Day 3 of Lollaplooza on Saturday offered an eclectic schedule sure to satisfy a wide swath of musical tastes, but it was also an outlier, if I'm being honest.
All day, I was treated to some amazing sounds (Winnetka Bowling, Max McNown, Naomi Scott, a brief Chance the Rapper performance), but the reality is, Doechii absolutely stole the show. While she wasn't officially a headliner, with her 6:55 p.m. time slot, she really was the headliner in every sense.
From the moment the Florida rapper emerged from behind a large boombox, she commanded the stage with not only such force but precision. Drawing influence from the likes of Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott, her set was part hip-hop history lesson and part theatrical production, but it was 100% entertaining.
Easily one of the most well-choreographed sets in recent memory at Lolla, Doechii's performance was essentially flawless, efficiently weaving in voiceovers, video clips and stage props to transition into wardrobe changes, the 50-minute show played like it was an arena production, except unlike some stadium tours, Doechii's suffered from few if any lulls between songs, as the energy seemed to remain high from start to finish.
Performing standouts such as "Nissan Altima," "GTFO," "Denial Is a River," "Boom Bap," her freestyle verse of "America Has a Problem" and of course her recent hit "Anxiety," she also brought out JT of City Girls for their collaboration "Alter Ego."
Doechii capped her performance by telling the crowd she needed to make an announcement, then sharing the news of her upcoming first tour, revealing the Chicago date is set for Oct. 14, although the full schedule of dates is set to be revealed Monday (Aug. 4) at 9 a.m. CST, according to her tour website.
This is not the first time a non-headliner has delivered a headliner-equivalent performance at Lollapalooza, as I noted in 2021 when Megan Thee Stallion performed and again in 2024 when Chappell Roan performed, both on the same T-Mobile stage, the latter drawing possibly the largest ever crowd for a non-headlining slot.
What's different this time is that Doechii may not yet have the same mainstream cultural attention as the likes of Megan or Chappell back when they performed. Doechii, who won the Grammy for Best Rap Album earlier this year, is just now starting to break into the ether. For so many at Grant Park on Saturday, this was their first introduction to her. And if this is how she makes an entrance, we are in for such a journey as we follow what is sure to be an illustrious career.
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Of course, there were plenty of gems throughout the day on Saturday, including the aforementioned Winnetka Bowling League, helmed by lead singer Matthew Koma. The band opened up the Lakeshore stage with a bright set, the perfect way to start the day, including a guest cameo from a Benson Boone look-alike, sporting curly locks and some incredible backflips.
Max McNown on the T-Mobile stage was also a great performance, as the young singer offered a hybrid of pop and country, blending heartfelt ballads with blissful anthems. While his set might have been in the early afternoon, it's not hard to envision him performing large venues in the future.
Meanwhile, Montell Fish delivered a stunning set at the Tito's Handmade Vodka stage, mixing his wide musical influences into his performance, at one point noting he grew up on rock. It showed in his live set, as he navigated between thrashing cuts, sultry R&B and blistering rap. Perhaps the most sincere moment of his show came between songs when he acknowledged his mother standing near the side of the stage, saying he didn't come from money, growing up in Pittsburgh, but he always dreamed of performing on stages like Lollapalooza. He utilized those few minutes to encourage anyone in the audience chasing a dream not to give up.
Another standout was Naomi Scott, the English singer and actress, who seemed to be somewhat shocked when she saw the size of the crowd gathered underneath the trees at the Grove stage. "Bloody hell," she shouted in amazement as she said she wasn't expecting that many people to show up. It was an overwhelmingly large crowd. One highlight was when she performed "Rhythm" and brought out singer Johnny Yukon, a Variance favorite. She implored people to listen to his music (we agree!) and he returned the favor as he exited the stage, telling the audience she has an amazing album on the way.
See photos from day 3 of Lollapalooza below.
