As the weekend came around, many (myself included), found ourselves eating our words after praising the weather in the latter half of the week.
The second half of Lollapalooza had an eventful start, triggered by heavy rainfall the night earlier which had continued into the early morning hours. It was, as an attendee mused, reminiscent of scenes from Woodstock (though thankfully, nothing similar to ’99).
A rain delay prompted cancelations of earlier sets, and eager attendees who camped the entrance gates found themselves waiting until 3 in the afternoon before beginning the long sprint to either of the main stages, hopeful to be as close as possible to Saturday’s headliners.
Lollapalooza’s ‘weekend days’ are a treat, allowing single day and non-week attendees to get a sampling of everything throughout the day, as we were fortunate to catch back to back sets by both Wolf Alice as well as Leon Thomas, who was fortunate to perform on his 33rd birthday.
Saturday
Wolf Alice
Leon Thomas
As the afternoon crept into the evening, few performers that weekend had bigger buzz than that of The Neighbourhood. Following frontman Jesse Rutherford’s departure to embark on a solo career in 2016, the band had been on hiatus since 2022, leaving fans to speculate as to the future of the group following their fifth studio release in November of 2025.
The band, having become the latest victims of airline incompetency, found themselves without a vast majority of their equipment, leaving them with no other choice but to have Rutherford sing to a backing track, with his colleagues seated comfortably behind him amongst a stage resembling a quaint California Craftsman.
The Neighbourhood
It was unsurprising that after their set came to a close that a vast majority of the crowd stayed put, many of them having undoubtedly braved the whole day at the rail just to catch a glimpse at Saturday’s headliner, Olivia Dean.
Dean’s meteoric rise to a headliner spot follows closely in the footstep of many Lollapalooza veterans. Having played a mid-afternoon set just two years prior at the now Allianz Stage, Dean’s sophomore record, The Art of Loving, immediately became a global mainstay, with hits like Nice to Each Other and Man I Need tracking a massive success across global charts. Her world tour (following a sold out O2 arena tour) sold out almost immediately, leaving those unlucky enough to be victims of scalpers little opportunity to see her live – unless you trekked your way to Chicago.
There’s so much to say about her performance. In my estimation, about as perfect of a concert as I’ve ever seen, and worth watching the livestream for yourself.
Sunday
We were granted a welcome reprieve from the rain on the final day of Lollapalooza 2026, no doubt a highly manifested request for those having attended the last 3 days of festivities. Crews had worked diligently the day before and throughout the night to ensure that the park was safe and with woodchips and a dream, we found ourselves back on the muddy grounds of Grant Park early that afternoon to close out the weekend.
ADÉLA made her first major festival debut that afternoon to the largest dedicated group of rail riders that I’ve seen at any festival. All wearing shirts saying “The Baddest Bitches Are In Chicago”, it was a delight to watch them witness her perform for the first time in person.
MUNA
The day quickly transitioned into what could then only be described as a fever pitch of an afternoon. In perhaps one of the most anticipated back to back sets of the weekend, Hot Mulligan would be followed thereafter by Turnstile, ensuring that whatever gas the crowd had in their tanks would be gone fully before any headliners got started.
Hot Mulligan
Turnstile
Tate McRae
Another successful run in the books. More to come next year.
