Thresher’s Lollapalooza report: Who ruled Grant Park?

By Radhani Kapoor and Arman Saxena     8/26/25 10:06pm

Chicago’s Grant Park ran on pure dopamine this weekend — surprise debuts, late-but-worth-it arrivals, confetti, fireworks and at least three mass sing-alongs an hour. From Joey Valence & BRAE road-testing new indietronica to A$AP Rocky cracking open his vault, T-Pain turning the field into karaoke and Olivia Rodrigo summoning Weezer, Lollapalooza felt like a live-wire mixtape. Doechii built a universe, TWICE made history and Sabrina signed off with a superstar-cementing finale. Here’s what actually lived up to the skyline.

Joey Valence & BRAE

One great thing about catching an artist right before a release is you might hear the new stuff first. That’s exactly what Joey Valence & BRAE did Sunday — debuting cuts from their Aug. 15 drop. Think indietronica-laced rap bangers, big hooks and nonstop energy.

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ASAP Rocky

Yes, he was 20 minutes late (which is honestly early for him), but Rocky still put on a show. He performed “LVL” and “I Smoked Away My Brain” live for the first time ever and threaded older favorites into newer material. It felt like a celebration of more than a decade of bangers — big visuals, tight pacing and pure swagger.

Amaarae

We didn’t catch her Lolla set, but her afterparty more than delivered. bLAck pARty opened with a silky R&B-soul warmup, then Amaarae hit like a spark — biggest hits, nonstop crowd work and a Chicago nod with three Chief Keef tracks back-to-back. She spiked the energy with Travis Scott and Playboi Carti’s “FEIN,” then previewed tracks from her newest project “Black Star”.“Fineshyt” and “S.M.O.” were instant club weapons that had the room levitating.

T-Pain

T-Pain has been perfecting his live set for two decades and it shows. He stitched hits like “Bartender” and “Buy U a Drank” with crowd-pleasing covers — “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Tennessee Whiskey” — so everyone had something to belt. The balance between Auto-Tune sparkle and raw vocals made the whole field feel like a karaoke party with a world-class band.

MARINA 

MARINA’s set was pure fun, charisma and energy — she’s a star and she knows it. The T-Mobile lawn was dancing and singing to every word as she rolled through “Bubblegum Bitch,” “Primadonna,” “Are You Satisfied?” and premiered the live synth-pop banger “EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M SAD” from PRINCESS OF POWER. Big hooks, bigger presence and zero dead moments.

Djo

Joe Keery’s Chicago homecoming leaned into nostalgia in the best way. Between woozy psych-pop grooves, he projected home videos from his DePaul days and played a sweet video message from Charlie Heaton. “End of Beginning” blew the roof off, but the whole set felt like a personal scrapbook — warm, analog and surprisingly intimate for a massive stage.

The Marias

Visually, The Marías had one of the weekend’s best sets. Saturated colors, gorgeous silhouettes and camera-ready moments were everywhere. María’s breathy vocals floated over sleek basslines, and the band’s arrangements gave every song extra lift. It was a set designed for your camera roll and for swaying with your friends — stylish without ever feeling empty.

Doechii 

Doechii is simply one of the best live performers right now. Building on her Tiny Desk and Colbert momentum, she brought tight choreography, a celebration of queer culture and a clear love for old-school hip-hop. City Girls’ JT popping in was the extra jolt. Start to finish, it felt like she turned the big stage into her own world.

TWICE

TWICE are K-pop royalty, and as the first K-pop girl group to headline Lolla, they owned it. Fireworks, crisp choreography, colorful visuals — the whole package. Their crowd control is next-level, and the harmonies stayed locked the entire time. It was confident, joyful and the kind of headlining moment that cements a legacy.

Olivia Rodrigo

Pop anthems, outfit changes and … Weezer? Olivia’s set checked every box. She ripped through “bad idea right?,” “vampire” and “good 4 u,” then brought out Rivers Cuomo mid-show — a cross-generational dream moment for a lot of us (read: me). It was polished but still felt feral and fiery in the right places, which is her sweet spot.

Tyler, the Creator 

No one brings pure energy like Tyler. He sprinted between snarling “NEW MAGIC WAND” delivery and the softer croon of “See You Again,” joking with the crowd and running the stage with total confidence. By the end he looked completely spent — which makes sense when you leave everything out there. Controlled chaos, exactly what you want.

Sabrina Carpenter

With a hair flip, wink and a pink bodysuit, Sabrina treated her Lolla headliner like a coronation. She opened with a “Busy Woman”/“Taste”/“Good Graces” triple punch, then shocked the park by bringing Earth, Wind & Fire for “Let’s Groove”/“September.” A “bed chem” × “Pony” mashup, playful fuzzy-cuff arrests of TWICE, the signature “Juno” pose, and a soaring “Please Please Please” capped a set teasing her next era, “Man’s Best Friend.”

Two Friends

Two Friends closed out their set with an unforgettable performance combining fiery visuals, 500+ synchronized drones and live instruments. Surprise guests Corbyn Besson and Natalie Jane kept viewers on their toes while their announcement of their return to big bootie land sent crowds into a frenzy. 

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