Words / Bri Ng Schwartz
Photos / Lauren Nakao Winn
Lollapalooza 2026, known as Ponchopalooza for those of us on the ground, was a turbulent, rainy weekend with glimpses of sunshine through the artists that graced each stage. The ability of festival-goers to brave the drizzles, downpours, and muddy grounds to catch sets from their favorite artists is a testament to music fandom as a whole, and the reputation that Lollapalooza has built as a can’t-miss weekend. Led by an array of genres featuring our favorite pop girls, K-Pop superstars, and moody male vocalists, the stacked lineup left little room for downtime as thousands of guests walked Chicago’s Grant Park top to bottom each day to visit all eight stages the festival had to offer. A handful of artists on the rise, many of whom we had the pleasure of speaking with, had the opportunity to play two sets on their Lollapalooza dates, both at a main stage and at the intimate Toyota Den.
The opening day of the festival was the only one with clear sunny skies. Our favorite quirky pop powerhouses Audrey Hobert and CMAT pulled crowds and brought the energy up with their catchy verses and magnetic artistry. Moody pop icon Sombr and our longtime favorite pop-punk darlings 5 Seconds of Summer performed their own respective sets and joined forces during Sombr’s set for their hit single “She Looks So Perfect.” Closing out the night was Lorde, who continued her run of festival performances on the T-Mobile Stage featuring Friday’s headliner Charli XCX for their iconic “Girl, So Confusing.” remix.
Thursday also featured two sets from Evening Elephants at both the BMI stage and the Toyota Den. The alt-rock and hip hop fused group is led by vocalist Sam Boggs drummer and producer Brandon “B” Leslie. Sam and B were joined by their touring members, Chris Leslie on guitar and Dante Thurkill for their set, and the four-piece band has proved to create a rounded-out live show for the original duo. Their debut album, Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet, was released that day, creating an extra celebratory set of performances from the group.
Congrats on your debut album, which comes out today! Can you talk about what it was like to put that together? How long has it been in progress?
Brandon: There have been three songs or so that have been in the works for two years, but last January we took about three or four months and made the album.
Do you have any standout moments from your two sets?
Dante: My dad came, and he got to watch me. He’d never seen me play a show, or even play bass.
Brandon: Some girl flashed me. It was so alarming.
Sam: Both felt so different. The crowds were really cool. The first one at the Toyota Den felt so packed, and it was like we were really close to each other and the energy was really sweet. The second one was equally cool. The sound was bigger, and my friends were further away from me. BMI was gorgeous with the trees and long walkway.
You have a real grassroots background, but these days you’re balancing a mix. I’ve seen venues like Cat’s Cradle on your tour list, but also you’re at Lollapalooza today, which is one of the most household-name festivals. Do you change your approach when it comes to performing at different venues?
Dante: We try to bring the same kind of show no matter how big or small the venue. We really do like the smaller venues. We obviously want to play household names, but it’s kind of cut and dry. Loud guitars, getting the crowd involved. We just do that everywhere.
Friday’s light drizzle kept all on our toes, to say the least. Cult fanbase of electro-pop’s current darling Slayyyter cranked it while our favorite lover girl Claire Rosincranz had the crowd bopping and swaying to old and new favorites. Korea’s own i-dle brought fans from across the globe to witness their booming vocals and synchronized steps. Fan favorites like YUNGBLUD and Zara Larsson pulled some of the larger crowds of the weekend, despite not having headliner status, and fans divided and conquered at the end of the night between Charli XCX and Smashing Pumpkins. Her Lollapalooza set marked Charli XCX’s first time performing songs from her latest album Music, Fashion, Film live, marking the start of an era defined by rock influences and more of the raw lyricism explored in Brat. A brief 5-minute downpour during the set almost felt planned by the 365 Party Girl herself, creating a euphoric dance party and kicking off the muddy rest of the weekend.
Photo by Henry Redcliffe
Along with longer chats with our girls in i-dle and Claire (coming soon!), sultry, smooth soft boy Love Spells joined us following his two sets at both the Airbnb stage and the Toyota Music Den. His debut album, Love Is The Law, was the focus of his Lollapalooza weekend, and he joined the festival mid-tour.
You had two Lollapalooza performances. How did they go?
It was a pretty packed day. I got here, prepared for my performance all morning. It felt pretty quick as I got into it. I got on stage and sat there for a second, rehearsing everything in my head, but then I didn’t even do everything I rehearsed.
Love Is The Law is out now! What has been your favorite part of this rollout?
My favorite part of the rollout has been shooting the music videos. “Don’t Touch,” for example. We shot that video a week or two before release. We had to get that done pretty fast. Shooting is the most fun part because then it’s getting the vision down, and then hanging out all day.
You’ve noted Prince as one of your inspirations for the album. How does his spirit show up in your work?
More so in vocal tone. I’m at a point where I want to draw inspiration from people who sing similarly to me. Especially for “Keep It to Yourself,” he was definitely an inspiration when I was thinking about how it should be sung. For this whole album really, using that tone in my voice more.
You have a whole tour ahead of you. What will you take away from this weekend? What did you learn from these performances?
Just how much fun it is. I don’t like to put too much emphasis on a performance. Even on stage, I was just being crazy. All we had to do was make sure that the music was tight and the rest was just to have fun. I’m not somebody who likes to be particularly anal about all the little things.
Saturday had attendees on their toes as a downpour from the night before flooded the grounds and delayed the start time of the day. Having received photos from a friend working the festival from nine o’clock that morning, the amount of water between the T-Mobile and Allianz stage was sure to mark the death of the weekend. However, gates opened at three, and the crowd poured in wearing boots and ponchos. K-pop fans once again proved their undying loyalty by showing up for Cortis’s only slightly delayed performance. The Neighbourhood performed a show-stopping set, even with half of their instruments missing, and Ethel Cain’s haunting soundscape proved to be the perfect backdrop for the misty evening, silencing the rowdy crowd with her jarring lyricism and booming instrumentals. Jennie’s packed set presented fresh mixes of hit songs like “Mantra” and “Solo.” She also performed a few unreleased tracks, building excitement and anticipation for new music from old and new fans alike.
We wiped off our mud-slicked boots and made our way to Goose Island’s Salt Shed for Leon Bridges’ aftershow at the Three Top Lounge. The intimate performance was one to remember, with an audience of a little over 100 on the covered rooftop with the twinkling Chicago skyline as the backdrop. Bridges performed fan favorites along with songs from his awaited upcoming release, Happiness Anytime. Already released songs from the album, including “Your Love Is Electric” and “Illusion,” captivated fans, an easy task for the beloved crooner who has been capturing the hearts and ears of fans since his 2015 debut. This late-night rendezvous under the lounge’s twinkling disco ball proved to be a standout, magical moment of our weekend, and we can’t wait to hear Happiness Anytime in full amidst its September release.
Photo by Bri Ng Schwartz
The sun slowly began to peek out from behind the clouds for the final day of the festival, which began on time and with excitement from all to be back on track. Pop girls of the moment Adéla and LADYGUNN cover star JADE brought out the early crowd for high-energy sets, along with standout sets from Destin Conrad and Amber Mark. Almost like fate, our interview with MUNA marked the start of the sunshine-filled afternoon, with their sweltering set hot in more ways than one. Sunday featured another buzzing K-pop set from AESPA, with Tate McCrae closing out the weekend literally slicked in gold.
Sunday also featured a two-fold set with the soulful SNACKTIME, who were coming off of a two-weekend festival run following their stint at Newport Folk Festival, where they joined several sets including the infamous Ms. Lauryn Hill. Nico Bryant on vocals is joined by the six-piece band made up of Sam Gellerstein on bass guitar and sousaphone, Austin Marlow on drums, Larry Monroe Jr. on guitar, Eric Sherman on trumpet and guitar, Michael Spearman on trombone and keyboard, and Ben Stocker on tenor saxophone. The more intimate crowds at Newport were a primer for the masses at Lollapalooza, where their infectious energy and camaraderie radiated on audiences at both the BMI Stage and Toyota Den, as well as us during our time with them.
I had the chance to catch you all last weekend at Newport Folk Festival, where you lived out every musician’s dream: to perform with Ms. Lauryn Hill. What can you share about that bucket list level experience?
Michael: It was wild, chaotic, amazing, and we loved every single second of it. It was cool because we actually know a lot of the dudes in the band, so it was like a family reunion in a way.
Ben: I’ll also say we used to cover “Doo Wop” a lot, and then to play that song with her was pretty crazy.
How do you feel like last weekend prepared you for this one?
Sam: We got nominated by the fans for the Jim James Award for people who were around most at Newport Folk, and we definitely were. It got us ready by being very active and busy all day every day. This festival has a lot more to chew. It’s a lot bigger in terms of the footprint, but we’re feeling energized; we’re feeling excited.
How would you say big festivals like Newport and Lollapalooza help rising artists in their development?
Nico: I’ve had so many people come up to me and multiple people in the band and say, “I had no idea who you guys were before this, but now we love you.” So festivals are just a great platform to help give artists that extra boost that they will need in a career.
Michael: Another great thing about festivals is the community aspect of it. You’ve got the artist areas, and you just meet all these new people. Who knows if you’ll see them again, but sometimes you might end up touring with them. Who knows? But it’s always just great meeting new artists, checking out their music, and creating more community.
I always say that the press area of a music festival feels like summer camp. Between the artists you meet, other journalists and photographers, and seeing the excitement of festival-goers on the ground, the communal energy Michael references is unlike anywhere else. The hallmark of a well-rounded festival experience is the opportunity to discover artists on the rise while witnessing career-defining moments from today’s hottest artists and beloved headliners who are otherwise selling out arenas and stadiums. Our time at the festival encompassed all of this, and so much more. Despite the weather-related setbacks, the weekend ended on a high note. Festival-goers made the most out of the rainy days, being well prepared with ponchos and boots. Some even participated in a mud wrestling competition! Year after year, Lollapalooza continues to be the gold standard for music festivals, and we can’t wait for another, hopefully drier, year in 2027.
