The annual outdoor festival Lollapalooza ran July 28-31 in Chicago, displaying a wide spectrum of talentincluding many LGBTQ+ actsthis year on nine stages.
The music carnival began as an eclectic touring endeavor originally but eventually settled in Chicago's Grant Park. The gathering grew to four days, with musicians performing each day approximately from noon to 10 p.m.
Packed with a variety of entertainers on sponsored stages, "lollapalooza" is a phrase describing "an extraordinary or unusual thing, person or event." This was apparent in acts that were booked and celebrated in the lineup.
Swedish pop star Maude Latour kicked things off July 28 and is already being seen as the next Dua Lipa, with her same original time slot. Check her track "Walk Backwards," in which listeners can hear her exploring a queer fluid identity.
Another Swedish sensation, Tove Lo, went topless and was "Talking Body" for part of her concert set at the Bud Light Seltzer Stage. She came out publicly as bisexual in the past and her identity is displayed in the new material on the upcoming album Dirt Femme planned for release in October of this year.
More bisexual representation followed with artist Remi Wolf. She howled and prowled on the Discord Stage on Thursday afternoon with a unique sound that has taken her from American Idol to her recent album Juno.
July 29 was unofficially "LGBTQ+ Day" at the massive music festival, thanks to out and proud musicians such as frontwoman Lydia Night of The Regrettes, gay and non-binary identified pop performer King Princess, queer and non-binary band Muna, bisexual rapper Baby Tate and Norwegian queer singer girl in red. Wreckno sashayed onto Solana x Perry's Stage while unapologetically spinning tracks off of his EP Pansy.
Hailing from Northbrook, Illinois, pop sensation Jordy made things gay with a projection of a rainbow of letters of his name onstage behind him at the T-Mobile Stage. Directly after his set, he spoke to Windy City Times in the media about his journey out of the closet and into the world of music. He said, "If I was able to relate to songs with straight perspectives as a kid, then straight people should be able to relate to my music too. Human heartbreak is universal!"
Indie favorites Daisy the Great played their hit "Record Player" at the BMI Stage under the shady trees. Out member of the Brooklyn band Mina Walker and longtime friend Kelley Nicole Dugan are working on more catchy music together later this year.
Dua Lipa closed that evening with a packed crowd that was entertained by catchy hooks, shiny costumes and talented backup dancers. This English singer with Albanian roots has come a long way playing for the third time at Lollapalooza. The Future Nostalgia singer was interviewed by Windy City Times after her first appearance at Grant Park way back in 2016 where she mentioned an interest in acting. She is now rumored to play superhero magician Zatanna Zatara for the DC Universe on the big screen.
Meet Me @ The Altar took the fans to church at the BMI Stage early on Saturday with two lesbian members who were previously reported on by Windy City Times at Riot Fest last year.
British rockers known as Crawlers have two queer members in the band and one of them Liv, who plays bass, told Windy City Times that the music scene has changed and the stigma of being an LGBTQ+ artist is widely accepted now. Liv went on to say, "Our shows are safe spaces and we didn't really have that growing up. We just want people to have a good time at our concerts and not be homophobic."
Queer powerhouse Fletcher and was a highlight for both her devoted fanbase and lesbian activist Chelsea Cutler made new fans during her outstanding segment on the Coinbase Stage.
Bisexual lead singer Joe Talbot of punk band Idles rocked the legion of new fans at the Bud Light Seltzer stage at 7 p.m then Bisexual and polyamorous performer Willow Smith whipped up a closing set on Saturday night that blended several genres altogether.
Before more LGBTQ+ representation closed down the festival on Sunday, thanks to openly bisexual Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, drag returned once again to this iconic festival. After the afternoon drag artist shows titled Mayhem and Time Warp finished a large group of individuals marched with photos of English singer Charli XCX to witness her set at the Bud Light Seltzer Stage. It was a powerful moment to remember how far the LGBTQ+ community has come over the years at Lollapalooza both as performers and patrons.
Stay tuned to lollapalooza.com for the upcoming 2023 lineup.