From its days on the road through making Chicago its home, Lollapalooza never had a shortage of booking genre or geographic variety, but that didn’t mean there still wasn’t some history to be made. It turns out there’s never been a Latin music headliner throughout either edition, but that all changed when J Balvin took the stage with the robust reggaeton rhythms that made him an international superstar on his own and a hit-clad collaborator with Cardi B, Bad Bunny, Pitbull and so many more.

Whether passing out burritos to those who waited to see them in the sun all day or wrapping the standout “Weak” with a horn and cymbal-crashing reprise, band of brothers AJR fully aligned with Lolla’s bright and cheery Saturday vibes.

Descending from a white staircase on a colorful stage filled with at least a dozen dancers, cartoon caricatures and gigantic animal props, Balvin was energy personified as he blazed through several singles that set a Spotify record for a primarily Spanish-language performer (55 million monthly listeners) and made him YouTube’s #1 musician in the world for the fourth straight week (and second for all of 2019 thus far). Yet there were no language barriers between Balvin and the multi-cultural crowd, which was a further testament to the strength of his contagious material and exponential growth of the format in general.

Across Grant Park, Twenty One Pilots kept flying high off the tremendous momentum from 2015’s blockbuster “Blurryface” that briskly led to selling out every arena on earth, though the Grammy-winners since returned with the ambitious but perhaps not quite as immediate “Trench.” The duo comprised of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun obviously intermixed their fair share of newer tunes, but thankfully didn’t forget the massive singles “Ride” and “Stressed Out” or the alternative anthems “Car Radio” and “Trees” that helped get them this far.

Twenty One Pilots also made a point to regularly involve the audience, even going so far as to insist they’re a permanent part of the act and leaving the stage to get a closer look. When they weren’t lighting a car on fire, the pair’s explosive live presence included climbing a scaffolding in the center of the field and crowd surfing (alongside the drums) to a continuously evolving hybrid of alternative, electronic and rap rock.

Long time tour mates and breakout band in their own right Judah & The Lion got onlookers pumped up with the pummeling beats of “Pep Talk” and had everyone screaming along through “Take It All Back.” In between, it was apparent just how much gasoline the group threw on the fire of its already unconventional cocktail of stomping folk, alternative Americana and shiny electropop.

Taking the more straightforward country lane, Ruston Kelly brought vivid narratives, casual acoustics and pedal steel pleasantries (courtesy of his father Tim “TK” Kelly) to this Lollapalooza debut. The weekend is actually shaping up to be quite a family affair in more ways than one, continuing on Sunday when his wife Kacey Musgraves shares her “Golden Hour.”

Electronically-centered indie pop/rockers AJR, who’s moniker comes from the initials of members’ first names, gave the afternoon a quirky jolt of clever tunes and comical asides. Whether passing out burritos to those who waited to see them in the sun all day or wrapping the standout “Weak” with a horn and cymbal-crashing reprise, this band of brothers fully aligned with Lolla’s bright and positive Saturday vibes.

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Lollapalooza continues at Grant Park through Aug. 4. For additional details, visit Lollapalooza.com.

For additional information on J Balvin, visit JBalvinMerch.com.