fantastic, performing a live set and doing a rendition of original music and classics (like Daft Punk!). I liked them so much I went home and downloaded some of their music.  Love discovering new artists!

LL Cool J - So most of our group did not want to go because they didn't feel they knew his music.  Me and a few others pushed hard, and thankfully the crew obliged.  He was awesome.  The classic hip hop artist has still got it.  On top of that he had DJ Z-Trip with him making it a nice walk down old-school rap memory lane.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Probably the biggest disappointment.  Her voice just didn't quite do it for me.  Some of it may have been the speaker sound quality, and the rest is she is not as good live.  My wife and I still went crazy for Call Me Maybe :)

Daniel Caesar - I was most looking forward to seeing this artist.  He is an up and coming R&B singer from Canada, and is a mix between Frank Ocean and Khalid.  He was the perfect artist to relax to in the middle of the day and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Logic - Only saw two of his songs as he was right before the next act.  Like his old work better, good live performer.

Dua Lipa - This girl is the whole package.  She can dance, sing, and really gets the crowd into it.  Her popularity has skyrocketed over the past summer and she has many radio hits.  Unfortunately we only saw a few as we left for the final show of the night to get a good spot.

Vampire Weekend - As I said, one of my favorite artists.  An indie-rock band that has such a fun, unique sound.  If you have not heard them, go listen now!  Good for all ages.  Truly timeless.  Two interesting things during their set.  One, they played their most famous hit "A-Punk" 3x to open (never seen that).  The other..... THEIR NEW ALBUM IS DONE!  It has been 5 years and they announced the new album is on the way soon :)

Rating: 4.5/5