I recently saw a post on Instagram that said, "We used to go on social media to escape the real world. Now, the real world is an escape from social media."
It's a funny irony of life today that so many of us are so online that the world inside our phones is sometimes so captivating and so much more real than what's around us. But every now and then, we're reminded of what is real, what is actually, truly real. And it's usually so much less complicated than whatever the algorithm has concocted for us.
On Sunday, the final day of Lollapalooza in Chicago, singer and guitarist Khalid Yassein of Wild Rivers paused during the Canadian band's set at the Bud Light stage to remind the crowd to stay hydrated as they soaked up the sun. But he also captured the magic of Lolla. "Friends, music, great food, drinks, perfect weather," he said. "What more could you ask for on a summer afternoon?"
As the day passed, there was an almost tangible sense of excitement running through the grounds of Grant Park. To be clear, it was the hottest day of the weekend so far, but it was that familiar longing of the last day of Lolla. Maybe you're running on fumes, but you're also not ready for it to end. Maybe you want to just skip to Sabrina Carpenter already, but you kind of just want to hang out in this space of time forever.
The last day of the four-day festival served up quite the mix of sounds, including the infectious hooks of Joe P's gritty alt-rock; the hypnotic melodies of South Korean rockers wave to earth; the velvety, out-of-this-world crooning from Mariah the Scientist; the magnetic, at times haunting lyricism of Chattanooga-born rapper Isaiah Rashad; and FINNEAS' alluring, introspective ballads, with a guest appearance from singer and collaborator Ashe.
Dominic Fike performed at sunset on the T-Mobile stage, admitting he has only recently been easing back into performing live and warning the crowd he may need to pause at times to take a deep breath or recenter himself, which he did regularly between songs. It was somewhat awkward but also extremely relatable and refreshingly authentic to see a singer, who has drawn the acclaim of Paul McCartney and appeared alongside Zendaya on HBO's Euphoria, being a little clumsy and so very human on stage in front of thousands.
Back at the Lakeshore stage, West Coast singer Sven Eric Gamsky (aka Still Woozy) had the menacing task of priming the crowd for Sabrina, which he handled with the utmost of care. And in fairness, there were definitely plenty of people there gathered specifically to see him play, as they chanted along every lyric and lit up as he danced around on stage, treating fans to live renditions of favorites like "Habit" and "Goodie Bag."
The festivities continued as Martin Garrix closed out Perry's stage, delivering the perfect, end-of-summer dance party, not to mention a guest appearance from pop singer Lauv, who surprised the audience when he joined the DJ/producer on stage to perform their recent collaboration "Mad."
Over at the Bud Light stage, A$AP Rocky had fans waiting an extra 15 minutes until he finally appeared. But he made the wait worth it, as a giant drape fell, revealing the rapper as he emerged from a helicopter suspended from the rafters. The only downside was that he was cut off as he closed out with "Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 (LPFJ2)," perhaps because of his late start.
Of course, the moment many in attendance had been waiting for all weekend was Sabrina Carpenter's headlining performance at the T-Mobile stage. It came at such a pivotal time in the singer's career, part victory lap after the mindblowing past year, releasing her album Short n' Sweet last summer and subsequently winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, the latter for her juggernaut single "Espresso."
But Carpenter's show on Sunday also served as a warmup for her next album Man's Best Friend, which is coming Aug. 29, barely a year after the release of Short n' Sweet. So in a way, she had something to prove. Is she at the pinnacle of her career, a single-time headliner just riding a wave? Or is she on an upward trajectory, having only just begun? She's certainly betting on the latter, as evidenced by her choice to bring out Earth, Wind & Fire, as the Chicago icons joined her to perform "Let's Groove" and "September."
As one of pop's most formidable names right now, she easily could have brought out any surprise guest she wanted. A fellow top 40 artist would have shocked the crowd. But bringing out a legacy act such as Earth, Wind & Fire kept the focus on Carpenter while also paying homage to the music of Chicago and honoring those who have come before her in this industry.
“Lollapalooza, is all this for us?” she asked as she surveyed the mammoth crowd in front of her. Yes indeed. That crowd was definitely there for Sabrina Carpenter. They were there for Doechii the day before as she delivered what was honestly the best performance of the weekend. They were there for TWICE as the K-Pop group delighted the crowd on Saturday. They were there for Olivia Rodrigo as she blazed through the T-Mobile stage delivering hit after hit. They were there for Tyler, the Creator on Thursday as he proved he is arguably one of music's most visionary voices right now, not just in hip-hop.
Across four days, Grant Park was brimming with hundreds of thousands of fans who just wanted to see their favorite artists live. Wanted to hang out with friends on a summer afternoon. Eating funnel cakes and deep dish pizza. Sitting under the trees drinking overpriced beer. Laughing about stupid jokes that wouldn't hit the same way over text.
And that's just it. For as much as our lives are so consumed by apps and binge-watching and doomscrolling and every dystopian news headline constantly in our face, with memes and emojis and face filters, following people's perfectly curated content on our phones, it's not real life.
So even if for just a few days, we can break free from the scroll for just a bit, see friends and hear music in real life, Lollapalooza is the perfect escape. It's the reason why, no matter the trends or how much time we spend in our virtual feed, it still doesn't compare to the thrill of gathering with 400,000 other music fans in person, screaming the same lyrics at the top of your lungs in the heart of Chicago.
It's the reason people have been coming here for the past 20 years to share this same experience—hopefully for another 20 more years.
Because I can't think of a better place to touch grass than in the middle of Grant Park.
