Lollapalooza 2026 - Day One Report

by Anthony Kuzminski

Lorde Soars On Day One of Lollapalooza

Thursday July 30, 2026 - Grant Park, Chicago

The first run of Lollapalooza from 1991-1997 was a mere seven years. The revamped festival, which has called Chicago home for twenty-one years, has now run three times as long as the original alternative traveling festival. Over the course of more than two decades in the Windy City, the festival has seen its fair share of changes as genres come and go. The compact disc was still the dominant format when the festival launched in 2005, and the iPod was in its infancy. It's an entirely new musical landscape in every way in 2026, but the one thing that has not changed is the love for music. While the current version of the festival may lean more in the pop direction than alternative, make no mistake, it is an expansive festival that has something for everyone. On day one of 2026, the women took charge and soared under the summer skies setting the stage for the rest of the weekend.

The Braymores 1:00
The festival got off to a start with some hometown music courtesy of the Braymores, who hail from Chicago and in just a few years, their brand of charming indie guitar rock has led them to Lollapalooza. The hometown boys set the tone for BMI for the weekend with a stage focusing on talented up and coming artists. In a tight forty-minute set, singer Matt Tilles sang his heart out, Keegan Melanphy strummed his guitar chords with vigor while drummer Russel Oren and basis Connor Kohanzo forged a foundation that was rock solid. Performing songs from their first two albums, they are a perfect example of why it's important to arrive at Lollapalooza early, because you will see great performances early in the day, just like the Braymores set.

Kingfishr 1:40
Hailing from Ireland, Kingfishr were a splendid indie folk band. The five musicians performed at Tito's, one of the smallest and hottest stages at the festival and when Eoghan McGrath strummed his banjo with unbridled enthusiasm, the set took off into overdrive. Performing songs from their Halcyon album, they tore through the set with the excitement that was infectious, which was especially notable, because it is the only stage at Lollapalooza where the audience stands on concrete. Kingfishr showed promise in their short set. One of the best elements of Lollapalooza that is often overlooked isn't who is at the top of the poster, but who may one day make it there. They have just enough energy & charisma to maybe make it there.

Ecca Vandal 2:50
The South African alternative rock singer, who is currently based in Melbourne, Australia, reminded the audience that some days you need to remember the power of your voice. Hitting the stage with just a guitarist and drummer, their full-throttle rock served notice that this wasn't going to be a set you sit for. Roaming the stage with her blue hair, Vandal tore through her set paying homage to the festival's nineties roots.

Elizabeth Nichols 3:20
In a day and age when everyone in the country music establishment takes shortcuts for the mainstream, acts like Elizabeth Nichols are a breath of fresh air. She is not afraid to perform honky-tonk country and blues instead of heavily polished country music. She's not just musically an anomaly at Lollapalooza, but her lyrics cut to the core of the country music of the past. They are rich, deep and cut to the bone without flinching. She even threw in a countrified cover of Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold". Stripped of its sheen, it was a straight-ahead roots tune with the insistent guitars and her voice taking it to the next level. For many at Lollapalooza, this was their first time seeing Nichols in concert, but it won't be the last. Elizabeth Nichols is a true star in the making.

Paris Paloma 3:45
Performing on stage entirely too small, Paloma deserved to be on a bigger one with screens. The indie British singer-songwriter stood out when the sun was beating down on the festival. Tackling many of the troubles facing the world today, with a microphone in hand, she raised her hands to the skies. She was not afraid to speak about the horrors we witness every day and while this is not new, her voice was one of reason and empathy. "hunter", "Good Girl" and "labour" permeated throughout the crowd as she strove to connect with the audience. Based on their reaction, we should expect to see her return to Lollapalooza before too long on a bigger stage.

Bella Kay 4:40
Under the shade of the BMI stage, the biggest crowd of the day at BMO was fervent and singing along to every word. The Florida native has been charting in Europe and has secured opening slots for Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams. Seeing the crowd react wildly to "Iloveitiloveitiloveit" shows that she will hold her own in those opening sets.

Amble 5:15
When three friends got together a few years ago, their goal was to make music so they could play it in pubs around Ireland in the hopes they would be paid in drinks. Little did they know they would wind up across the pond at Lollapalooza. With no drummer, the band delivered a winking and fast paced set paying homage to their Irish folk roots.

Chalk 5:45
Thursday was the day for the Irish, with Chalk being the third band hailing from the emerald isle on the lineup. The Belfast group delivered a taught set full of industrial music with "Can't Feel It" being the set highlight.

CMAT 6:30
Yet another artist hailing from Ireland, CMAT, who is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson whose wry Irish humor is soaked into her music. Despite competition from sombr, CMAT captured the imagination of the crowd immediately, dancing, jumping and covering every inch of the stage.
Her six-piece backing band built up the tension and energy with every performance. Opening with "The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station", the crowd locked in and CMAT never looked back. Two highlights were "Take a Sexy Picture of Me" and "EURO-COUNTRY" which both had great moments of vulnerability. She spoke about her struggles which most of the audience could relate to. CMAT's brand of indie-country-pop by way of Ireland radiates confidence and beauty. Imagine having one life and criticizing a woman as stunning, radiant and madly talented as CMAT? Most of us could only dream of holding a small percentage of her talent. With every arm stretched, every accentuated lyric and every confession from the heart, CMAT reminded us of the joy of music and what a live performance is capable of.

sombr 7:20
The south side of Grant Park loved sombr. Let me emphasize this, they loved sombr. Performing on the biggest stage of the festival, the twenty-one-year-old, who just celebrated a birthday earlier this month raised a lot of eyebrows with a prominent place on the festival, but with the field filled, it was hard to argue. He cared about the crowd, his songs and how they were perceived. He was not afraid to engage the audience, run across the stage and make an impression. While his songs have been impossible to escape, many have wondered if he can maintain this level of success. The reaction to "back to friends" and "12 to 12" were ecstatic. All the way back on the field, fans were screaming the words back to him. Sombr returns to Chicago later this fall with a show at the United Center.

Wet Leg 7:40
Wet Leg is a band who isn't just good, but they've been consistent and have lived up to that early promise. It's common to see a buzz band perform at Lollapalooza, deliver a killer set and then disappear into oblivion before their second album is released. Wet Leg seems to be bucking this trend. The guitar rock band hailing from Isle of Wight and consisting of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers pulsated off the stage. With only two albums, it was startling to hear how many have become modern classics, "catch these fists", "Wet Dream", "Jennifer's Body", "Pokemon" and "Chaise Lounge". Their driving guitar rock is refreshing in a festival that has been leaning heavier into pop in recent years and serves as a reminder that rock 'n' roll still has some chapters to be written.

Lorde 8:30
Lorde is one of the most crucial artists of our time. What she may lack in pop radio airplay she makes up for with genuinely personal music that captures a very specific zeitgeist of the 21st century. Like David Bowie before her, you never quite know what she is going to do next. She always leaves you guessing. Even when certain albums and songs may not hit you square in the heart of your soul, there is something deeper to them that you can't dismiss. Despite having only four studio albums to her name, she is one of the most imaginative and genuine artists of our time.

Her 2014 Lollapalooza set, performed when she was only seventeen years old, was a staggering display of prowess. She returned as a headliner three years later in support of Melodrama but the set was cut short after two songs due to rain and incoming storms. She has finally returned to Lollapalooza, and she made up for lost time. The staging for the festival builds on her 2025 arena tour. Surrounded by dancers her production relies less on gimmicks and more on experimental dance with the use of inventive lighting. Having seen Lorde in 2025 at a smaller venue in Milwaukee, the festival show still has the intimacy of that show, mostly due to Lorde being a transfixing presence on a stage.

Her ninety-minute set was meticulously crafted and took the audience not just through a song catalog, but also through a journey. Lorde may not be the biggest music star on the planet, and you could argue she has a cult audience; but it's a very loyal and dialed-in audience. They devour her albums, seeking out new interpretations and secrets one may miss on a cursory listen. Performing "Royals" and "What Was That" early in her set, she set the stage for a performance that was more than a festival headline slot, but one that would consume every sense. "Broken Glass", "Perfect Places" and "Shapeshifter" followed, and the crowd shrieked each song back to her with arms raised to the air.

Melodrama may have been the last truly great album ever made. It is flawless in its execution with every song part of a larger story of heartache and maturing into a version of yourself that you aren't sure you wanted. I have always been taken with Lorde's understanding and insight into the world around her. Many teens feel a lot, but how many can mold those feelings into something so visceral and gut wrenching?

Despite being born in an entirely different generation from her, I can say that as I age, I am seeking answers but also know that one of the reasons we think back on the past a lot if we mourn a version of ourselves we are not sure we will ever find again. Yearning for the connections you feel in your youth is nothing new, but Lorde has found a way to make it more poetic than any of us could ever dream. She seems to have an understanding of someone decades older than her. On "The Louvre" she is reaching for the moments where you see time slipping through your fingers no matter what you do. The hourglass can't be paused. "Supercut" is about wishing how we could go back and fix that broken relationship, but we can't because we dream of a world that may be tangible but not possible but that hourglass can't be paused and our personal evolutions are constant.

Lorde's Lollapalooza set featured no downtime but when "Girl, So Confusing" started and Charli XCX appeared on camera in front of the water fountain onstage, the evening went into overdrive. Released on Charli XCX's 2024 album Brat, Lorde was the muse for the song. Comparisons over the years between the two were common but it was the remixed version that appeared after the album's release with Lorde's guest vocals that made the song fabled. To see the two of them performing it together was nothing short of magic. Two deeply talented women who do not shy away from writing about their insecurities was a sight to behold. During the few downtimes between songs, Lorde spoke to the Chicago crowd, not as a performer, but as someone you believe you know. She exudes gratitude and earthiness missing from many stars of today.

Bringing her set to a close was "Ribs" from her debut album. Last year in Milwaukee, she went to the back of the arena with a hoodie as the crowd hung on every word. The fear and anxiety of aging is nothing new in pop music, but to have it written by someone who was only sixteen at the time is astonishing. Seeing "Ribs" in concert is something everyone should experience. Lorde ventured into the crowd where she was elevated into the air by a riser as the crowd swung their arms and wailed away their worries. There is more understanding of the preciousness of time in "Ribs" then from artists who have lived decades longer. Lorde delivered an all-time great Lollapalooza performance in 2026. As the crowd emptied Grant Park, they were humming "Ribs", singing it with friends and as I looked at the young crowd, many were unaware they may not see these people as they age. We lose touch with those we love, people we couldn't imagine life without at one time. Best friends become strangers, but in a lot of ways memories are what keep us going where we think about how we want it all back. In "Ribs" those memories and friendships are eternal.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMUSIC Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He has seen over 1,000 concerts in his life and has covered Lollapalooza in depth for fifteen years. He can be followed on Twitter

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