Thirty Seconds To Mars, The 1975, Kendrick Lamar On Lollapalooza Day 2

Despite rain looming in the weekend forecast, day two at Lollapalooza was dry, the third consecutive year with nearly flawless weather to begin the four day festival.

Headlining performances by English pop rock act The 1975 and Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar capped a diverse slate of bookings which, for the second straight day, leaned heavily toward the guitar.

“I can’t believe there’s so many people that still like rock music here,” joked Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto Friday afternoon.

Touring in support of their forthcoming sixth studio album It’s the End of the World but It’s a Beautiful Day, set for release in September, Thirty Seconds to Mars put forth a visual spectacle in Chicago’s Grant Park before the first chord was even strummed, with Leto plummeting down from the top of the stage rigging via a harness, an entrance that will be hard to top.

“Are you with us?” asked the Oscar-winning actor rhetorically of the Lollapalooza crowd. “Look at this perfect day,” said Leto, taking stock of the massive festival crowd as he set up “Kings and Queens.”

Call and response between band and fan drove the Thirty Seconds to Mars set, one in which Leto appeared to be having just as much fun as any fan, humbled and engaging over the course of one hour on the festival’s north main stage.

A particularly funky bassline drove “This is War” late. And as concertgoers batted around black balloons dumped into the crowd, Leto invited an array of fans on stage to dance during “Rescue Me,” stressing the need for embarrassingly bad moves.

“The last time we played this festival in 2007, you weren’t even born yet,” joked Leto on stage Friday in Chicago. “We played it in 2003 too. Were you there?” he continued, noting the band’s placement on the festival’s final year as a touring extravaganza before arriving in Grant Park as a destination fest two years later. “Someone’s grandfather was,” joked Leto, setting up “Rescue Me” during one of Friday’s most entertaining sets.

Following an intimate Thursday night aftershow at Chicago’s Thalia Hall, U.K. alt rockers Foals returned to Lollapalooza for a one hour set on the Tito’s stage at Grant Park’s Petrillo Music Shell.

“It was great. It was really fun,” said Foals drummer Jack Bevan backstage on Friday prior to the group’s set. “We’ve been on tour with Paramore which has been great. But, due to the nature of being a support band, we’ve only been playing for 45 minutes. So, to cut loose and play an hour and a half, and play way more songs, it’s just really exciting for us,” he said of the group’s aftershow.

“I had one of my favorite ever times at a festival here the first time we played in 2008. I pretended I was a member of Radiohead’s family and got on the side of the stage. I think that was where the accent really sort of helped me out. It was absolutely amazing,” Bevan recalled. “And then Rage Against the Machine played the next day. So it was one of the best festivals I’ve ever been to.”

The group’s latest album Life Is Yours, their seventh, was born out of pandemic, nevertheless managing to address the turbulent times in an optimistic nature.

“I think that it’s interesting that the record was written in such a sort of COVID bubble that, whether it’s subconscious or not, everything, in a way, was sort of a reaction to lockdown and stuff. So it’s almost like the record we made will forever be tethered to that time in a way,” said singer and guitarist Yannis Philippakis. “But it’s also been really fun to play a lot of those songs live. Some of them are just the perfect party tunes. Playing ‘2001’ every night is awesome. It’s nice to have put out a different kind of emotion from an album than the ones that came before.”

Over the course of 45 minutes on the festival’s north end, Ekkstacy channeled the post punk sound of artists like Joy Division, injecting a melodic pop sensibility into an otherwise adrenaline-fueled affair.

“What the f–k is up, Lollapalooza?!” shouted the Canadian rocker, launching into “i wish you were pretty on the inside” to open the Ekkstacy set.

Just about an hour later, The 502s offered up one of the day’s most fun performances, deftly incorporating catchy folk, rock, jazz, pop and Celtic elements throughout their 45 minutes on stage in the shade provided by the Bacardi stage, adjacent to the Art Institute of Chicago.

Friday’s set followed an energetic after show at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall.

“It was incredible,” said horn player Joe Capati backstage prior to the group’s set. “It was just a wonderful energy from the crowd – especially that late at night. It truly felt like an afterparty for Lolla because everyone was just wild. We had a really good time.”

“Ever since we started doing it in [Ed’s] grandpa’s laundry room, people have always really reacted to it,” said multi-instrumentalist Matthew Tonner of the group’s humble roots. “We started out here in Chicago playing in a living room and now we’re at Lollapalooza. So it’s pretty insane.”

On stage Friday at Lollapalooza, The 502s were relentlessly entertaining, performing as a seven piece group featuring live banjo, horns, keys, guitar, bass and drums.

“Should we do it?” asked Capati of the crowd, following a quick soundcheck, the group tearing into “Hey Julia” to open the set.

Banjo player Ed Isola turned left, squaring up against Capati in a mock duel, Isola jumping in place as the crowd roared its approval during “According To Me.”

Following the release of new music, major festival appearances and success on TikTok for the single “Just a Little While,” Lollapalooza finds The 502s amidst a momentous year, the result of a keen eye on the business side and an embrace of the long game.

“That’s something the three of us have always had a pulse on,” said founding member Ed Isola. “[Matt] has a business background, I have a math background in banking and Joe has his degree. So, I think, from the very beginning, we’ve always viewed it as, ‘Let’s make music that we really like and make that piece of it.’ But we’ve also understood that, in order to get it out there, we’ve got to know what’s going on behind the scenes with the marketing and our finances and stuff. And I think that’s a big reason we’ve been able to grow consistently – because we have cared about that stuff,” he said.

“Last summer we played Bonnaroo for the first time. And that was kind of the start maybe of things really starting to happen,” said Isola during a conversation following a walk through of the Lollapalooza festival grounds. “The past year it’s been two EPs, touring, Lollapalooza. We’re going to Europe later this year. We’re planning a big tour next year. It kind of just feels like we’re living in a whirlwind, essentially, of a really positive upswing,” he continued. “It’s been more than I think we ever dreamed about. We feel very lucky.”

Following a terrific hour long set Thursday on the festival’s south main stage, one of the weekend’s most anticipated after shows came courtesy of Portugal. The Man, who would perform Friday evening in front of just 1,100 lucky fans at vaunted Chicago club Metro.

“Well… we didn’t get all of our gear stolen! That’s a good thing,” joked singer and guitarist John Gourley, recalling the group’s infamous 2011 Lollapalooza appearance (one in which the band’s van and gear were stolen – but ultimately mostly returned).

“Chicago has always been a really special city for us. I’m pretty sure that one of our first sold out shows ever was Chicago. You just have those moments that stand out,” he said. “And I’m psyched to be playing the Metro. We recorded these takeaway videos back in the day with Graham Baclagon, a filmmaker here. So, 2007 we recorded on the lower floor of the Metro,” said Gourley. “It’s so funny. Literally, the first time that I ever picked up an acoustic guitar and played was on these videos here in Chicago.”

Performing opposite Kendrick Lamar, The 1975 were a blast on the festival’s north main stage, putting forth 75 infectious minutes at Lollapalooza.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Matty Healy held his guitar up and out, pointing it at the crowd, the always quotable frontman shooting from the hip throughout the group’s set, launching into “Looking For Somebody (To Love)” to kick things off in Grant Park’s Butler Field.

“Well, well, well…” mused Healy on stage, sitting down as he lit a cigarette. “My, my, my…” he continued. “How ya feelin’?”

Sipping from a flask in a sleeveless tee, Healy danced in his chair, sitting down as the group delivered “Happiness.”

The opening lick of “Chocolate” sent the Lollapalooza crowd into a frenzy, Healy taking stock of the downtown Chicago audience in seeming amazement immediately following.

“Ladies and gentlemen…” he marveled. “What can I say?”