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.

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With a major venue change from Toronto Island to the East End of the city in Woodbine Park, many festivalgoers didn’t know what to expect (other than a ferry-free commute). The festival grounds had three major stages: Main Stage, which delivered big acts like Odesza, Tame Impala, Grimes, and The Cure; Bollywood Stage was a tribute to the arts and culture of India and hosted Tom Trago, Lee Foss, and Art Department; and lastly, for all hard-core electronic fans there was The Big Top stage, which was located in a tent and hosted the likes of Thugli, Shaun Frank, and Thomas Jack. The festival also set up an intimate party tucked away on a hill called Sunday Best Balearic Bar, which embodied the spirit of an ‘Ibizan’ summer providing specialty drinks and DJs, like Martin Davies and Mojo Filter, spinning tropical-themed tracks.

One of the daytime highlights for Saturday was Caligornia’s Giraffage (Charlie Yin) whos pop-infused electronic beats immediately shook up the Big Top. Yin not too long ago came through Toronto with Small Magic which clearly created a positive residue of a fan base in the city. Yin’s set was fun, energizing and entertaining with dashes of surprising throwbacks like “Who Let the Dogs Out” between the usual remixes of Miley Cyrus.

The evening line up at the Main Stage was perfectly executed, starting with Jamie XX, the producer, and at times vocal, half of The XX. Since breaking out into the music scene on his own in 2009, Jamie XX has been nothing but a beacon of success among the niche electronic music groups. His 2015 album, In Colour, brought him up to the mainstream and consequently to the main stages of mass festivals. His set was diverse, upbeat, and as always featured a combination of his original tracks and some unique remixes.

Next on the program were Odesza, one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend. The duo, made up of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, created an extremely devoted fan base since their inception in 2012 by releasing a bulk of their music for free and well, just being insanely talented all around. Mills and Knight took the stage just as the sun was setting and put on a performance showcasing their usual live drum set duo. It was undoubtedly a highlight of the weekend.

Wrapping up the first day Tampe Impala lit up the Toronto’s East Side with a performance people will not want to forget. Without a doubt this was the most attended set this weekend from the beginning to end. Between last year’s Currents and 2012’s Lonerism Tame Impala have an incredibly strong following. Whether or not Impala are on your repeat playlist or you’ve just heard (seen) “The Less I Know the Better” you too will feel the band’s all-encompassing live set, it’s the kind of sound you will randomly wake up with on a Tuesday morning and skip to work to.

One of the most awaited acts on day two was tropical house DJ Thomas Jack known for his island-like vibe mixing in live instruments like the sax and the flute. Performing in the Big Top, which created a more intimate, a bit sweaty vibe, Jack appropriately played some of his most popular remixes like “You Were Right,” and “Is This Love,” as well sharing some of his new work with the excited crowd. Always a pleasure to watch, he was a perfection addition to Bestival and epitomized the true relaxed and positive spirit of the weekend.

Canadian songwriter and producer Grimes preformed Sunday evening as one of the closing acts of the festival. Those familiar with Grimes knew what they were in for, those who were not were surprised, shocked, and entertained. Joined by dancers and additional singers on stage Grimes played a variety of her old and new tracks while fighting through a gnarly cold. Needless to say being a bit under the weather effected the set but her limitless energy compensated where the voice was lacking.

Sunday being an overall lighter day was mostly spent relaxing on the grass and dancing to electronic beats of Catz and Dogz, Unlike Pluto, Lee Foss, Classixx and Tchami. While the more mature crowd were singing along to The Cure, Dubfire closed out the weekend at the Bollywood stage with the fire flares shooting out of elephant tracks bidding the crowd goodnight.

More image from Bestival Toronto can be found on Facebook. 

photos by Erik Shaw

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When Grimes came to the stage after midnight, it was a relief. Sitting through sets by Vancouver’s electro duo, Myths, and one-man act, Elite Gymnastics, was hardly a reason to arrive promptly for decent stage views. If Myths hadn’t been so busy competing with each other in a tween-age all-star dance battle, perhaps the show could’ve been more withstanding. Attempted harmonies overtop 4-note loops were barely audible. The two became obsessed with “whoop whoop” shouts into the mic, and it was like The Muppets’ Beaker had cloned himself and gone electro. The performance’s highlight could’ve been the one-off costume change, when the one who wore the ball of feathers on her chest ran backstage to acquire a fuzzy teddy bear backpack. Or, perhaps the dancing was the highlight. Dancing… so much dancing. Is this really happening? Cue Thom Yorke’s lazy-eyed blank stare…

Elite Gymnastics’ James Brooks took time to engage the crowd in conversation for a hefty sum of his set, gifting people who were raised by single parents with drink tickets and flowers. In a large camouflage coat and fluffy pink headpiece, this man was gentle, entertaining, and actually quite lovable– but not so much in the musical sense. Covering pop hits from The Spice Girls amongst other tunes of yesteryear, his appeal seemed to rest on nostalgia. Onstage, vocals were lost beneath his playlist of mixed beats (which were prompted by his handy laptop). It only got worse when the harmonica showed up, an instrument upon which it’s tricky to achieve the right notes. Maybe it was tricky for him to achieve the right notes?

Kids cried for Grimes as she eventually showed herself beneath a borrowed camo coat (Props, Mr. Gymnastics), and immediately got down to business with a full session of Visions plus extras. Technically tight, Grimes showed all her oddball quirks for concert-goers to eat up– dance bops, bottle swigs, cute blips of commentary, and a concentrated play of sound and swathed vocals. Her haunted house mix of “Be a Body” was an extended trip into trance lands, while ‘Vanessa’ was a reminder of the simpler times. Her final diddy of the night was a shout to her Blood Diamonds collab (pals) via ‘Phone Sex’.

An exhaustive turn of events, this show speaks volumes of the fast chomp of new music. Not everyone has something new to give. Perhaps some bands are simply experimenting and will go on to pursue careers in Marine Biology ‘n stuff. Projecting your life development onto the general public, however, does have its consequences, and it is encouraged that those who want to wander for a bit DON’T do it by starting a band. PS: Grimes rules. Crazy ol’ Grimes.

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