Lollapalooza 2023: Day Two Recap
The second day of Lollapalooza 2023 at Grant Park in Chicago was nothing short of a spectacle, with another big crowd in the Chicago sun. Plenty of emerging acts made their mark on the festival, capped off by one of the biggest names in rap today.
The afternoon set the tone with performances from artists who are potentially on their way to headliner status. Peach Pit in particular made a significant impact at the Coinbase stage, drawing a massive crowd. The band surprised everyone by opening with a cover of Slayer’s “Reign In Blood,” with lead singer Neil Smith crowdsurfing before ever playing a note on his guitar. Their jangly indie pop resonated well with the Lollapalooza crowd, and they seem poised for much bigger and better things.
Shortly after at the Bacardi stage, Sueco and his unique mix of hip hop and pop punk got the crowd moshing in the woods. Sueco also jumped into mosh pits and even went crowd surfing on a plywood board. In what was apparently a first, a fan decided to join the fun by hopping onto the board and surfing atop the sea of hands as well.
Over at the Bud Light Stage, Big Wild stole the show with their eclectic blend of EDM, pop, and indie. Their dynamic set had a huge crowd grooving under the Chicago sun, in what was possibly one of the largest gatherings at the Bud Light Stage for the entire festival thus far.
Not to be devoid of some novelty, DJ Diesel, better known to many as basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, took over the Perry’s Stage with a powerful dubstep set. The Big Aristotle drew a drove of fans to packing the stage, dropping beats with intense bass and urging the crowd to form mosh pits, to which Chicago very much obliged.
As the sun began its descent, the party was far from over. The T-Mobile stage was alive with the beats of producer and DJ Fred Again…, whose massive set had the crowd dancing non-stop across the biggest field in Grant Park, with the beats echoing as the sun began to set.
The T-Mobile stage would be home to a hip hop heavyweight, though, in Kendrick Lamar, who closed out night two. While his set started nearly 15 minutes late, he made sure it was unforgettable for a crowd that was pushed in shoulder to shoulder. With little extravagance, the set began with Kendrick by himself, draped in head to toe blue in front of a giant California banner. All he needed was one mic, and he delivered a captivating set with little movement to kick things off. Eventually, that banner would give way to a crew of robotic-moving dancers, each spastically walking about the stage and more often than not falling back into a synchronized dance. With a mix of studio backing tracks and a live band sound, Lamar proved that he was the whole show, going for the better part of an hour of straight rap with no filler. Kendrick is often in the GOAT conversation, and Friday night was another proving ground that he stood tall on.
We’re halfway through Lollapalooza, and there’s so much more on the way for the weekend. Be sure to check back in here for more recaps, and don’t forget to subscribe to our Patreon for exclusive content from Grant Park!
