What Was the Best Lollapalooza Set This Year? We Ranked the Top 5
Lolla just proved that summer was made for music festivals.
I know what you’re thinking: After a whirlwind trip to the Indio desert for my first Coachella experience and a seemingly non-stop weekend at NYC’s local Governors Ball Music Festival, I’d be crazy to attend another 3-to-4-day live music event, let alone travel across the country for it. Well, dear reader, I did just that, because backstage is my happy place, and I’ve always wanted to experience Lollapalooza, which has taken place in Chicago’s Grant Park since 2005.
This officially marked my first time at the beloved fest, which has bred iconic moments from Lady Gaga’s “Summerboy” performance in the early aughts of her career to Tomorrow X Together’s record-breaking set as the first K-pop group to headline the fest in 2023. Of course, this year’s lineup was also stacked with star power that was sure to bring more. A ton of Cosmopolitan faves made the bill, too, from KATSEYE, Clairo, and Olivia Rodrigo to Doechii, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter.
I ran to and from Chitown’s festival grounds to catch a few sets that made for an incredibly memorable experience at Lolla. While the fest goes on for four days, I was only there for two full ones and, unfortunately, missed some acts I’d been dying to see. But that didn’t stop me from ranking my favorites as a first-time attendee. To keep it fair, I’m including my top sets minus headliners, since it’s not fair to compare them to that production value. Here are the 5 best Lollapalooza sets, ranked from a VIP’s POV.
Djo
Djo—AKA Joe Keery, who you might know from a little show called Stranger Things—returned to his Chicago roots at Lollapalooza. It felt like a hometown hero moment of sorts. While he isn’t from Chicago, it’s a special place for the actor and musician, who attended DePaul University before making the move to pursue bigger projects in L.A.
Early on in his set, he paid homage to the city by unveiling a replica of the bean, and I can confirm the vibes were high from them on out. Complete with a video cameo from Charlie Heaton during “Charlie’s Garden” to The Crux’s fan-favorite, “Potion,” Djo showcased that he’s more than worthy of a Best New Artist Grammy nom. I’m not sure if he’s even campaigning for one, but after his Lolla set, I see it happening for him.
Being one with the crowd as we sang “When I’m back in Chicago, I feel it” during “End of Beginning” will be hard to top.
MARINA
Though I caught MARINA at Coachella, I made it a point to catch her Lollapalooza set since her sixth album, PRINCESS OF POWER, dropped in June. Coincidentally, the Tumblr era-defining artist was the first performance I saw at both festivals.
As someone who’s been tuning in to MARINA for the greater chunk of my life, I’ve always felt pure magic during her shows. Maybe it was because I was watching from the side of the stage this time, or because this was her first time returning to Chitown since her Neon Nature tour in 2015, but this time felt electric on another level. From early career hits like “I Am Not a Robot” and “Primadonna” to new PRINCESS OF POWER tracks, MARINA confidently strutted across the T-Mobile stage in a fitted pink corset and silver sequined hot shorts.
She even made the live debut of “Everybody Knows I’m Sad,” which the crowd embraced with open arms. Hopefully, MARINA feels far from sadness after her set, as I witnessed an artist who fully owns her pop prowess.
Remi Wolf
I’ll say it: Remi Wolf deserved a bigger stage. Either way, she made the Bud Light stage her psychedelic playground, decked out in camo and polka dot tights as she frolicked and belted out hits like “Cinderella” and jumped on the drum kit for “Kangaroo.” No one is touching Remi’s vocal ability, either—she hits high notes with ease and sells any emotion with grit and power.
She ripped a page out of Freddie Mercury’s book as she encouraged the crowd to partake in a vocal warmup à la World Aid 1985, and surprised us with covers of Steely Dan’s “Peg” and Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway.” In between sex positive speeches about self-confidence and tour life, Remi jokingly introduced her next funkadelic number by saying, “This song is about a man.” As the crowd erupted in boos (dare I say, understandably so), she kept playing her bit, adding, “It’s ‘Disco Man,’ what the fuck?”
There wasn’t a moment that my eyes moved away from Remi, whether she was on the catwalk with her band members or cracking jokes with the crowd. I’ve always believed she deserves her flowers, and I feel like she’s on the edge of a glorious mainstream moment—especially after her third run at Lolla after performing in 2022 and 2023.
KATSEYE
Lollapalooza marked my first time seeing a full set from KATSEYE, a few months after I caught a short performance during an Urban Outfitters event back in NYC. The girlies started out strong with their Beautiful Chaos track, “Gameboy,” as they hit all their marks and served ultimate choreo. And, yes, their mics were very much on. This was a constant throughout their entire set, as their charisma carried through their stage presence effortlessly.
Ofc, the girls also made their live debut of “Gabriela,” complete with a never-before-seen dance break, and got visibly emotional looking out into the crowd between songs. I watched them take on the fest from T-Mobile’s Club Magenta, which gave me an insane view of the crowd. KATSEYE reportedly drew in 85,000 attendees between 2 and 4 p.m., making it the largest early daytime audience at the fest.
That being said, witnessing a sea of people sing songs like “Debut” and bust out moves during “Gnarly” was a cinematic experience.
Doechii
Doechii the don, Doechii the dean, Doechii Supreme, Swamp Ruler—whatever you call her, the Grammy winner is truly a master of her craft. Class was in session with the Tampa-born artist as she walked the massive crowd through Doechii’s School of Hip Hop with five lessons in flow, wordplay, storytelling, and more. Her drive, talent, and passion spoke volumes, as the crowd was filled with fans of all ages and backgrounds.
Doechii flawlessly spit bars from ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL tracks like “STANKA POOH” and “BOILED PEANUTS” to her fan-favorite remix of Beyoncé’s “America Has a Problem,” perched atop a massive boombox with slides and desks. Of course, she was also joined by her longtime friend, collaborator, and hype woman, DJ Miss Milan, whose energy is just as much part of the show as the Swamp Princess herself.
A highlight was definitely when she revealed her surprise guest, JT, through a cheeky reference to her Met Gala umbrella meltdown. The Florida girls shut down Lollapalooza with a high-energy performance of their track, “Alter Ego,” making it the Cosmo cover girl linkup of the century. She then made a massive power move when fading from her early career sleeper hit, “Spookie Coochie,” into her post-Grammys drop, “Nosebleeds.”
Through top-of-the-line visuals, four custom Dsquared looks, undeniable charisma, and classic theatricality, this was easily the best set I caught all weekend. Putting on this high-quality of a performance is no easy feat, and the multifaceted artist made it look like a walk through Grant Park. Doechii’s School of Hip Hop was a masterclass in artistry, and any performer—past, future, and present—should be taking notes at her upcoming tour.
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