Early sets 

For me, the best part of festivals is getting there early and checking out bands I normally wouldn’t have the chance to hear, especially when there are not as many people in the audience yet. The early sets also typically feature my favorite kind of bands: Chicago indie-rockers. The headliners are the main draw for most festivalgoers, but if you’re anything like me, you won’t want to miss out on getting to the festival when gates open and catching these lesser-known names.  

Friko

(Saturday, Aug. 3, 12:50 p.m., Bacardí Stage)  

In February, the Chicago indie rock band released their debut album Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here. I interviewed the band ahead of its release, which revealed the duo, Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger, found themselves as a band through the writing and recording process. Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here, captures Friko’s friendship, struggles and strength to move forward. It’s triumphantly hopeful, with an overarching theme of wanting to be better for oneself and the people around you—but the world presents challenges along the way. 

The band maintains a versatile dynamic with energetic guitar anthems like Where We’ve Been and Chemical. Friko is a one-stop shop, catering to whatever mood listeners might crave. A post-punk romanticism melds with their love of classical music and art-rock. 

Slow Pulp

(Sunday, Aug. 4, 2:45 p.m., T-Mobile Stage) 

Here’s another Chicago indie rock band I have followed and covered through the years. In 2023, the band released their sophomore album Yard, which I featured as one of my favorite albums of the year. With Yard, the band showcases a more Americana spirit than previous efforts, including more pedal steel, harmonica and banjo. But Slow Pulp doesn’t drop its pop-punk tendencies completely. It maintains a sound that suggests the gritty, yet folk punk of Superchunk, The Breeders and Liz Phair.   

As a Midwesterner, I can feel myself floating through their tunes. I’m sitting on a suburban lawn, ripping up pieces of dried grass. It’s itchy, but the comfort of summer rests like a blanket around my shoulders. On the sidewalk, worms and slugs are trying to dodge the sunlight. The air smells like rain is on the way.  

Wilderado

(Friday, Aug. 2, 2:45 p.m., Bud Light Stage) 

If Wilderado has a show, I’m there. I once lived in Boston for a year and drove to Canada for a few days for vacation in Montreal and Québec City. My partner and I planned our route back to Boston afterward based on Wilderado playing a free show in Freeport, Maine. It was put on just outside the L.L. Bean headquarters on the Fourth of July, and we were visibly the biggest fans there. Don’t get me wrong—it was packed, but everyone stayed in their seats and no one else knew the words to their songs, except for Surefire. And let me tell you, that’s not even their best song!  

Wilderado is my sweet spot for music. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based band are the epitome of indie folk-rock, with a country backbone slathered in alternative tendencies. Their music means something, drawing inspiration from the lives of real people like friends, parents and spouses. These, guys just love to play music. It’s been a sweet experience to witness the band in various stages of their career, lead singer Max Rainer gaining more and more confidence with each show. Listen to their album Wilderado Live—it features the band’s solid framework but also their quirkiness. I can’t stand it when artists get too serious in their performances—and Wilderado is a refreshing reminder that musicians are just like me, only more musically talented.  

Rock names 

Geese

(Friday, Aug. 2, 1:45 p.m., Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage) 

I have heard so much about this band in the past year but haven’t given them much attention, which is what makes Lollapalooza an intriguing experience. The festival gets me out of a music rut, forcing me to check out bands I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to see live. And here we are with Geese. I found I was often getting them confused with the band Goose, but Geese is a Brooklyn post-punk indie rock band, and on first listen they immediately made me think of Ween but with way more energy and sonic dynamics.  

Geese singer Cameron Winter has a deep voice reminiscent of Ween’s Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween). But Geese is an example of making music fun and experimenting with tempo, pedals and layered instrumentation. The band has an old-school vibe without synthesizers or heavy production to do the heavy lifting. With a band of five, they’re bound to bring a full-throttle amped up sound.  

Destroy Boys

(Saturday, Aug. 3, 2 p.m., IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage) 

This hardcore punk band from Sacramento, California, is a refreshing addition to this year’s lineup—it’s not often larger, more general festivals like Lollapalooza highlight the genre. But Metallica did headline the festival two years ago, which may have proven fans’ interest in louder music. Let’s put it this way: If Warped Tour was still around, Destroy Boys would certainly be in the lineup.  

Since 2015, the band have written music to mark periods of growth and change, like High school, college and COVID. Ten years later, the band has more clarity and level-headedness in their sound and approach. Destroy Boys are slated to release their fourth studio album Funeral Soundtrack #4 on Aug. 9, just a week after the festival. So, they’re likely to play a chunk of new music live.  

The Last Dinner Party

(Sunday, Aug. 4, 5:15 p.m., Bacardí Stage) 

The British indie rock band just released their debut album Prelude to Ecstasy in February and have been making a splash with major appearances at festivals like Coachella. Their success and the attention they’re getting remind me of Wet Leg, who were more popular before releasing their debut album than they may ever be again. But The Last Dinner Party has a vastly different sound, with more pop and melodic influences. I knew most of their songs without realizing it was their music, such as Sinner and Nothing Matters. The female and non-binary group have an energy and full sound like Canadian rock band The Beaches.  

The band was nominated for a 2024 Mercury Prize this month for their debut album and released a cover of Blondie’s Call Me for Like A Version. The Last Dinner Party are a band that demands visual attention, maintaining a style that’s almost baroque and Renaissance-faire-like.  

Rock headliners worth staying for 

I am often disappointed with festival headliners. Lollapalooza succeeds with booking talent that appeals to the masses, but as someone who listens to a lot of indie music, I’m not always wowed. Except for when the festival books Blink-182. Now that’s a headliner I can get excited about any day.  

As Lollapalooza celebrates nearly 30 years in Chicago, it inches farther and farther away from its original purpose in 1991: a touring event that served as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction, featuring a small lineup of artists in alternative rock, heavy metal, punk and hip hop. 

In 2005, founder Perry Farrell and the William Morris Agency partnered with Austin, based company Capital Sports Entertainment (now known as C3 Presents). In 2014, Live Nation Entertainment bought a large interest in C3 Presents. The larger the interest in the festival gets, the more diluted the focus gets. All of this is to say that despite a lineup so large it’s impossible to see everything, you’re surely able to create a schedule each year stacked with artists and bands you’re excited to hear. Here are headliners within the rock realm.

Blink-182

(Sunday, Aug. 4, 8:45 p.m., T-Mobile Stage) 

The pop-punk rockers from California don’t play until the last day of the festival, but let’s be real, they’re the main draw for me. I was 10 years old when I saw the band for the first time, with my brother and parents. They were the first band I was truly obsessed with, thanks to my brother, and I haven’t been able to get over my love for them and their music. After that show in 2009, the original lineup broke up, seeing several comebacks including Chicago musician Matt Skiba in place of Tom DeLonge from 2014- 2022.  

There’s a long history behind the band and their side projects, including DeLonge’s band Angels & Airwaves, who performed at Lollapalooza in 2021. I had the chance to interview DeLonge for over an hour before his set in 2021, where we discussed his love for his Blink-182 bandmates, among many other topics including UFOs. Just over a year later, Blink-182 announced their comeback with DeLonge back in the band.  

Their latest album, released in October 2023, ONE MORE TIME … lived up to every expectation a Blink-182 could have had for a new album. It’s not just a reunion album, it’s a contender for one of Blink-182’s best albums to date. It feeds the nostalgia for the original Blink lineup, but it also marks a point of rock maturity for the group. Sonically, different songs pull from different eras in the lives of DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker. 

Blink-182 stay true to their roots: Catchy melodies, rapid drum solos, duo vocals from DeLonge and Hoppus, and punk anthems about love, broken homes and life’s curveballs. 

Hozier

(Thursday, Aug. 1, 8:30 p.m., Bud Light Stage) 

Hozier, an Irish singer-songwriter, has brought an acoustic-driven folk sound to the mainstream with his latest album Unreal Unearth. His music is undeniably catchy and groovy, making perfect matches for radio hits. But he also has a deep discography of hidden, dynamic gems like Cherry Wine and Work Song. It’s interesting to pay attention to Hozier because he has that mass appeal but also possesses an intricate and educated musical style that music heads can appreciate.  

Hozier’s music is the perfect background for a festival setting. He’s got a very powerful and demanding voice that reaches beyond the crowd, and it’s an easy listen for those who might not be as attuned to his music. I suggest checking out his earlier work, such as a live version of his song Cherry Wine from 2014. It’s Hozier at his most stripped-down and simple form.  

The Killers

(Saturday, Aug. 3, 8:45 p.m., T-Mobile Stage) 

In 2017, I attended my first Lollapalooza, where The Killers were also a headliner, but on the same night and time as Blink-182. Decisions were made. I was nearly at the front-row for Blink-182. But, thankfully, that kind of decision won’t have to be made this year! Because if you like Blink-182, odds are you like The Killers. The alternative rock band from Las Vegas were key players in the early 2000s pop-rock scene. Their song Somebody Told Me was one of the first songs I downloaded onto my cheap MP3 player. I can still see the music video playing in my head during the Saturday morning VH1 music video countdown.  

The band’s latest album, Pressure Hills, has more of a folk-rock appeal, which sees the band at a point of maturity and exploration. Folk is having a moment in the music industry. I might start having to categorize a new genre of pop-folk.  

It’s a set made for nostalgia, but also maybe discovery of their newer music that might not be your immediate go-to.  

Kendall Polidori is The Rockhound, Luckbox’s resident rock critic. Follow her reviews on Instagram and X @rockhoundlb, TikTok @rockhoundkp