Lollapalooza 2019: Day 2 recap

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Charles Reagan Hackleman/Lollapalooza 2019

Janelle Monáe performs at Lollapalooza on Friday. Her set was complete with a throne, powerful choreography, and several outfit changes.

Andrea Bian, Summer Managing Editor

Lollapalooza continued Friday in Grant Park, with clear blue skies and temperatures still hovering in the low 80s. Many popular artists performed on Friday to consistently sizeable crowds.

Tierra Whack gets her “best crowd ever”

Unapologetically unique rapper Tierra Whack did not disappoint in her afternoon set. Opening with “Only Child,” Whack performed plenty of older and newer tracks. Most notable were her performances off of “Whack World,” her 2018 album consisting of one-minute-long songs. Fans sang and danced to the punchy beats of the songs, which included her some of her most famous hits, such as “Hungry Hippo,” and “Pretty Ugly.” Whack said the Lolla crowd was the best she had ever performed to, prompting loud cheers. She peppered her set with call-and-response chants with the audience and free merchandise given to birthday fans.

Maggie Rogers plays her second Lolla set

After surprising fans by joining Hozier on stage Thursday to perform “Work Song,” Maggie Rogers, the rapidly rising indie-pop star, took to the Bud Light stage Friday to perform her own set. While much of the large audience packed the area near the stage, just as many preferred to sit on blankets farther away and relax while listening to the music. Rogers performed songs from her album, “Heard It In A Past Life,” which she released at the beginning of this year — “Overnight” and “Give A Little” got the audience riled up. Wearing a tie-dye outfit, Rogers made sure to let the attendees know how excited she was. “This is my second time playing Lolla, which is the craziest sentence I’ve ever said in my f–king life,” Rogers told the crowd. She last performed at Lolla in 2017.

Janelle Monáe commands royal attention

The grandeur of Janelle Monáe’s performance lies in her stage presence. Monáe kept festival attendees engaged throughout her one-hour set, singing multiple tracks from her latest Grammy-nominated album, 2018’s “Dirty Computer.” Opening with “Crazy. Classic, Life,” Monáe celebrated individuality and inclusion throughout her performance. “We celebrate us even if it makes others uncomfortable,” Monáe said after calling for the rights of multiple marginalized identities, including black people, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. With several drastic outfit changes, a throne, and dancers and musicians surrounding her almost at all times, Monáe and her stunning vocal ability made a splash.

Put your phones down, says Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino had three requests for the crowd at his headlining set: he wanted them to love themselves, have fun, and ditch the phones. Calling his performance the “Childish Gambino experience,” he requested that the audience be present for the experience as well. Still, fans couldn’t resist recording and photographing with their phones during Gambino’s energy-filled performances of “Summertime Magic” and “This Is America,” as he frequently traveled between the main T-Mobile Stage and a high platform stage further into the crowd. On the walks between stages, Gambino took fans’ phones to take crowd selfies. He also continually praised the energy of the audience. Some fans, having seen Gambino’s raucous performance of “Bonfire” at his other shows, started “Bonfire” chants on multiple occasions, especially when he left the stage before the encore. Gambino did indeed return to perform an encore of hits, including “3005,” “IV. Sweatpants,” and “Redbone,” but only teased the beginning of the “Bonfire” beat, ultimately not playing the song. Fans couldn’t get enough — they were still chanting for one more song even after Gambino left the stage for the second time upon closing his set.

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