I had heard many things about Lollapalooza more bad than good. Last year I really questioned if I would ever attend this festival because of the negative social media surrounding it with Brads and Chads moshing to house music and whatnot. Then they dropped this lineup…
My friend group chat blew up and we made the decision that we’d make our way to Chicago for our first Lollapalooza. It’s funny the moment I announced that I was going I got messages and comments telling me to prepare for the vibe to not be like Electric Forest (duh). People were telling me to sell my ticket because of the Chads and Brads ruin a good time. I get my tribe looking out for me, but it really bothered me because I would never recommend to my followers to sell their tickets if I had a not so great experience.
Nonetheless, there were a couple of things I knew:
- I’d get to reunite with my best friends who take the positive out of any situation
- I was going to Chicago for the first time and was so excited to explore this city
- THIS LINEUP WAS TOO GOOD TO PASS UP
Let’s get into what you’re probably wondering. What I thought about Lollapalooza:
It’s nothing like social media plays it out to be. It is just like any other multi-genre music festival. It’s really sad people would pass up a festival like this just because the more negative vocal people take to social media to portray this festival the way that they do.
Now if you go to this festival expecting the PLUR vibes of EDC or Electric Forest, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. People were nice and some were still wearing Kandi, but at the end of the day, this is just one big party in the city of Chicago for four days.
I think having gone to Coachella and Austin City Limits (ACL) prepared me for this festival. It is very similar to ACL just in the landscape of Chicago. Yes it is all ages and there are lots of high schoolers and college kids, but they didn’t affect my time or my group’s time at all. I’m not discounting people’s previous experiences with the crowd, but our group hung towards the middle-back area and had a great time all weekend. You mind your business and they’ll mind their own business.
Overall Experience
I did a little digging and found that Lollapalooza is actually owned by the same company as Austin City Limits. The first day I pointed out to my boyfriend, Ryan, all the similarities this festival had to Lollapalooza and come to find out they are owned by the same company. Logistically, it is a well planned out festival. There are two entrances to the festival to help crowd control. Security was a little strict on the backpack/hydration pack rule and on the last day they were very thorough due to the shootings in El Paso and Dayton (as they should be). Everything with this festival went smoothly and I never once thought to myself how they needed to change anything.
The Venue
The venue of Grant Park is HUGE. Ryan and I walked a total of 40 miles the whole weekend. It was perfect though to house eight stages that had zero sound bleed. Also seeing the city skyline surrounding some of the stages was absolutely breathtaking. The feeling of the sun setting on the city and watching the city come alive at night is indescribable. It reminded me of Austin City Limits because that festival also has the backdrop of the beautiful skyline of Austin.
The Food
Oh. My. God. The. Food.
It really is up there with top festival food I’ve ever had. You have all the heavy hitters of Chicago’s best in one strip called Chow Town. Day 1 we had Spicy Chicken Tenders that got spicier as you ate them. I eventually cooled it off with this amazing Strawberry Cheesecake Gelato (YUM!). Day 2 I was CRAVING a burger so we got the always amazing Shake Shack that I hadn’t had in about two years.
Day 3 we tried WOW Bao Hot Buns that a friend recommended to me and was not disappointed. We got the combo box and potstickers and split it. Sadly didn’t last us through the night so we got a slice of Lou Malnati’s deep dish to finish off day 3. Finally day 4, Ryan got a gyro and cucumber & tomato salad. While I got this yummy teriyaki bowl with veggies that I had seen so many people walking around with.
I finished my festival of food with the most amazing CHURRO SANDWICH ICE CREAM. It was warm and soft from the churro that just melted in your mouth with the ice cream. Wow. Incredible.
The Music
Favorite Sets (in no order)
- Flume – A masterpiece fit into a 75-minute set. This set is one to catch in 2019.
- Louis the Child – My 10th time seeing the boys and in their hometown gave me all the fields. ALSO they had a plane spelling out in the sky: “Louis”, “LTC”, “Smile” and the famous crown that made you feel so good.
- Chelsea Cutler – FINALLY got to see this queen. She is amazing live.
- RL Grime – First time seeing RL Grime in TWO YEARS. Our whole group was vibing to this set it was so stupidly good. We were supposed to leave to go see Madeon and couldn’t leave this set.
New Finds
- Lennon Stella – Shoutout my girl Taylor for recommending we go see her. I hadn’t put two and two together that Lennon Stella was actually on the new Illenium and The Chainsmokers song. The Chainsmokers ended up bringing her out for their set.
- ilo ilo – I missed them at Electric Forest and this duo is soooo talented. Definitely, one to watch.
- Pink Sweats – Ryan and I went to this set because of our friends and this guy’s voice is amazing.
Lolla 2020?
Now I think the question is would I go back to Lollapalooza? The tea here is if the lineup was that good again I’d go. However, with the festival being super similar to Austin City Limits, I’d rather save some money and enjoy the festival right in my backyard. I had a great time, but the festival and Chicago are expensive. If you are thinking about going to Lolla, I still recommend going at least once and making a trip out of it. Getting to go to this festival and explore Chicago was definitely worth it for me.
Advice for Anyone Who Wants to Attend
Make sure you like the majority of the lineup or you’re open to exploring new music. If you’re going just to spend the whole time at the EDM stage, I’d save your money for a festival like Spring Awakening which is also in Chicago. If you still decide to go, keep an open mind! Let all the young-ins hangout at the front and let them have their fun. If you spend all your weekend worrying about them, you won’t have a good time. Build a solid group to go with and enjoy the festival, the music and the beautiful city of Chicago.
Checkout my YouTube Channel with my video review!
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