Tuesday Top Ten: Lollapalooza 2023 Edition

It's early August, so you know what that means in Chicago.  Last weekend, I spent four days of peace, love, music, and horribly dressed humans in Grant Park for my 18th Lollapalooza.

The weather was great on Thursday and Friday, but then there was rain for most of the afternoon on Saturday, which predictably turned various parts of Grant Park into a mud pit.  Sunday was a little chilly and had a little bit of rain.  But it would take more than some rain to ruin the vibe, and I still had a damn good time.

All four days, there were bands or artists I wanted to see early, so I was in Grant Park by 1 p.m. each day, save for Saturday when it was raining and I got there at 1:30.  I skipped the aftershows again this year, as there wasn't anything that really called out to me.  As with pretty much every year, each day, I randomly ran into people I knew -- from co-workers to neighbors to fellow school parents to college friends to people I've known since grade school -- and made new "festival friends" at shows or in cocktail lounges throughout the weekend.

Overall, I thought the headliners were kind of weak this year:  Billie Eilish and Karol G on Thursday; Kendrick Lamar and The 1975 on Friday; Odesza and Tomorrow X Together on Saturday; and Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lana Del Ray on Sunday.  I thought Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar's respective performances were a little underwhelming and lacked energy.  I didn't care about either headliner on Saturday, so I saw The Garden on a side stage instead (they were pretty good).  The Chili Peppers on Sunday were good, but not great compared to other times I've seen them, and their set list didn't bowl me over.

But the undercard made up for it.  I honestly hadn't heard of most of the bands and artists that were playing, but I always listen to a few songs by everyone I don't know in the week or two before Lolla.  This year, a buddy and I made a playlist on Spotify to keep track of who we thought sounded good enough to check out.  I don't know why it took us so long to do this, as it was a great way to get familiar with a lot of the bands.  The only downside to that was that there were too many, and some of them overlapped, so we had the enviable problem of too many bands we wanted to see.

I again very much enjoyed the cocktail lounges, which are always a nice 21-and-over respite from the suburban teenagers on Molly.  The Cutwater canned margarita continues to be the best bang for your buck, even at $16 a pop, as it's basically the alcohol equivalent of a double at $9 less than what a double cocktail will cost you.  Plus, you can bring cans outside of the cocktail lounges, but not the cups with the mixed cocktails.  For the second year in a row, I was disappointed with the craft beer garden, as they had the same beers they've had the last few years, and only a couple options that weren't available at the "regular" bar tents all over the grounds.  Given the vibrancy of the Chicago craft beer market, I was hoping for some good variety, but alas, it was not to be.  Also, while I used to switch to wine when the sun went down -- to save on bathroom trips and to get five drinks for less than the price of five beers -- the wine options this year were insanely expensive ($55-$70 for a bottle).  But again, these are minor things that could not possibly stop be from having a hell of a time.

As usual, I saw a ton of great bands and artists, and I made some additions to my ever-growing list of bands I need to see when they come back to Chicago.  There was rock, pop, hip hop, rap, punk, disco, soul, metal, alt rock, alt pop, folk, country, R&B, Southern rock, EDM, and everything in between.  Only after compiling the list below am I realizing how much I packed into four days.

Here are the bands and artists for which I saw two or more songs over the course of the weekend:

Thursday:  Bad Neighbors, Finish Ticket, The Beaches, Dope Lemon, Ax and The Hatchetmen, Lovejoy, Austin Meade, Franc Moody, Sofi Tukker, Portugal. The Man, Carly Rae Jepsen, Carola, Billie Eilish, Diplo, The Rose

Friday:  Tyler Christian, Junior Mesa, Cydeways, Sincere Engineer, Loveless, BAND-MAID, Annie DiRusso, Sueco, Charlotte Sands, The 502s, TALK, Foals, Declan McKenna, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Kendrick Lamar, Knocked Loose, The 1975

Saturday:  The Linda Lindas, Arcy Drive, Thee Sacred Souls, Usted Señalemelo, Suki Waterhouse, Danielle Ponder, Sylvan Esso, The Revivalists, Motherfolk, Morgan Wade, Maggie Rogers, Yung Gravy, Odesza, The Garden

Sunday:  Little Stranger, Harry Edohoukwa, The Happy Fits, The Red Clay Strays, Neil Frances, Big Boss Vette, Mt. Joy, Maisie Peters, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, The Backseat Lovers, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Here are my top ten shows that I saw over the course of the weekend (in chronological order):

Honorable Mention:  Austin Meade, Cydeways, Charlotte Sands, Harry Edohoukwa, The Happy Fits, Big Boss Vette, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie (probably should have been a headliner), Red Hot Chili Peppers

1.  Bad Neighbors (Thursday, Coinbase Stage)

The first show I saw at this year's fest kicked Lolla off on an energetic note.  I don't know exactly how to describe Bad Neighbors because they kind of bend genres, but it's two rappers with a DJ and a guitarist (who shreds).  They have elements of rap, punk, pop punk, and metal, and they were great.

2.  The Beaches (Thursday, Bud Light Stage)

I've seen The Beaches a few times at festivals, and they don't disappoint.  An all-female Canadian rock band, they play a combination of rock, punk, and power pop.  They also have good stage banter and a sense of humor.  They were playing on the Bud Light Stage, and at one point, the lead singer said she could go for a beer, noting that they were on the Bud Light sSage and then saying they would happily let Bud Light sponsor them because "we're the gays you're looking for."

3.  Sincere Engineer (Friday, Bud Light Stage)

I've seen Chicago-based Sincere Engineer a few times, both at festivals and opening for The Hold Steady a few years ago.  I'd describe them as a mix of rock, punk, and alt-rock -- kind of a natural extension of bands like The Replacements, Hole, The Pixies, and early '90s "college radio" bands.  I also love it when bands seem truly excited to play big festivals, and lead singer Deanna Belos said a couple times both how pumped they were to be playing Lolla and how nervous she was.

4.  BAND-MAID (Friday, Coinbase Stage)

An all-female Japanese metal band, BAND-MAID dresses up as "maids," which apparently is a nod to certain Japanese cosplay restaurants called maid cafes.  But make no mistake, their sweet and submissive stage outfits are contrasted by their fast-paced thrashing.  They were fantastic.

5.  The 502s (Friday, Bacardi Stage)

Florida-based The 502s were a nice little ray of sunshine, playing poppy, sun-soaked indie rock that was a nice contrast to some of the more serious artists.

6.  Thirty Seconds to Mars (Friday, Bud Light Stage)

I somehow failed to get a photo of Thirty Seconds to Mars, and I got to their set just after Jared Leto bungee jumped from the top of the stage during "Walk On Water" at the beginning of their show.  It's probably a 60-70-foot drop.  (Link to a video of the jump here.)  These guys probably should have been headliners, especially given the rather uninspired performances from some of the bands and artists that were headlining this year.

7.  The Linda Lindas (Saturday, Tito's Stage)

This was the first band I saw on Saturday, as the rain was coming down.  It's four females, and I thought it was odd when one of them remarked about how they're so grateful that they can spend their summers touring.  I thought, "why just the summers?"  Then later, one of the guitarists was introducing the band and noting their ages.  She was the oldest, at 18.  The drummer is 12 (!), which has to be the youngest performer I've ever seen at Lolla.  Don't let their ages fool you, though.  They rocked, playing often-politically charged punk music, harkening the riot grrrrl movement.

8.  Usted Señalemelo (Saturday, Toyota Music Den)

I missed these guys' main set, but got lucky because they were playing a 30-minute side session later at the Toyota tent, which not only got us out of the rain, but got us a good show.  The band is from Argentina, and I have no idea what they were saying in their songs, but it was a fun, rocking show in an intimate setting -- though my ears hurt afterward.

9.  Little Stranger (Sunday, Bacardi Stage)

The first band I saw on Sunday was Little Stranger, who I guess I would describe as kind of an indie hip hop rock band.  They reminded me of Fun Lovin' Criminals from the '90s, but with kind of funny stoner songs (like "Coffee & A Joint" and songs about mushrooms).  It was a great vibe.

10.  The Red Clay Strays (Sunday, BMI Stage)

These guys are kind of a Southern rock band, and they were awesome.  Like many of the bands on this list, I hadn't heard of them before a week or two ago, and they're going to be on my list of bands to see when they come through town again.  In fact, I already got a ticket to see them when they come back to town in October!