The 2025 edition of Lollapalooza has been full of happy surprises, from pop royalty Robyn performing with Gracie Abrams on the first day, to Olivia Rodrigo marking her Lolla Chicago debut on Day Two with a little help from Weezer, the first band she ever saw in concert. And Saturday was no exception, with Twice making history as the first female K-pop act to headline and Doechii drawing nearly Chappell Roan-level crowds to her set. Rüfüs du Sol, Clairo, and Chance the Rapper were also among the highlights on Day Three at the Chicago fest in Grant Park.
Twice Become First K-Pop Girl Group to Headline Lollapalooza
K-pop groups have been making serious waves and history at Lollapalooza in Chicago in recent years. In 2022, J-Hope of BTS became the first South Korean artist to not only headline Lollapalooza, but also any major U.S. music festival, which paved the way for headlining slots from Tomorrow x Together in 2023 and Stray Kids in 2024. Each year, more South Korean acts prove to be lineup highlights. On Saturday, Twice became the first K-pop girl group to headline the festival, and the nine-member strong group’s electrifying set spanned songs from their decade-long career, all of which had Once — their fandom — in a frenzy. Fans waved lightsticks, creating a field-wide, multi-colored garden of neon light that bounced to the rhythms and melodies played by Twice’s live backing band. With perfectly crafted choreography to match their pitch-perfect harmonies, Twice performed a number of standouts, including the anthemic “One Spark” and the rocking “Stuck in My Head.” They saved newer songs “Strategy” and the title track to their new album This Is For for their encore, which was preceded by an impressive drone show. “Damn, I got it, I’m Iconic,” they sang during “Icon,” and Once and the newly converted had to agree. —A.L.
Get Ready to Enroll in Doechii’s Academy
Welcome to Doechii’s school of hip-hop. Today, we’re studying bars, genre, and the written word. Under the scrutiny of an all-seeing headmaster, Doechii and her nine dancers-turned-classmates pushed school desks into formations and climbed an oversized boombox with slides, exemplifying what above-and-beyond achievement truly means. Doechii’s got the star power, the creative vision and, most importantly, the talent. She learned all the right lessons: there’s no time for cutting songs short or half-assing verses, performing is also about acting the part, and a winning presentation explores a theme in detail. Taken together, it’s why Doechii’s performance was a masterclass not just for a rapper, but for all artists aspiring to become headliners. Aided by the remarkable deck work of her DJ, Miss Milan, Doechii’s animated vigor during Alligator Bites Never Heal tracks reminded viewers why she won her record-breaking Best Rap Album Grammy, and the sudden appearance of City Girls’ JT for a fiery version of “Alter Ego” felt like recess gone wild. Then the school bell rang; class dismissed. At least Doechii slipped a special treat into everyone’s lockers: news of a headlining tour. –N.C.
Rüfüs Du Sol Prove Mellow House Music Is Main Stage Headliner-Worthy
Although Lollapalooza has long booked electronic artists, they’re typically relegated to Perry’s stage, including headliners. What bigger honor for Rüfüs Du Sol, then, to claim the main stage on Saturday night, following in the footsteps of Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem. “Feels good to be representing electronic music and Australian music tonight,” said keyboardist Jon George. The Sydney trio melt house and electro-pop into mellow dance that soundtracks introverted epiphanies and neon club nights. Live, it was drummer James Hunt who shifted the band’s strengths into overdrive, injecting slower songs like “You Were Right” and “Always” with drum fills in the style of remixed trip-hop and disco shuffles. By the time that meditative, expansive bliss of “Innerbloom” stretched out into the night sky, the crowd got to vibe out in a trippy state of zen beneath fireworks and lasers, sated but not drained before heading into the final day. —N.C.
Clairo Draws Friends and Fans Closer
Clairo initially opened her set not with a song, but while lounging and drinking wine with her band, and beckoned the livestream camera — and by default the audience — to come a little closer. Professionally known as Clairo, Claire Cottrill has been touring on her third album, Charm, and songs from that effort, including opener “Second Nature,” “Sexy to Someone,” and “Juna” showcased her leaning into more retro, Seventies-flavored material. Later in the set she invited some friends in the form of her bandmates Shelly onstage to surprise perform “Steeam.” Fan favorites, like the winsome, bright “Bags” set closer “Sofia” were also highlights. —A.L.
Chance the Rapper Readies His Big Return With a Surprise Set
Though he seemed omnipresent in Chicago throughout the 2010s, Chance the Rapper has stayed fairly low since his 2019 album The Big Day. For a brief 15 minutes, though, the rapper reclaimed his hype aura with a surprise set at Perry’s stage, charging through a medley of “No Problem,” “All Night,” and “Cocoa Butter Kisses.” Chance then turned his attention to promoting Star Line, his first new album in six years, by performing “Tree” and an unreleased track. Between the QR code plastered over the screens and constant verbal reminders from Chance, there was no forgetting his comeback album arrives in two weeks. —N.C.
Fujii Kaze Is Primed for ‘Prema’
Fujii Kaze has topped charts with his first two studio albums in his native Japan (his third record, Prema, arrives in September), and it was easy to see why during his charismatic performance on Saturday. His Lollapalooza debut included breakout hit “Shinunoga E-Wa,” the song that brought him wider world attention, and also “Matsuri.” The prodigious musician played cascading melodies on the keyboard and dropped a saxophone solo in between working the stage and the crowd with his suave dance moves. “You can’t be shy,” he said at one point as he danced around, but the audience had been moving with him all along. —A.L.
Young Miko and Her Fans Represent
Fans proudly waved Puerto Rican flags at rapper Young Miko’s set on the north end of Grant Park, where she was one of several international acts to appear on Saturday. Singing and addressing the crowd mostly in Spanish, she revved-up fans with a riveting set that included songs from her 2023 breakthrough EP, Trap Kitty, including “Riri,” and her Grammy-nominated debut album, att., opening with that album’s “oye ma’.” Young Miko also peppered in some of her collabs, including “Classy 101” with Feid, “Madre” with Villano Antillano, and “Fina” with Bad Bunny. —A.L.
Pop Camp Gets Calmed in Marina’s Hands
Marina has undergone enough tiers of alt-pop girl persona that, by now, she’s seriously good at being unserious. Whether it was flirtatiousness gone coy on old hits “How to Be a Heartbreaker” and “Primadonna,” the funk-filtered drama of “Froot,” or the haughty empowerment of her latest camp entry “Cuntissimo,” she played it big without sacrificing introspection. That especially extended to “Everybody Knows I’m Sad,” which got its live debut in the hands of a party-ready, but respectful, crowd. “Why is it so hard to let myself get close?” she sang, that honesty a breath of fresh pop air. —N.C.
BossMan Dlow Helps College Kids Go A Cappella
After the TikTok-viral single “Get in With Me” boosted Tallahassee’s own BossMan Dlow to national fame, the Florida rapper has been honing his vision for trap in the modern era. Months after dropping his studio debut, Dlow Curry, he led the charge for young adults who rapped along to refrains while jumping and playing chicken. Happy to trade barbs and brag about his come-up, BossMan Dlow spat out bars from “SportsCenter,” “Mr. Pot Scraper,” and “Mo Chicken” while four dancers twerked on the stage’s edge. But the crowd’s unexpected a cappella version of “Get in With Me” ultimately stole the show. —N.C.
K-Pop Newcomers Kickflip Make a Lasting First Impression
From an existence standpoint, Kickflip are seven months old — the youngest festival act this year. The K-pop boy band debuted in January with the Flip It, Kick It! EP, but technically the group was coming together years prior. Born from a South Korean reality competition show, the teenaged septet was bright-eyed and eager to impress in stylized button-ups, frequently claiming the runway to perform group choreo. “Freeze” and “Like a Monster” set expectations with glossy aughts-era pop-rock, which they softened with easygoing smiles. Sure, they’re just getting started, but Kickflip performed like they’ve been rehearsing for Lolla their entire lives. —N.C.
