With the main stage stretching across the historical battlefield of Planes of Abraham and most others a short walk away the concertgoers could easily visit multiple venues on the same day but sadly were always at risk of getting rained out; luckily during our 3-day visit that only happened twice. Event organizers clearly had a plan in place for such a situation and were very efficient in evacuating the grounds during thunderstorms and then promptly letting people back in and firing up the equipment. Needless to say, a few acts’ sets got affected by the rainfall but such is the sacrifice with outdoor events.

The main stage, being as large as it was, was catered by efficient on-the-move staff carrying beers and straight-up liquor bottle shots minimizing movement and bar lineups. The excited crowds at the front had very little opportunity to get out so this type of “table-service” was very welcomed as people purchased 6-packs of Coors Light or quick shots of Bacardi rum. Security guards in the photo pits were always paying a close eye on the tightly packed fans, handing them water and promptly pulling out anyone who might look slightly unwell. 

Since the viral TikTok debut of “Stuck in the Middle” Tai Verdes has been taking the musical world by storm playing major festivals across North America and receiving praise from publications like Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Lyrical Lemonade. Tai Verdes is known for his positivity-laced tracks and that infectious positivity carries through to his live performances just the same. Playing an 8:00 pm set to a full crowd he kept encouraging us to get loud and wild, demanding that everyone in the crowd gets their hands up, even those far in the back. Verdes continually interacted with the fans between chart-topping hits like “A-O-K,” “Happy Til It Hurts,” and “LAst dAy oN EaRTh”. The most involved sing-along naturally happened during “Stuck In The Middle” – a song describing the all too familiar struggles of young love and dating: ‘But friends turn into sleepovers / And sleepovers turn into love / Love turns into jealousy / And now we both fucked up’.

Tai Verdes crowd also came through for Young M.A who crushed the music charts with her quadruple-platinum hit single “Ooouuu” in 2017, she is still surfing that wave. We, of course, got to hear the track today with an open mosh pit and collective energy busting at the seams. But no event in Québec is complete without an appearance of a local rap celebrity and tonight we got to see Loud. Born Simon Cliche Trudeau, Loud is a hometown hero and his dedicated fanbase always comes through strong. Dressed like a safari guide and accompanied by a great DJ Loud took us through his career highlights with songs from his first solo EP New Phone to the latest release Aucune Promesse. Naturally, a handful of guests (Francis Belleau, 2Faces, 20some, Rymz, Lary Kidd) joined Loud on stage for a few collaborative tracks and a tribute to the late Karim Ouellet.

One of the most anticipated rap sets for the week was Freddie Gibbs. Arriving a bit late due to issues at the customs Gibbs entered the stage with a smile and a token “Fuck police!” shoutout, which became an ongoing thread statement between tracks and verses. From day one this excited crowd chanted the soccer anthem when in anticipation (in perfect sync I might add) so naturally they greeted Gibbs with “Olé, Olé, Olé” – Gibbs was taken aback by this behavior but embraced the confusion with a callback (laughingly asking people to shut up) before heading into his next track. Often leaning into a cappella Gibbs brought to his fans tracks from  Piñata, You Only Lie 2wice, and Freddie. “I’ve been doing this shit for a long time” he grinned looking out at the crowd. Close to the end due to a thunderous rainfall Gibbs had to leave the stage a bit abruptly, therefore, becoming the rapper to close this evening rendering Lil Tecca’s set canceled by the weather.

Sometime mid-day as the main festival gates opened the stage was being prepared for the Québec veteran electronic producer Pascal Asselin, better known by his stage name Millimetrik. With nearly a decade-long music career Millimetrik has a lot to show for himself and continually grows and evolves as an artist. One thing, however, that stays constant is the vibrant energy of all his music brought to life by drums during live performances. His latest record, Sun-Drenched, is a summary take on a blend of house, disco, and soul. This also just might be one of the most collaborative records Pascal has produced thus far showcasing the voices of Tire Le Coyote, Liana Bureau, Dominic Pelletier, Valérie Clio, as well as Mel Lancet. Dominic Pelletier (vocalist from New Bleach) and Liana Bureau were both present for today’s set, joined on stage by two dancers. At one point Dominic climbed over the barricade and rolled over the crowd all the way back to the stage while continuing to perform his song, inevitably being dropped on the ground closer to the stage but springing back to life in seconds, causing a riot of a laugh for those who saw it. It was an engaging and entertaining set to watch and an amazing way to start the day. Interview with Millimetrik to come shortly as well, stay tuned.

On July 13th many people came into the city exclusively to see Marshmello (aka Christopher Comstock) at Planes of Abraham. Geared up in branded t-shirts, hoodies, and masks people of all ages packed the venue in anticipation. Performing his entire set solo Marshmello was far and away behind his giant DJ setup. Luckily that ‘desk’ also served as a second stage on which he would occasionally hop up to take a stroll and interact with the fans, holding up a hand to his marshmallow head as if requesting feedback (which he obviously received in bulk). The pyrotechnics added an exciting layer to this showcase causing a loud stir through the park every time the steamy jets went off. Marshmello played a range of original solo tracks (mostly from Shockwave) as well as a few well-known collaborations like “Here With Me” feat Chvrches and “Numb” feat Khalid eventually wrapping up his set with “Happier”.

The Armoury was home for the FEQ late-night extras including a memorable showcase by multi-platinum DJ/producer Felix Cartal. It was a bit of a slow start but when Cartal got going the party also took off. His latest LP  release, Expensive Sounds For Nice People, has carved out a niche within the electronic music genre exploring love, loss, and heartbreak in a rather upbeat manner and his signature indie-tinged house. Late-night FEQ attendees got to dance to the tracks like “Over It,” “The life,” “Worry” (from Next Session), and a remix of Euphoria’s “Still Don’t Know My Name”. 

Five Alarm Funk also made an appearance for a late-night special at The Armoury, taking over the tiny stage with a full band. Their all-encompassing marching band energy filled every corner of the room. With five acclaimed albums under their belt, this 8-piece band certainly know how to create an environment for a sweaty dance floor. 

After 3 full days of events, with a dash of city exploration, FEQ came to an end for us but continued to surprise and entertain audiences for a few more days. Admittedly 12-days straight is a lot to expect of any music fan but when the time allows, with the festival pass priced well under $200, you could pick and choose events as you wish while continuing regular activities with minimal interruption. Or just dive head first into full programming on select days, like us and many others. To each their own but there is certainly something for everyone.

The post Highlights from FEQ, from late night electronic to legendary rap performances appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Whew we did it! Against all odds, the 30^th anniversary of Lollapalooza actually happened. Over 350,000 people gathered in Grant Park for the 4-day festival. Those in attendance got to experience a music spectacle ranging across all genres. While many were able to see some performances on TV, nothing beats being outside, surrounded by other music lovers enjoying festival summer once again. For a moment, things seemed to be back to normal. Unfortunately, there was no humanly possible way I could have experienced all of the musical acts, after all, I am just one man! But come along with Jack and me, read about the Lollapalooza acts we were lucky enough to experience. 

Waking up every morning at 8:30 am to get ready to go to a festival was an adrenaline-induced experience because we haven’t been able to do anything of a sort in a very long time. However after a few cycles of consecutively parking at the Austin blue line train stop, taking the train ride for an hour all the way to downtown Chicago and then marching down Michigan Avenue until arriving at the festival entrance turned into a mission. In fact, yours truly averaged 25,000 steps each day over the festival. After being stuck inside the past year my feet were tired, legs sore, but my gluts looked fire. The blistering heat from the sun beaming down meant there was simply no way you weren’t going to get sweaty but it was great getting to the jamboree early each day because you get your money’s worth, stumbling upon new artists that open up the show.

Artists like rock band Michigander or DJ Kooze admitted this was their first time performing at Lollapalooza or even their first time performing entirely. Being the first to experience their debut made you a fan almost instantly as a way to cheer them on. It is a truly great experience starting your day following new artists along their success journey. Whether it was a fresh DJ set by the brightly pink, Blossom or a soulful piano solo by Jac Ross.

As always, there were countless new talents getting massive Lolla exposure. Talent such as R&B styles of Chiiild, the calming voice of Cautious Clay, the beautiful pop sensation Njomza or Tik Tok singer Tai Verdes. Even the Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot came out to introduce The Black Pumas and claimed Lollapalooza being the largest music gathering in the entire country if not the world.

Editor’s note: EXIT Festival in Serbia was the first large “post-pandemic” event.

Being a sucker for rap it was great seeing artists that I haven’t seen live since 2019 including Rico Nasty, JPEGMAFIA, and Freddie Gibbs. One of the most chaotic rap sets was by Playboi Carti. While he may not be a traditional rapper, he was the perfect hype man to lead the rowdy crowd into a frenzy. The mosh pit was so intense that it completely destroyed my shoes. However, Carti had to stop his set repeatedly due to plenty of people in the crowd needing to be escorted from passing out or being trampled so maybe shoes were the least of my worries.

The only other rapper whose mosh pit rivaled Carti’s was Freddie Gibbs. The gully artist made fans go wild during “Crime Pays”. He stopped the song short because he was pissed he didn’t get to perform tracks off his latest album Alfredo due to the pandemic so he made the fans chant “Fuck Covid!” before continuing his show.

However, the rapper who definitely trumped both those sets was Megan Thee Stallion. The rap queen put on a mesmerizing performance with bangers like “WAP”, “Pop It” and “Hot Girl Summer.” The crowd was packed to the brim to see her be sexy and dominate the stage that I had to climb a tree just to get a glimpse of. 

The reason why most people go to Lollapalooza is the fact you can see multiple big-name artists in one spot. This year was particularly interesting, seeing how the influence of the Internet generation has impacted the music scene. Many people, myself including, were debating whether to see a traditional mainstream star or a YouTube sensation performing at the same time. For example, the first night the main headliner that many fans went for was indeed Miley Cyrus. And while I respect her singing talents I went to see the meme-god Oliver Tree. She had a fantastic set with special guest appearances from Juicy J, G Herbo, Wiz Khalifa, and even Billy Idol! But Oliver Tree brought out a real-life alien on stage named Ricky. Sorry Miley but an intergalactic species is going to win me over every time.

One of the best sets of the entire festival has to go to Tyler The Creator. Being a fan of Tyler The Creator since high school it’s been fascinating to see him continue his growth as an artist, breaking out of the “just a rapper” mold. He did songs from Flower Boy, Igor, and Call Me If You Get Lost. Doing jams like “Earfquake”, and “See You Again” but also did throwbacks such as “Yonkers.” This man showed up as a bellhop but also had a mechanical speedboat.

Let’s be honest, there are not many artists that have the caliber of performance to properly close out Lollapalooza and there probably wasn’t anyone more capable than The Foo Fighters. Starting with “Times Like These” felt surreal; hearing Dave Grohl sing the chorus “Its times like these you learn to live again, its times like these you live again” pierced the soul after the year we all went through. They continued their mega set with hits such as “My Hero”, “The Pretender” and “Learn To Fly.”

However my favorite performance the entire weekend had to be YouTube star Marc Rebillet. I will preface my biases with the fact that the man shared my recorded clip of him running in circles shouting “Fuck Jeff Bezos” on his Instagram and got me 1200 views (humble brag). Being a fan of his for a few years now it was awesome seeing him graduate to main event status at the same time as Journey and Post Malone. I was right in the front row to catch his, now iconic, improvisational skills. His entire sets are completely freestyled but he does take song requests to end the show. My section yelled out “Girls Club!” He grinned and happily obliged. Rebillet’s afterparty set was completely different from the Lolla performance. When he ended his 2-hour set with, “Summertime”, things got wild …  I missed my ride, my phone died so I couldn’t call an Uber, you get where this is going I’m sure.

The 30th anniversary of Lollapalooza surpassed expectations. It was fantastic meeting people I respect (like LP) or finally experiencing a live DJ set from the legendary Steve Aoki. There were even last-minute surprises like the inclusion of G Herbo and Monophonics. More importantly, it just felt great experiencing live music again. Meeting up with friends and watching a performance together over a drink like old times as well as making new friends within the crowd, bonding over liking the same artists or hobbies. Hopefully, this is a good sign of things to come.  

The post Journey of Lollapalooza 2021 from established artists to TikTok stars appeared first on Quip Magazine.