TVD Live: Lollapalooza at Grant Park, 8/5

1:03PM: The early Saturday story? Rain. It’s been a few years since we’ve seen anything but sunshine at Lolla, so we’re due. Fortunately the rain isn’t accompanied by thunder or lightning, so no evacuations are necessary. Waterproof gear temporarily covers Saturday’s fits. “Do my shoes go with this poncho?” I overhear someone asking.

2:09PM: The Linda Lindas rule. A couple Lindas are rocking braces. This tracks, as the oldest member is a mere 18 years old. Still, the quartet seem seasoned for their age. They are punk, after all.

3:05PM: Charlotte, NC’s Mavi is on the rise, especially since his 2022 critically acclaimed album, Laughing So Hard, It Hurts. He is all smiles at the Bacardi stage and so are his fans.

4:22PM: Model, actress, photographer, musician?! Suki Waterhouse can do it all. She commands the stage, all of her abilities combining to give a polished performance.

5:05PM: Sylvan Esso has a new fan base and it’s K Poppers. The minute the first beat drops, the crowd, who’ve already been waiting for headliners Tomorrow x Together in the rain for hours, release a big, satisfied cheer and commence dancing.

5:42PM: I’m back on the south end in time to see The Revivalists cover Radiohead’s “High and Dry.” “This is that Tom Green song,” I hear a teen say to another. Wrong Thom, kiddo.

7:05PM: One of my most anticipated sets of the weekend, J.I.D., turned into one of the best sets of the weekend. The Atlanta rapper is hugely talented and dropped one of the best albums of 2022 (The Forever Story). His set reinforced his lyrical skills and was capped off with a double rainbow. Maybe that was a gift from Mac Miller, who J.I.D. represented on his shirt.

8:00PM: The double rainbows are still showing off and the Yung Gravy crowd is going nuts. He saunters onto the stage in his cowboy outfit and the fan shrieking nearly blows my eardrums.

9:06PM: Perry’s Stage has been transformed into Yayopalloza. Pusha T is back in Chicago, his “home away from home,” and his setlist is filled with trips down memory lane.

10:04PM: I love it when festival headliners really seize the moment and give the crowd something special to witness. Odesza has done just that, with a set packed with cool lighting effects, lasers, pyrotechnics, a drum corps, and multiple special guests. Sudan Archives, Naomi Wild, and Izzy Bizu each joined the electronic duo of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight for a song. It was a fun end to a long day of good music.

THE LINDA LINDAS