From J-hope to J.Cole, here is our breakdown of some of the festival’s most memorable moments
Lollapalooza 2022 made a triumphant return to Grant Park, Chicago for four electric days in July.
J-hope, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, J.Cole, Machine Gun Kelly, Metallica, Big Sean, Green Day, and Jazmine Sullivan were the big names on the smorgasbord of a lineup, with many more topping the bill.
It was a four-day festival full of history-making highs. BTS’s J-Hope became the first South Korean artist to not only headline Lollapalooza but the first to headline a main stage at any major U.S. music festival. Tomorrow x Together, label mates with BTS, also became the first K-pop act to perform at Lolla.
Meanwhile, Pornos for Pyros fans were treated to a reunion show after the group got back together earlier this year since breaking up in 1998.
With an eclectic range of artists, the festival served as the perfect environment for guest appearances from across the music industry, with Big Sean welcoming his pregnant girlfriend Jhene Aiko and J.Cole bringing out his Dreamville artists Bas & J.I.D. J-Hope performed live for the first time with Becky G three years after their collaboration Chicken Noodle Soup came out. The likes of Tinashe, Mahalia, Sampa The Great, Sam Fender, Lil Durk (his set derailed by an injury), Eurovision champions Maneskin, and Griff made an appearance throughout the weekend.
Whether you missed the shows or want to relive all the action, here is a rundown of the six best moments of Lollapalooza 2022.
Jazmine Sullivan Gave Us Perfect Pitch
On Thursday, Jazmine Sullivan made her Lollapalooza debut and took fans on a vocal journey that can only be described as a spiritual experience. Opening her set dressed head to toe in neon yellow, the R&B singer slyly asked the audience if “anybody ever bust some windows? Well, I did,” before transiting into her hit song “Bust Your Windows.”
The Grammy-award-winning singer won over the crowd with her powerhouse riffs, runs, monologues interpreted by backup dancers, and performing fan favourites like “On It,” “Insecure” and “Let It Burn.” Sullivan even transformed the crowd into her personal choir with an exhilarating cover of The Fugees’ classic “Killing Me Softly.” ’
Closing out her performance with Heaux Tales’ stand-out track “Pick Up Your Feelings,” Sullivan left the crowd swaying and singing in harmonies.
Jazmine Sullivan CREDIT : Keenan Hairston for Lollapalooza 2022
Tinashe Turned Up the Heat
On Friday, Tinashe gave a performance that was as hot as the weather outside. The songstress showed off her dance prowess with fun and flirty choreography throughout the entire set, which included “2 On”, “All Hands On Deck” and “Naturally” from the Deluxe version of her latest record 333. The finale “Bouncin” really turned up the heat with sexy hip thrusts, twerking on chairs, and a dance break where she -literally- made it bounce on the ground.
Tinashe CREDIT : Brandleighh for Lollapalooza 2022
Dua Lipa Lights Up The Night
This was Dua Lipa’s third time at Lolla and it was clear the British singer is a pro at this by now. Her Mugler outfit was a clever costume choice as the night drew in on Friday, dazzling the packed-out crowd. Dua Lipa continues to be a popstar force to be reckoned with evidenced by fans belting out "New Rules," "Levitating," “Pretty Please,” “Good in Bed,” and "Don't Stop Now" word for word. One of the highlights of her set was when she paused to address the overturning of Roe v Wade. Dua told the crowd: "Stand up for women’s rights, stand up against racial injustice. Stand up for the LGBTQ community. Stand up for each other and I'm here to stand up for you in whatever way I can, I promise.
Dua Lipa CREDIT : Pooneh Ghana for Lollapalooza 2022
TXT Makes History
Tomorrow x Together made history as the first K-pop group to perform at Lollapalooza. The quintet appeared on the Solana x Perry’s stage to perform a collection of songs that included their latest title track “Good Boy Gone Bad,” “Anti-Romantic” and “Valley of Lies” alongside featuring artist Iann Dior. ” The most endearing part of the show was when Heuningkai assumed that their songs might be new to a lot of the people there. If the light sticks and TXT fans (also known as Moas) singing along and even playing the tambourine during “Magic” was anything to go by, Tomorrow x Together have successfully launched themselves on the festival scene.
Tomorrow x Together CREDIT : Taylor Regulski for Lollapalooza 2022
J.Cole Controls the Crowd
J.Cole gave a charismatic performance, befitting of a Lollapalooza headliner. The Hip Hop veteran opened with “95 South” and a collection of other songs from his most recent album The Off Season. J.Cole reminded the crowd about his performances at the festival years prior where he performed on the side stage with aspirations of one day making it to the main stage. He also took the time to express his gratitude towards his fans at whatever time they joined his fandom – whether it was from day one or day 27. The rapper even shared the stage with his Dreamville artists J.I.D & Bas who “Down Bad,” “Stick,” and “100. Mil.”
J.Cole is a live wire who set his audience on fire. Whether he was sitting down to perform his favourite song “Love Yourz” or running across the stage like an athlete to classics “Can’t Get Enough,” “Work It”, “G.O.M.D,” “Wet Dreams,” and “Power Trip,” the crowd matched his energy with ease. By the time he closed out Day 3 with “No Role Modelz” the crowd was under his complete control.
J.Cole CREDIT : Greg Noire for Lollapalooza 2022
J-hope Proves He Is a Superstar
Like the BTS song goes, J-hope lit it up like Dynamite. Given his group’s reputation, it’s no surprise that J-hope’s solo stage was attended by approximately 105,000 people (according to the press release sent out by his label HYBE). Based on the rapper’s confidence, effortless swag, and command of the stage throughout his 19 song set, one would have never guessed that this was the rapper’s first time performing alone. The rapper unleashed his inner rockstar upon ARMY showcasing songs like "More", "Arson" and "Equal Signs" from his new album Jack In The Box. The set also included songs from his mixtape Hope World such as “Daydream,” “HANGSANG” and "Piece of Peace" (the latter absolutely perfect for fans to wave their light stick). The South Korean star paid homage to the group that made his name with BTS songs "Just Dance", "Cypher Part 1" and "Outro: Ego." He also breathed new life into the “Dynamite Tropical” remix, adding new choreography with a pleasantly diverse set of dancers including Sienna Lalau who choreographed “Chicken Noodle Soup and BTS’s “ON.” A hat tip to Old Dirty Bastard on “What If” and a shout out to “DJ webstar and Young B (the originator of Chicken Noodle Soup, which he performed with Becky G) served as a musical reverence for the artists who laid a foundation for him. J-Hope may be a part of the most powerful septet in the world but headlining Lollapalooza proved that he can certainly hold his own.
J-hope CREDIT : HYBE Entertainment