Melanie Martinez’s “Trilogy,” Blink-182 “One More Time,” Conan, Teddy close fully loaded Lolla

Photos provided by Pooneh Ghana, Ashley Osborn and Dusana Risovic for Lollapalooza

The end of Lollapalooza is always a bittersweet circumstance, but at least it went out with a bang thanks to a fully loaded line-up where the present intersected with the past, and in turn, filled up practically every square foot of Grant Park.

Former competitor on “The Voice” turned ultra-creative, dark indie pop personality in her own right, Melanie Martinez, was a major reason, especially because this “Trilogy” Tour stop featured songs and scenes spanning all three of her ambitious albums, “Cry Baby,” “K-12” and “Portals.”

Taking cabaret-styled visual cues from The Dresden Dolls while crooning ever so softly like Lana Del Rey, the singer/songwriter/performance artist bravely navigated each theatrical era, including such smashes as “Dollhouse” and “Pity Party,” as the all ages audience screamed along and frequently dressed to match their favorite era.

Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker didn’t just bring back Blink-182 for nostalgia’s sake, but went right back into the studio for “One More Time…” after nearly a decade apart and basically picked up where they left off, accompanied by some semi-serious perspectives about growing up.

Even so, their juvenile sense of humor remained in tact between such pop/punk bedrocks as “What’s My Age Again?” and “All The Small Things,” followed by the driving “Dammit” cleverly incorporating a snippet of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.”

The third time Conan Gray went into the studio turned out to be the charm given the 1980s-influenced “Found Heaven,” though besides those many bubbly bursts, the flashy pop star revisited bedroom pop ballads “Heather” and “Memories” on the way to the mega-mover “Maniac.”

He’s a little bit country, rock and roll, plus blue-eyed soul all rolled into one, but no matter the material he unloaded under a blazing sun, Teddy Swims came across as a true original, whose deeply personal songwriting from “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1)” is rapidly turning him as hot as a “Bed On Fire.”

Indie pop/rock veterans Cults stitched together a compelling patchwork of psychedelic, experimental and dreamy soundscapes, including delightfully eerie samples of the brand new “To The Ghosts” collection and jokes about smelling the sweet scent of neighboring ice cream vendors wafting across the stage.

Medium Build served as the vehicle for troubadour Nicholas Carpenter, who along with his trusty band, brought indie and alternative expressions off the current “Country” collection and the wisdom earned surrounding four other acclaimed projects.

In keeping with Lollapalooza’s commitment to elevating local artists in particular, the Chicago Made showcase stretched far and wide to find the city’s most diverse talents, culminating in lightening-fast rhymes by chopper Twista.

And despite it being officially over, the festival’s fingerprints will be surely felt around the entire area, such as the 2023 edition contributing $434 million to the Chicago economy and supporting the equivalent of 3,197 full time jobs, all while generating $6.8 million in amusement tax revenue that’s bound to be beat if 2024’s tremendous attendance was any indication of what’s to come.

For upcoming Lollapalooza announcements, visit Lollapalooza.com.