Rüfüs Du Sol gets Lolla’s electronic groove on, plus Twice’s K-pop, Doechii’s hip-hop, Chance’s pop-up
Photos provided by Greg Noire, Ismael Quintanilla III and Nathan Zucker for Lollapalooza
There’s nothing like a Saturday in Grant Park during any given weekend, though it’s impossible to top whenever Lollapalooza is in town, especially when the line-up is as solid and widespread as this truly international tour de force.
Australia’s Rüfüs Du Sol closed it all out with a blend of deep house, alternative dance and straight up electronic, a hybrid normally reserved for Perry’s Stage, named in honor of founder Perry Farrell, but given the group’s gargantuan global presence, went straight to prime time.
Much of that has to do with the sophisticated blend conjured up by front man/guitarist Tyrone Lindqvist, keyboardist Jon George and drummer James Hunt, who could build the beats to a towering crescendo one moment, then pull back with chilled out grooves like no other the next.
They included “You Were Right,” “On My Knees,” “Underwater,” the Grammy Award-winning “Alive,” “Innerbloom” and “Music Is Better,” each accompanied by a large than life light, strobe and laser display to conjure up an otherworldly aura.
South Korea’s Twice had a similarly-sized spectacle across the field, in keeping with Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu’s ability to sell out arenas and stadiums pretty much anywhere on earth.
It turns out “The Nation’s Girl Group” more than lived up to their reputation from the opening bursts of “The Feels,” “More & More,” “Dance The Night Away” and “Talk That Talk,” not only as a K-pop powerhouse, but a flawlessly choreographed dance act.
Chances are singer/songwriter/rapper Doechii will be following in either of their footsteps on the top line of the list, thanks in part to the monstrously popular mixtape “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” also a Grammy winner, and a slew of earlier singles.
“Nissan Altima,” “Anxiety” and “Denial Is A River” were a mere handful off her continuously expanding hip-hop hit list, accompanied by a magnetic personality and visionary presentation surely able to command a stage of any size on the upcoming “Live From The Swamp” Tour.
Clairo fell in a comparably ascending category as far as soft rock meets indie pop, folk, jazz and old school soul was concerned, drawing primary from her latest collection “Charm,” which certainly lived up to its title.
In addition to bringing a bedroom-like intimacy to the outdoor environment, bolstered by entrancing vocals and an emotive songwriting style, she came across a proficient multi-instrumentalist.
Chicago’s own Chance The Rapper wasn’t originally slated to appear, but when an “Acid Rap” vinyl was spotted mingled amongst the merchandise, speculation ran rampant an appearance would be imminent.
Despite only being billed as brief preview of the forthcoming “Star Line,” his first proper album in six years, fans were nonetheless treated to “No Problem,” “All Night” and “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” amongst a handful of others by the acclaimed artist/philanthropist.
Speaking of giving back to the community, Lollapalooza remained committed to the Musically Fed project, which donates unused backstage meals to local organizations who distribute it to the nearby homeless and hungry.
Thus far, music lovers of practically any style have likely been satisfied, though hopefully, they left at least a little bit of room for the grand finale to the most eclectic edition of this longstanding fest yet.
Lollapalooza continues at Grant Park through Sunday, August 3. For additional details, visit Lollapalooza.com.







