POD Recap: Lollapalooza 2018 – Day 3

Lollapalooza 2018 showed no signs of slowing come Saturday and neither did we as we braced ourselves for another round of live performances that would leave us with plenty to talk about.

My plate was full from the second I stepped foot in Grant Park, with an itinerary that included Femdot., Yungblud, Bomba Estereo, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Goldlink, St. Vincent, and finally Vampire Weekend.

Saturday was a hell of date. Check out our favorite highlights below.

Catfish and the Bottlemen will be Lolla headliners in the next 5 years

Catfish had fans with their hands up all show. It felt like every song was destined to be met with the same reaction: fan turns to the person beside them and said,“omg I love this song!” The level of fandom was incredible, and the band has a catalog that’s incredibly strong despite their shot life in this game. Those anthemic tracks will very soon be called upon to close out this festival, and many others.. Trust my word on that.

St. Vincent makes a strong case for music coming from a 6-string can still be interesting

St. Vincent is a true artist, and her performances are a work of art. Joined by backing instrumentalists donning bizarre masks and moving about like possessed sock puppets, Annie Clark herself operating pretty robotically, her stage antics always kept its grasp on the viewers’ attention as she continuously kicked ass while changing from one neon guitars to the next. The experience was enhanced through her sporadic, strategic use of the back screen which operated like cinematic vignette accompaniment. For example, “Pills” had a creepy one with floating arms controlling what expressions Clark would display, from sad to happy to even saluting some kind of patriotic symbol.

In the battle of the Week(e)nds, Abel stole the show but Vampire Weekend held their own

The only time this year that I split my time between headliners was for the dueling set times of Vampire Weekend and The Weeknd. I went out on a whim and decided to check out what Ezra Koenig and crew would do after a nearly 5-year hiatus. I had seen The Weeknd absolutely kill it on his recent Starboy Tour so I thought it was only right to see the New York band first.

This set was definitely meant to please fans and help them rejoice at being part of this crowd, with a decently balanced mix of tracks from throughout their three albums including “A-Punk” (didn’t need it 3x in a row, but that’s neither here nor there), “Diane Young,” “Horchata,” “Unbelievers,” and “Holiday.” But Koenig’s band kept things interesting, not only because he was rocking a System of a Down long sleeve shirt, as they jammed to Chicago’s “Saturday in the Park” in the middle of “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” and covering SBTRKT’s “New Dorp. New York” (which actually features Ezra). This cover was certainly a change of pace, but the moody club-ready track made for a good track to get people dancing. I wouldn’t want a whole album of this from this band, but I can dig it live.

I left just as they were going into “Cousins,” and it was mind-boggling to hear that fade into The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face;” it felt like listening to the radio when you’re driving away from town.

As I got closer and closer to the Grant Park stage, it was immediately evident that I wouldn’t have regretted my decision had I chosen to see this whole set instead. The vibes were intensely passionate, fitting for such a setting. Hit after hit, onlookers sang along with their headliner and it was chilling to be there in person for that. Fans sounded as good, and as loud, as what was blasting through the speakers on that field. And being there for “The Hills” was a phenomenal thing; fireworks were the perfect accent to this explosive display from the Canadian star.

Favorite quotes/overheard lines:

“I need all your energy like a spirit bomb.” – Femdot
“No matter how crazy it gets out there, outside this park… There’s always a reason to dance.” – St. Vincent
“This one is for the boys. This one is for the girls. This one is for everyone that is non-gender binary.” – St. Vincent before “Slow Disco”
“Lo he pensado ya mil veces… no sé como se nos ocurre hacer esta mamada.” – fan wearing a 4-day wristband, upon getting to the train station

Vampire Weekend