In the heart of downtown Chicago, a music festival called Lollapalooza takes place every August. Some of the biggest names in music gather to perform at the four-day festival, which starts at noon and ends at 10 p.m.
The nearly twelve-hour days in the hot summer sun and high humidity make for a sweaty, uncomfortable experience, but is the misery worth the price of seeing your favorite artists?
Day One
Starting the day a bit later than other festival-goers, I took the train down to Grant Park at around 3 p.m. Luckily, I was prepared to beat the heat with my cross-body bag packed to the brim with essentials such as sunscreen, wet wipes, liquid I.V., and Advil. The first artist on my list was Chappell Roan, who entered the stage at 5 p.m. By the time I arrived at the festival, the crowd to see Chappell Roan was already full.
In the crowd to see Chappell Roan, the sun began to take a toll on me immediately. My makeup went from glowy to sweaty in a matter of seconds. By the time the performance was done, I rushed to buy water from one of the drink stands and I dumped my liquid I.V. packet into the can, reviving me just in time to see Kesha.
However, the crowd at Kesha was much more compact than I expected it to be. Throughout the show, my personal space was invaded by a girl who thought she had enough room to entertain us with her own dance routine. Unfortunately, the pushing and shoving did not end with Kesha’s set. The dancing girl was merely foreshadowing for the hours of claustrophobia ahead. Thankfully Kesha was so entertaining that she distracted me from the unruly crowd.
The day ended with Hozier, whose set was cut short (on my own accord) due to the thunder, lightning, and rain. Very on brand for a Hozier concert, but not exactly the most ideal weather conditions. As I walked back to my friend’s place in the pouring rain, I felt a painstaking ache in my feet. Three more days to go…
Day Two
Yet again, I took the late afternoon train to the park to see Laufey go on at 6:45 p.m. I made sure to get to the park with just enough time to spare to find shade in the cocktail garden and enjoy a cold beverage before becoming a victim of the sun’s hot rays.
After watching Laufey’s beautiful performance, I headed to the food trucks to grab a bite before returning to the same stage to see Stray Kids just 45 minutes later. Unsurprisingly, the food was overpriced and came in small portions. But if I overlooked how expensive the food was, it actually tasted pretty good. The festival really had something for everyone- vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian. There was also a diverse array of restaurants so I was able to indulge in a different cuisine every night.
Once I was done watching Stray Kids, I headed to the opposite side of the park to see SZA. I was able to find a space in the back of the audience, away from the too-close-for-comfort crowd. The vocals and visuals made the performance an enjoyable experience, but I did choose to leave 10 minutes before SZA’s set was over so I could beat the mass exodus to the train.
Day Three
Almost at the finish line. This was my longest day at the festival but I was more than prepared. This time, I brought a refillable water bottle with me and I made sure to plan out breaks to eat dinner and get dessert. Dessert was crucial to the survival of this day.
The day started out with IVE, who I got to see up close. Even though the audience was packed, everyone did a good job of staying in their own space. It was by far the best crowd to stand in. Afterwards, I made my way over to see Tate McRae where the audience experience was completely a different story.
I found my spot relatively close to the stage about an hour before Tate McRae went on. In that one hour, I was shoved relentlessly into the people in front of me and groups upon groups decided it was okay to push their way to the front of the crowd. I knew that Metro Boomin and Future were scheduled to perform 30 minutes after Tate McRae, so I made the intelligent choice to leave her set before I was trampled to death. At least I was able to see her perform some of my favorite songs.
Since I wasn’t a big fan of either of the headliners that evening (Metro Boomin x Future and the Killers), I decided to watch them both from a far distance. However, Metro Boomin x Future came on the stage 30 minutes late and did not perform for a long time after that, so I only saw one of their songs. The Killers were definitely the headliner to see that night.
Day Four
The final stretch. I decided ahead of time that this day would be cut short since the heat of the past few days and the aching of my limbs became far too much for my exhausted body. But I managed to have enough energy to watch Pierce the Veil up close. This was definitely the friendliest crowd of all four days.
After Pierce the Veil was done, I bought churro ice cream at a vendor called Desert Island(it was delicious). Once the crowds for the headliners made their way to one of the two stages, I knew it was time to leave the food stands behind. I stopped by to watch the beginning of Blink-182’s set and the middle of the Zeds Dead performance.
As I departed the festival for the last time, it was bittersweet. Even though the past four days had exhausted my body, I was going to miss the excitement of seeing my favorite artists perform live. Considering I paid nearly 500 dollars (including taxes), I would say that my money was very well spent.
If you are debating whether or not to attend Lollapalooza next year, I say you should do it. The location is stunning and the amount of artists that perform will more than make up for the money spent on the festival. It was definitely an experience that I will continue to rave about for years to come.