TVD Live: Lollapalooza, Day 2 at Grant Park, 8/3

12:52 PM | Heavy traffic. Yesterday the commute was considerably faster. It makes sense—the first day of a festival usually draws the smallest crowd. Or, at the very least, a late crowd. Today? Not so much. The crowds are flooding into Grant Park for Lollapalooza.

1:32 PM | Security is heavy this year, mostly thanks to that piece of s**t who massacred 58 innocent humans and injured hundreds of others on October 1st last year in Las Vegas. Huge thanks to all of the officers and agents (yes, the FBI was present on the grounds all weekend), EMTs, and grounds crew who did their very best to keep downtown Chicago safe all weekend long.

2:37 PM | Taylor Bennett has gathered a huge crowd at Perry’s Stage. The young Chicagoan is making waves and not just because he’s Chance the Rapper’s baby bro. Taylor just released his latest EP, “Be Yourself”—his best venture to date. The crowd loves his positive spirit. He came out as bisexual before his 21st birthday and reminds the crowd of it. “Be Yourself” is more than just his EP name—it’s his anthem. Special guests Supa Bwe, Bianca Shaw, and Twista helped spread the word.

3:12 PM | Walking past the Toyota Music Den I pause to watch LA’s Buddy perform. The crowd is there to dance, and dance they do.

3:19 PM | “I’ve longed for that day when I’d be playing for confused, slightly disgruntled Post Malone fans, and that day has finally come.” said Parquet Court’s A. Savage. It’s a belly laugh moment. I get it, dudes. But there’s still a decent-sized crowd here for you and we’re loving every second.

3:51 PM | Technical issues push Lizzo’s set late and the chants for her arrival begin.

4:06 PM | She’s arrived. “I don’t need a crown to know that I’m a queen,” she sings. She’s putting on. The choreographed routines with her backup dancers are icing on the Riot Grrrl cake.

4:21 PM | It’s hot and the crowd on the south end is massive and growing in anticipation of Tyler, the Creator’s set.

4:48 PM | Tyler is a natural. He’s a star; a lone force on the largest stage at the fest, absolutely dominating it.

6:47 PM | Whoa! Greta Van Fleet has been described to me as “real life Led Zeppelin Muppet Babies,” but I honestly didn’t expect it to be true! Say what you will about these youngsters (3/4 of whom are brothers), these kids can really play. And man are their fans exuberant.

7:49 PM | “You are now watching the greatest boy band in the world!” I’m sold! Brockhampton, you are the real deal!

7:51 PM | Post Malone’s set at the Bud Light Stage on the north end of the grounds concluded a few minutes ago. Thousands are heading south for Bruno Mars’ set. It’s a stream of bodies and the current is strong. A Platinum Pass golf cart is attempting to cross the channel. “Um…” the driver begins, “this might be just a bit,” he admits to his passengers with a nervous laugh.

8:14 PM | I’ve navigated the Bruno crowd and am now safely sitting on the north end, wondering why the heck Oshi is playing right before The National. It’s a pretty sloppy DJ set before a really meticulous band.

8:47 PM | “Did you guys get enough photos with my jacket off?” Matt Berninger asks us photographers as we’re exiting the photo pit. It’s so thoughtful that he even thought to acknowledge us, I’m momentarily shocked, but recover in time to give him a big smile and two thumbs up.

8:55 PM | I’m really enjoying every moment of this set but I’m lost in a conspiracy theory thought that just occurred to me: is The National’s drummer (Bryan Devendorf) really Luke Wilson in disguise? I can never get a good enough photo to determine.

8:57 PM | “This is for Mark Zuckerburg!” Berninger proclaims. “I don’t know why. Fuck it,“ he admits before the band dives into “Afraid of Everyone.” Despite it being, you know, Lollapalooza, there is an intimacy and vulnerability to this headlining set. And, as you can see, humor.

9:41 PM | Two nights of The National and I’m trying to decide which set I preferred. Both. It’s a band worth of back-to-back shows.

TAYLOR BENNETT