Lollapalooza opened in Grant Park on Thursday with lines stretching back from the main entrance on Michigan Avenue and one name seemingly on everyone’s lips: Chappell Roan.
Under gray skies and an occasional drizzle, pink cowboy hats were everywhere, an ode to the rising music star who’s playing the main T-Mobile stage at 5 p.m.
Official headliners for Day 1 are Megan Thee Stallion and Hozier, who close out the night on the T-Mobile and Bud Light stages, respectively. Chicago’s biggest annual music festival continues on the lakefront through Sunday, with SZA, The Killers and Future x Metro Boomin still to come.
But at the start of the first day, the buzz was all Roan.
“Everyone in the cowboy hats? They’re here for Chappell,” said Kevin Alaniz of San Antonio. He bought his tickets in February just to see her, he said. “She’s going to have one of the biggest crowds today for sure.”
The Missouri-born, self-declared Midwest Princess has been recording music since 2017, but Roan’s popularity has exploded in the past months. She opened for the first American leg of Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour earlier this year, and after the release of her single “Good Luck, Babe!” in April, monthly listeners on Spotify went from 1 million to over 30 million. The festival swapped her set in July from the Bud Light stage to the larger T-Mobile.
An outspoken and flamboyant presence onstage, Roan has also been unapologetically political, voicing opinions on issues from trans rights to the Israel-Hamas war.
“You could see her in a hot dog outfit. Anything could happen,” said fest-goer Alex Rueda, 21, from Round Lake Beach, about Roan’s set later that day. Rueda also admires Roan’s political activism. “It’s nice to see a celebrity we love so opening talking about things like Gaza.”
Her song “Femininomenon” has become an anthem of sorts for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and it’s been mixed on social media with video edits of Harris urging voters to support a “feminine phenomenon.”
At the very front of the line before the festival opened, Hannah Luther and Peyton Reed leaned against the security barricades. The 15-year-olds said they met while camping out for Billie Eilish’s headline set last year. This year, the Boulder and Louisville natives drove across the country with their fathers, both sporting matching “Pink Pony Security” T-shirts, to attend the festival together.
It remains to be seen, though, whether Roan will publicly support Harris’ campaign. In June, Roan declined to perform at a White House Pride celebration, citing President Joe Biden’s approach to the Mideast conflict. During a performance at Governors Ball in New York, she said “We want liberty, justice and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”
Roan’s team could not immediately be reached for comment.
After Lollapalooza opened at 11 a.m., some fans ran directly to the T-Mobile stage on the south end of Grant Park to secure a spot for the day. Outside the stage, a few doubled over to rest their hands on their knees and catch their breath.
“Yeah, baby!” a man whooped at his friends in triumph.
Adia Jefferson and Zoe Tomlinson, both 23 and from Yonkers, New York, said they bought their one-day Lollapalooza passes to see original Thursday headliner Tyler, the Creator. The rapper dropped from the lineup in June, replaced by Megan Thee Stallion, but that was a fitting replacement in their eyes.
“I’m also excited to hear new artists, I love music, I’m a music connoisseur,” Jefferson said. “A lot of the people performing I don’t know. Maybe (they) will put me on to new artists to put on my Spotify playlists.”
As the festival stretched into midday, first-time attendee Ian Mulhern, 27, awaited a friend in Plant Base, a new area for restaurants serving vegan food. “I feel like it’s great they have the dedicated plant-based section,” the vegetarian said. “I feel like it’s easy to decide what you want and everything’s centralized in one spot.”
Over in Vibe Village, the festival’s other new dining and experience section, Taiyaki Chicago owner Michael Mallorca was serving vegan ice cream in fish-shaped waffle cones. It’s the Lincoln Park ice cream and boba tea shop’s first time at the festival.
Though the shop is vegan, it’s located in Vibe Village because their sweet treats are especially photo-worthy.
“It’s crispy on the outside but cakey and mochi-like on the inside,” Mallorca said of their waffle cones. “It comes from Japan, and we put the soft serve inside and add your choice of toppings.”
The hot and humid weather meant hydration stations were among the longest lines in the park. Some fans wore hydration packs, saying they were easier to manage because they’re held on the back and can hold more water than water bottles, meaning fewer refills are needed throughout the day.
The heat and humidity at times were oppressive. Some fest-goers were seen getting medical attention after apparently passing out near some stages.
The sun was beating down strong when Elyanna, a lesser-known artist, took the Barcadi stage midafternoon. The crowd started sparse for the Palestian-Chilean pop singer but her voice, Arabic melodies and Latin rhythm drew a steady trickle of new listeners.
For some, her performance was more personal. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a Palestinian artist in the United States,” said Sana Hakim, 34-year-old Palestinian American living in Humboldt Park. She only bought a one-day pass to see Elyanna and St. Levant, a Palestinian Algeria rapper performing later in the day. Elyanna made history last year as the first artist to perform in entirely Arabic at Coachella; her Thursday set was in Arabic and Spanish.
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On the T-Mobile stage, South African singer Tyla wooed a mass of fans with an inflatable tiger behind her.
“Are any of my tigers here tonight?” she greeted the crowd.
The 22-year-old joined the Lollapalooza lineup for the first time this year after winning a Grammy for “Water” in February. The song exploded on social media last year, with fans re-creating her Bacardi-style dance moves and pouring water down their backs. The Lolla audience also heard a remixed version of “On and On,” mashed up with R&B singer Aaliyah’s “Rock the Boat,” and more tracks like “Safer,” “Jump” and “No. 1” from her latest album, during the set.
The singer was clad in her signature cutout dress, knee-high boots and long braids. Joining her on stage were her dancers, wearing denim with fringe and mini cargo skirts and bringing high energy and fun to the singer’s hypnotic Amapiano beats.
“Her dancers were amazing, they kept up the energy and it’s hot out, sun beaming,” said Cristiana Woods, 21, from Milwaukee. “It was a vibe for sure.”
Roan opened her 5 p.m. set on the mainstage with an energetic rendition of “Femininimenon,” joined by a crowd of thousands jumping in unison. She was dressed as a wrestler in pink, blue and black, donning eye makeup reminiscent of Gene Simmons from KISS. Some of her backup performers lifted weights as she sang and punched the air.
“Can you believe it? We’re at Lollapalooza!” she exclaimed.
The show was full of stage pyrotechnics and laughs between the singer and her audience, like when she casually did the splits in the middle of a song without missing a beat. She also sang an unreleased new song “Subway,” her hit single “Good Luck, Babe!” and a song from her older album, “Love Me Anyway.”
“This one goes to the Midwest girl in her miniskirt and go-go boots,” she yelled, describing her fanbase, before she started singing “Red Wine Supernova.”
