Two Of The Most Hyped Sets In Lollapalooza History Took Place Opening Day

Aug 03, 2024 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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By Christopher David

The twentieth anniversary of Lollapalooza’s return to Chicago kicked off with a raucous bang on Thursday with a slew of killer undercard entries and two of the most hyped sets in Lolla’s recent history. 

Chicago-based quintet Worry Club led the charge from the Bacardi stage, and from the sound of it, we could easily expect to see them here again.  Bringing a ton of energy and a sound that fell somewhere between ’90s alt-rock and early emo—think a more thrashy sounding Sunny Day Real Estate—and vocalist/guitarist Chase Walsh had rapport with the sizable crowd and charisma for miles. 

Singer-songwriter Abby Holliday, fresh off the release of her new album Crack a Smile Come On Stay A While, was another early set that proved to be well worth the time.  Holliday’s vibe is breezy and contemplative while still relying heavily on melody and hooks, and at times, her live sound was reminiscent of the Sarah Jarosz school of contemporary alt-folk while still incorporating some of the dreamy, electronic elements of bedroom pop more prevalent on her studio work, giving her a fresh sound that stands out considerably. 

Been Stellar, a California rock outfit evoking the languid but hooky style of the Strokes in their more current era, brought some hefty guitar and solid rock arrangements to the IHG stage, while Fleshwater brought grungy, bombastic riffs that were equal parts nu-metal and shoegaze.  Blondshell’s punchy choruses, courtesy of vocalist Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum, combined Riot-Grrl ethos with tightly wound, no-frills rock tunes.  Grant Park was not without the rock for the first part of the day, folks.

But.

There were two words on the lips of nearly every single festival-goer from the moment the gates were opened. 

Chappell.  Roan.

Briefly preceded onstage by weightlifters (no, seriously, actual weightlifters and bodybuilders who were doing their thing in 80-degree heat), Roan strutted onstage to the deafening roar of a monster crowd in what can only be described as a skin-tight wrestling outfit, and she owned the entire damn festival from the get.

It’s hard to put into words how significant Chappell Roan’s set felt in the context of such grandiosity.  I will tell you, as someone who has attended Lolla since Day One (yes, it’s true), I’ve never seen a crowd this charged for one artist, so completely aligned in their purpose.  From opener “Femininomenon,” to the gut-wrenching “Subway,” to stadium-sized singalong “Hot to Go,” to closer “Pink Pony Club,” Roan had the crowd in the palm of her hand so cooly and effortlessly that it was almost hard to keep in focus that this was simply a person onstage.

The music world throws Bowie comparisons around too freely and frequently.  99% of the time, they’re unwarranted.  Readers, aside from my wife, my friends, and a handful of family members, I care more about David Bowie than anyone else living or dead on planet Earth, and those comments, those flippant comparisons, usually make me cringe.  So I’m going to say something bold here.

For a mere hour, Chappell Roan channeled the Ziggy Stardust era of Bowie’s career more effectively than anyone since, and in entirely her own style—make no mistake, this isn’t an apples-to-apples, lazy comparison.  The ambiguous sexuality, the costumes, the makeup, the band, even the Bowie-to-Ronson crawl she did at the end of the set to powerhouse guitarist Devon Eisenbarger—everything about Roan’s persona screams sexual and personal freedom in the same way that Bowie knocked down the doors for the alt kids and ‘fringe’ culture of the early 1970s (which, thankfully, isn’t so ‘fringe’ anymore), and it couldn’t be more timely—it also couldn’t be more hers.  It’s hard to put into words, but anyone who saw this knows that she, somehow, is just different.  Her songs are great, her stage presence is great, her band is great, and everything about the whole thing just felt like a flashpoint musical moment given where we are in 2024.  I could try to think of something poetic and clever to say here, but I’ll just be honest: it was fucking magic to watch, from start to finish.  And it was, hands down, the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen for a single artist in all my years of covering and attending Lolla. 

Good luck, everyone.  The best act of the weekend landed at 5pm on the first day.  It’s an uphill climb from here.

Or should I say…good luck, babe?

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• 2024, Chappell Roan, Chicago, concert review, Festival, Grant Park, Lollapalooza

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