The fourth day of Lollapalooza seemed to sputter out. It wasn’t bad, but there weren’t many attendees left or acts to be interested in. It’s hard to keep people engaged for four whole days, and the fourth day was almost an afterthought. Despite that, there were still a few good performances that soldiered on.
Princess Nokia appeared on the big stage dressed in a skimpy neon outfit with tons of beads, like a cyberpunk Mardi Gras. It was an homage to her background in the gay nightclub scene. Princess Nokia’s style is the kind of sexy female-empowerment rap that’s really popular right now, nothing too original or spectacular but mesmerizing nonetheless. “Tomboy” stood out to me as one of the more catchy songs.
Mxmtoon came on Grubhub later. Like Tai Verdes and many other younger artists, mxmtoon arose from internet fame. Her brand of soft bedroom pop didn’t exactly translate into excitement but still drew a sizable crowd who were just looking to relax. If anything, it was a welcome departure from the intense drops and powerful bass of other concerts, a more acoustic concert that felt intimate. Mxmtoon’s style is very simple: no over-embellished notes or crazy runs, but her voice, clear like glass and right on the money, still draws the listener in. “Fever Dream” is a perfect encapsulation of her style: soft but not drowned out, catchy but not cliché.
BROCKHAMPTON was one of the bigger names of the day. The hip hop boy band stormed the stage, though member Bearface was notably absent due to illness. The members traded verses. One benefit to having a bigger ensemble is that you can always generate more interest by switching off; all the members have distinct styles and played well off of each other. The person that caught my attention was Joba, as he danced across the entire stage, gave each verse his all, and even twerked during “SEX.” Even though the general atmosphere was winding down late on the fourth day, BROCKHAMPTON still managed to give a killer concert.
Rap duo Earthgang went on the Grubhub stage in late evening and delivered a somewhat underwhelming performance. It lacked energy. Their time slot definitely presented an uphill battle, but nevertheless, their show was lethargic, like they were just going through the motions. They brought out Rico Nasty (who went right before them), but it didn’t seem like a good choice, coming off more as desperate than anything else.
Of course, it’s impossible to talk about the fourth day without mentioning that DaBaby was canceled at the last minute and replaced with Young Thug. DaBaby was mired in controversy due to his homophobic comments at the Rolling Loud festival. Young Thug did a serviceable job for someone who was given such short notice, although he was twenty minutes late. At least he made it through without getting himself canceled.
Lollapalooza day four fizzled out, not with an epic finale, but more a gentle slope downward, which was unfortunate for many of the great artists that performed that day. But keeping a four-day festival interesting is no easy feat, and despite the odds and challenges, Lollapalooza was a resounding success this year. For better or worse, Lollapalooza marks a big step in people coming out again and resuming life as normal after the pandemic.
Daily Arts Writer Jason Zhang can be reached at zhangjt@umich.edu.