Howdy! Welcome to our coverage of Lollapalooza 2022. Each day, we’ve been bringing you a recap of the sets we were able to catch the previous day of the festival. Today - a few days late, admittedly - we’re sharing our coverage of the fourth day, Sunday, July 31st. Head to the end of this to check out Emma's photos from the day!
Our fourth and final day at Lollapalooza was a short one for the two of us. We were exhausted - we did the math, and between our four days in Chicago, we walked a total of thirty-two miles. Thirty-two! We both work from home! That’s insane!
We got to Grant Park early-ish (around 2 pm) to try and get a good spot for DJO’s set at 3, but with J-Hope’s headlining set that night at the same stage, it was hopeless. Fans had lined up for hours before doors that morning, and many of them had gone without food and water to avoid using the bathroom. It was worrying to see how many people were already passing out so early in the day, but the crowd rallied to get medical attention to fans who needed it, and security was making sure everyone got water.
DJO was a religious experience. As fans of Post Animal pre-Joe’s departure, and proud pre-savers of his 2019 debut record Twenty Twenty, we have both been waiting a very long time to see him live, and his Lollapalooza debut was the best case scenario for it. We stayed in the crowd for one song, then wove our way to the back through arguably hundreds of bodies to stand by the bar so we could actually enjoy his set. He played a decent set, including fan favorites like “Mortal Projections,” “Flash Mountain,” and “BNBG,” alongside new song “Gloom” and more popular tunes like “Keep Your Head Up” and “Roddy.” No “Change,” though, and I’m bitter about it. I’m hoping he announces a headlining tour soon, though, because he needs to take DJO on the road.
Like I mentioned, we were unbelievably tired after four days in Chicago and three at a music festival, so we only managed, after DJO, to sit on the ground opposite the T-Mobile Stage and catch a couple more sets, including Måneskin and Beach Bunny.
Måneskin were an unexpected favorite for me of the weekend. I had heard a few songs of theirs, heard stories about their live performances, but witnessing them firsthand was something else entirely. At one point during their performance, frontman Damiano called attention to a fan in the front row who was crying and knew every word. At another, someone had passed out, so he stopped the band in the middle of “I Wanna Be Your Slave” in order to get them medical attention. They’re very talented musicians, and they obviously care about their fans very much. They’ll be on tour in the states in the fall - would highly recommend catching them!
Beach Bunny, a Chicago native, put on an incredible performance. It was nice to lay in the grass, listen to her, and watch the crowd have a fantastic time.
We ended up leaving the festival early to catch TV Priest and Liily at the Beat Kitchen, and our coverage of that will be live soon, so keep your eyes peeled!
Lollapalooza 2022 was an absolutely incredible experience for the both of us. It was Emma’s first music festival, and my first on home soil, and it was four days of live music and pure joy. I loved seeing some old favorites and finding new ones. We saw Metallica, for Christ's sake! We're already making plans to go back either next year or the year after, so here's hoping that the lineup is good.
