For those who don’t know, Lollapalooza was originally a heavy metal punk show and the festival has endorsed other music genres over the years to gain a wider audience. However, they never forgot their roots, and this year they brought back rock legends Green Day and Metallica. Both of whom recently played at The Metro showing that they are willing to pay homage to their humble beginnings. The theatrics of Lolla allowed both bands to put on grand performances.

Metallica began their set with a video montage of Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold” from Clint Eastwood’s The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. Once the band came on stage they wasted no time by performing “Whiplash.” They asked the rowdy crowd whether they were diehard fans or newcomers, but welcomed both. The band continued by playing classic songs from their catalog like “Die, Die My Darling” and “Enter Sandman.” Metallica’s James Hetfield joked, “I bet you are all wondering what are we going to play now that with finished all the good songs.” They then proceeded to play songs from the less critically acclaimed St. Anger before going back to the typical hits.

Green Day by Charles Reagan for Lollapalooza

Green Day was the only other band that could go toe-to-toe with Metallica, both in audience attendance and song list. Green Day have gotten a lot of flack over the years as fans debate their “punk” status but there is no denying the band’s impact on the genre during the 90s and early 2000s was immense. The more melodic sound and mainstream attention make an argument about them being punk or pop punk but in the end, Green Day have some bangers. Playing songs off Dookie and American Idiot took listeners back to yesteryear, especially the later album. Hearing “American Idiot” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” was a reminder of the emo craze. Some of us still haven’t left that phase (Sigh).

The older I get the more I’m turning into an EDM fan. I still enjoy rock shows but I’m too old to get thrashed around in the mosh pits; you wake up the next day, body all sore from the intensity. So naturally, Perry stage is where I spent most of my Lollapalooza journey. It was safe, people weren’t pushy, there was much more of a positive vibe, and most importantly the music was fun to dance to. It was great seeing DJ’s I’ve seen before like LP Giobbi and Liquid Stranger, with his visual display blending modern EDM, all that heavy bass, and head-bobbing electronic tunes. However, the best DJ set I saw over the weekend was John Smith. His style aligns with more traditional house music making for a pleasant experience from start to finish. His vibrant light show plus consistent heart-beating tempo kept the field dancing through the entire set.

Dua Lipa by Pooneh Ghana for Lollapalooza

Dua Lipa absolutely slayed her performance. Adorned in shimmering black and clear spandex, the English singer got to work with “Physical.” As she sang her lyrics, you can tell she took over the crowds’ imagination with her performance. Over the weekend I went to a Dua Lipa pop-up event, in collaboration with Puma clothing line, the fun interactive set pieces were great for fans to take selfies with, and not going to lie, the clothes were looking pretty fly too. Hearing her music playing in the background took me back to seeing her live. Fans sang along to the tunes of  “Boys Will Be Boys”, “Electricity” and “Hallucinate” before ending her set with “Don’t Start Now” with a crazy firework show! Watching her hypnotizing dance moves, hearing the beautiful vocals, and observing the showmanship of the entire performance, I definitely became a fan of Dua Lipa.

My heart will forever be in love with hip-hop. Pi’erre Bourne, the former producer of Playboi Carti, had an instrumental set; his sound is mellow and chill yet fans still found a way to mosh to it, which I found hilarious. The beats do go hard and can be headbanging-worthy but people love a reason to start a mosh pit these days. Luckily, I was more in my element when Big Sean and J. Cole performed. Both rappers played back to back on the same stage so most of us didn’t have to move. The adrenaline Big Sean brought went hard on “All Me”, “Blessing”, and “I Don’t Fuck with You”.  J. Cole kept it more chill with his verse from 21 Savage’s “A Lot” and “No Role Modelz”. It was a nice balance of high energy and chill vibes.

Cole by Brandy Fik for Lollapalooza

Denzel Curry was another rapper that put on an amazing show. Doing most of the tracks Melt My Eyes See Your Future like “Troubles”, “Ain’t No Way” and (IMO) the best song on the album “Walkin”. I actually got to meet Curry in the media lounge and talk a bit, it wasn’t until during his set that I regretted not asking for a picture.

Maxo Kream had one of the best performances of the entire festival. Not as highly known as his contemporaries Maxo Kream can make an impact on anyone who gives him a listen. Maxo Kream didn’t bring together a big crowd but those that gathered were diehard fans that rapped along to all the lyrics. He’s a goon from the slumps but songs like “Roaches,” “Grannies,” and especially “Meet Again” paint the image of a rough life some of us can relate to. It’s not glamorous or something to brag about, it’s simply real. I enjoyed seeing Maxo Kream perform so much that I rushed to Reggies Pub to catch his after-show.

Lollapalooza has set the bar high when it comes to music festivals. It could be hard for them to consistently outdo themselves year after year yet the organizers always find a way.

Maxo Kream by Greg Noire for Lollapalooza 

cover image: Big Sean by Keenan Hairston for Lollapalooza

The post Lollapalooza continues earning legendary status appeared first on Quip Magazine.

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

The post Governors Ball takes over NYC for another heated weekend appeared first on Quip Magazine.