Lollapalooza 2018: The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Carly Rae Jepsen Highlight Day Three
On the third and hottest day of Lollapalooza 2018 so far, temperatures touched the upper 90s, but despite the steambath setting, fans were happy to get extra sweaty as they danced along to sets from the Weeknd, Dua Lipa and Carly Rae Jepsen.
Prior to Lollapalooza opening for the day, the official app reminded festivalgoers to hydrate and take advantage of the water and cooling stations around the park. Additional CTA cooling buses were stationed at the festival, which provided attendees air conditioning and festival workers sprayed water into crowds to help keep fans gathered tightly around stages cool.
Hip-hop, pop, R&B and aughts indie rock flavored the eclectic third day of the festival. Here are some of the best acts Rolling Stone caught on Day Three:
Carly Rae Jepsen: Yes, 2012’s ubiquitous and infectious “Call Me Maybe” appeared to be the main reason many of the audience members gathered at Carly Rae Jepsen’s set, judging from the impatient and loud requests for it, but the diehards knew what the rest were missing out on.
Jepsen’s knack for unabashed crushing-out lyrics wrapped in Eighties-kissed, buoyant melodies highlighted what tweens and teens at heart held sacred: that “Boy Problems,” the first blush lust of “I Didn’t Just Come Here to Dance” or hoping that a special someone will “Run Away With Me” perfectly captured vibrant, essential emotions where danceable common ground could be found. She delivered those should’ve-been-hits and more in spades during one of the most blissful sets at this year’s fest. AL
Dua Lipa: British pop singer Dua Lipa knows a thing or five about love’s battles, and coupled with her husky vocals and a strong stage presence, she had fans dancing through the aching sentiments of her Martin Garrix collaboration “Scared to Be Lonely,” learning to get over heartbreak (“New Rules”) and finally, not giving a fuck (“IDGAF”).
The latter two hits showcased her best songwriting assets: catchy, grooving melodies coupled with inspiring lyrics. Those standouts aside, several of her midtempo songs halfway through her set started to sound similar, which caused the performance to drag a bit. Still, her enthusiastic fans didn’t seemed to mind as they sang along to every word and grooved to every building beat. AL
The Weeknd: In the battle of the rival headlining “weekends,” the misspelled one was awarded the roomier main stage the night after Bruno Mars occupied the same space. This wasn’t Abel Tesfaye’s first Lollapalooza, nor his first time headlining (he did in 2015), but it was his first set in the larger section of the park, and he’s grown as a performer to go along with a bigger stage.
Turning brooding themes often centered on depraved relationships into anthemic festival fare, Tesfaye made an emotional impact on the rapt audience, who grooved and screamed along throughout the set. The animated Tesfaye aptly worked the stage, jumping about and breaking out dance moves while delivering the hits – “The Hills,” “Earned It” and “Can’t Feel My Face” – alongside newer tune “Call Out My Name.” He also reached back to his 2011 R&B noir mixtape debut House of Balloons to drop the title track, a reminder of his relatively quick meteoric rise. AL
The final day of Lollapalooza 2018 commences on Sunday, featuring Jack White, Lil Uzi Vert, Kali Uchis and more. The temperature for Sunday is expected to hit the 90s as well; the air-conditioned masses can avoid the heat and catch the livestream of the festival’s final day.