Friday’s set list was packed with artists and was a fairly hip-hop-heavy day, but Aly & AJ kicked off the event with a flash from the past but chose to omit “Potential Break Up Song” from their set which left some fans quite disappointed. Coi Leray gave a fun and energetic performance that got her whole crowd movin’ and groovin’. Her fabulous red bikini fit also rocked everyone’s world.

left: Dev Coi Leray after her set; right: Del Water Gap

It was a rap-filled afternoon after the first few sets and JPEGMAFIA gave a vibrant and entertaining performance. He completely lit up the stage, dancing and interacting with the crowd. This was arguably one of the best performers of the weekend. His cover of “Call Me Maybe” was beautifully haunting and a perfect break in between his more brash and intense numbers. 

Some craziness and complications clearly happened in the day leading up to Friday, because a single time slot was replaced not once, but twice last minute. First MIGOS were replaced with Lil Wayne and then (an hour before) Lil Wayne was replaced by A$AP Ferg [cover image]. A rollercoaster of emotions for hip hop and rap fans, but A$AP Ferg did not disappoint. A$AP Ferg took the stage with confidence and charm, commenting on the situation:  “I was just chillin’, and then I got a call from the festival like, ‘Yo Ferg! We need your ass to come right now!” The whole crowd laughed and A$AP Ferg gave an incredible performance despite being a last-minute addition to the lineup. The ground was shaking during “Plain Jane”.

Jack Harlow gathered what seemed like one of the biggest crowds of the night. The air was filled with excitement for this set, but while Harlow’s looks and vocals were very much on point that set felt deflated, something was missing in his surprisingly subtle stage presence. In parallel to this performance Kid Cudi’s set began and halfway through Harlow’s set a stampede of people headed towards the main stage for Cudi’s performance. Kid Cudi‘s fantastic energy and performance brought day one to an incredible end. there wasn’t a person in the crowd who wasn’t jumping to “Memories” or “Pursuit of Happiness”.

Day two started off a little cloudy and was fairly mellow with the earlier performers. Gus Dapperton and his band gave a calm and emotional set. Things REALLY picked up when Tove Lo took the main stage. Her crowd was enormous, especially for an afternoon time slot. People were thrilled to see Lo and everyone screamed their hearts out to her classic OG hit “Habits (Stay High)” and her brand new single “No One Dies From Love”.

Ashnikko was also a highlight on Saturday, femme fatale in her songs as well as on stage, she brought a crazy fun energy to her performance. Proving she’s not just a TokTok viral star, Ashnikko took the party to the crowd and everyone was vibing during her reimagined cover of Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8ter Boi”.

The night ended with a fantastic performance by Flume which people were talking about well into the next day. Naturally, Halsey stunned the audience with her gorgeous vocals, she even gave all the Stranger Things fans a beautiful cover of “Running Up That Hill”.

Sunday started out with the threat of rain, but luckily it never came. No make-up was ruined and no outfits were soaked. It was actually near-perfect weather for jumping to your favorite tunes in the middle of a sweaty crowd.

100 gecs was another crowd favourite performance. They had a really large crowd despite it being relatively early in the day. Definitely one of the wildest crowds of the weekend! Head banging, moshing, and screaming all naturally took place.

Del Water Gap also gave a stunningly beautiful performance, once on the Bacardi Stage and then again in a more intimate setting at the Bud Light Seltzer Sessions. “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” is just one of the most subtly striking tunes you could hear. After the set, we were able to chat with Holden about his performances and his festival experience:

“Big shows are great because you’re just getting all this energy and all this adrenaline. It’s like gasoline! But little shows are great because you can be a human, and it’s intimate, you can talk and take your time. Festivals are great because you get to be around new people, you get to be outside and I just love being around other artists too. I mean especially after the last two years. I made all these friends on Instagram you know, these other musicians, and getting to walk out of my trailer and see a musician I admire and walk up to them and be like hi were here together. It’s just such a gift.”

Another amazing performance was given by Jazmine Sullivan. Her insane vocals reached new levels of perfection and had many fans in tears by the end of the set. She was extremely honest on stage, gave beautiful vocal runs, and was sending love to each and every person in the crowd.

J Cole was the final artist of the festival and ended the night on a high note. J Cole is one of the biggest artists in the rap universe so it was legendary to hear iconic songs like “Wet Dreamz” and “No Role Modelz”.

The atmosphere and ambiance were unique at Governors Ball this year. People were riled up and ready for music festivals again. Some sets bumped, some disappointed. The sun was burning hot all day, but that didn’t stop people from having a great time. Every artist came out with full energy for the fans. What was the best moment of the festival? Kid Cudi’s absolute fire performance of “Pursuit of Happiness?” A$AP Ferg’s heroic save of Friday’s afternoon? Tove Lo flashing a crowd of thousands? Guess that’s up to each attendee’s personal opinion.

photos by Devin Kasparian

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With a good portion of festival attendees in their teens, electronica continues to rule Lollapalooza weekend with performances from industry up-and-comers like Halsey, Grimes, and Phantogram.

Yet, it was rock and hip-hop that won the festival: J. Cole, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, and Vince Staples, to name a few. Four days and 400,000+ attendees later, Lollapalooza’s 25^th anniversary was full of highs, lows, a few technical difficulties, and a plethora of Chicago’s finest MCs.

Many up-and-coming artists use Lollapalooza as a stepping stone, an opportunity to showcase their artistry before they “make it big.” Many of these artists have a following, but Lollapalooza can catapult their careers. This was the case for electropop artists Halsey, Grimes, and Chicago-based MC Saba.

Grimes essentially played a one-woman show – singing, dancing, and playing multiple instruments simultaneously. Although she was vocally flat during her set, she was entertaining to watch – dancing without missing a beat, despite having two sprained ankles.

With striking background visuals and voluminous bass, 21-year-old Halsey gyrated and grinded her way through fan favorites “Gasoline,” “Roman Holiday”, and her cover of Justin Bieber’s “The Feeling”.

Well-known for his live performances, ASAP Mob member A$AP Ferg took to the stage, opening with his verse on Carnage’s “WDYW”. Eventually joined by fellow ASAP Mob member A$AP Rocky, Ferg kept the crowd engaged during his entire set by reminding them that “this isn’t a performance, this is a party!” After a cameo performance of “Overnight Celebrity” from Chicago’s-own Twista, Ferg’s set climaxed with “Shabba” and “Work” – two of his biggest hits – before he closed his set with “New Level”.

With his guitar and Budweiser in tow, City and Colour (AKA Dallas Green), brought his folk sound to the Lollapalooza stage for a rainy hour-long set on Thursday. As Green’s soothing voice engulfed the northernmost area of Grant Park, it was easy for fans to forget about the gloomy weather. As Green and his band entranced fans with “Waiting” and “Wasted Love”, the sun peeked out to enjoy his music before disappearing behind the clouds during “Lover Come Back”.

After a five-year hiatus, LCD Soundsystem reunited to close out Lollapalooza by stepping on the accelerator and never letting up. From beginning to end, the band flawlessly executed their nearly two-hour set, performing a total of 15 songs, including “Daft Punk is Playing at My House”, “Tribulations,” and “Dance Yourself Clean.” Watching LCD Soundsystem, it’s hard not to be engulfed by their music, hypnotized by all the instruments and sounds at play.

Essentially opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction took the main stage at their own festival. Complete with scantily clad female dancers and cameos by Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, Jane’s Addiction played, in its entirety, their final studio album before their first disbandment, 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual.

Cole and Red Hot Chili Peppers took home the gold for their 2016 Lollapalooza performances. Cole, who has played at Lolla in the past on a smaller stage, performed music from his flawless 2014 Forest Hills Drive, as well as his debut and sophomore projects. Headlining the opening night of Lollapalooza to a crowd that swelled to unknown numbers, Cole, backed by a live band, once again proved why he’s one of the best MCs in the industry right now.

Backed by a six-piece band, soul singer Leon Bridges flawlessly executed an hour-long set at Toyota’s 25^th Hour Lollapalooza after-show. Prior to Bridges and his band taking the stage, Big Boi (Outkast) warmed up attendees with a 30-minute DJ set. Despite having a performance at Lollapalooza the following day, Bridges performed like his life depended on it – giving the crowd a taste of what it was like to spend time in the juke joints during the Jim Crow era. Bridges played his debut album Coming Home in its entirety and like the true artist that he is, left attendees wanting more. There’s much more to come from this talented Texas native – stay tuned.

Accompanied by just his acoustic guitar, 18-year-old guitar prodigy James Bell X performed an acoustic set during the It’s So Miami Lollapalooza brunch at Chicago’s Renaissance Hotel. The UK native’s sound was the perfect setup for day three of Lollapalooza, featuring some of his original songs at the invite-only event overlooking the Chicago River. James Bell X is a gifted singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist who is sure to have a future in the music industry and will hopefully grace the stages of Lollapalooza.

Well-known in his hometown of Chicago, producer and MC Saba, née Tahj Malik Chandler, performed an early afternoon set day two of Lollapalooza. The diversity of his music made him one of the most notable performers of the weekend’s festivities. Performing an early afternoon set at a music festival can be a daunting task, but Saba took it all in stride and made every moment on the Lolla stage count. Performing music from his upcoming album Bucket List, Saba’s talent as a songwriter, producer and MC were on full display and his fanbase is sure to have grown exponentially.

photos by Kris Lori Fuentes Cortes. Images of leon Bridges are courtesy of Toyota.

The post Lollapalooza rocks Chicago with a 4-day anniversary show appeared first on Quip Magazine.

TGIF is a good way to start this day. Fading, loosing voices and energy, powered only by burgers, pizza and a colourful water flavouring NXNE wristband holders poured out on the streets.

After zig-zagging around Queen West doing band interviews our full crew closed in on Wrongbar for Tei Shi. This was promising to be good based on basic research. Tei She is the moniker for singer Valerie Teicher and her inspiring collection of moody, electronic ballads. Based in Vancouver (via Brooklyn and Bogotá) Tei Shi brought a bare, open presence to the Wrongbar stage with an accompanying drummer and guitarist / keyboardist, who’s dreamy sound complemented the set’s minimal nature and encompassing, seductive rhythms. Girl-crush ensued.

Approaching Tattoo for the next show it was clear people were waiting for something big, something loud, something worth waiting for. Sadly for many the venue was already at capacity as A$AP Ferg took the stage. Encouraged by the man himself the sweaty, wasted crowd broke into multiple organized mosh pits resembling dance circles with some failed attempt of crowd surfing. Half-way through the set A$AP invited a newbie rapper on stage for a mini showcase. To everyone surprise the dude tore it UP. “I usually never do this, but go ahead and rap one more time young lord,” and just like that someone may have gotten his big break. Shab-Shabba Ranks.

A similarly large crowd was hovering in no particular order around the Horseshoe with the hopes of getting in for the surprise Spoon show. This was a welcome change of pace. Spoon still have it, the time off was a healthy break. There is nothing revolutionary about Spoon, it’s no secret, but not all music needs to be, sometimes you just need something that rhymes well, sounds well and makes you smile while uplifting spirits.

A short walk away Toronto’s DJ darling Ryan Hemsworth was playing a concoction of beats from dubstep to hip-hop, house, and even a dash of pop smilingly as high as the clouds under which he was standing at the Adelaide Hall. The balcony is designated for the observers it seems, but the dance floor is for the dancing. And dance we did. As the crowd was shifting and moving around I realized I was suddenly nearly wrapped into a couple’s embrace from which I was unable to get out of for a good portion of the set. Playing into the night to closing time Hemsworth occasionally hollering miscellaneous things into the microphone, “Let’s listen to some shit I made on Friday,” he chuckled under his breath is he plaid out his last track.

See more photos from NXNE here

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