5 Best Moments From Megan Thee Stallion’s Twerk-Fueled Lollapalooza 2024 Headlining Set

With Lollapalooza 2024 marking the final stop on the Hot Girl Summer tour, Megan Thee Stallion closed out the first day of the festival with an electrifying performance — and a timely message — on Thursday night (Aug. 1). 

After performing at Vice President Kamala Harris’ first presidential campaign rally in Atlanta earlier this week, Megan continued a stellar week by headlining Lollapalooza on Thursday night, three years after her first main stage appearance at the festival and a few weeks after replacing Tyler, The Creator at the top of the Lolla bill. The combination of political statements and twerk-ready hits made sense in the context of her high-wattage show, and went over well with festival-goers, who were equally in awe of her candid stances and catalog of rapid-fire records.

Decked out in a pink sequence jumpsuit and cowboy boots, Meg started her hour-long set with the venomous “Hiss” before transitioning to her more salacious club anthems. The rap star went on to play records like “Thot S**t” and “Megan Piano,” encouraging the crowd to join her as she twerked in the evening drizzle. And with a black towel in hand and a roaring crowd on its feet, she rolled through fan-favorite bangers like “WAP” and “Wanna Be.” “Tonight, I’m not giving y’all my lightest twerk,” she said. “I’m giving y’all my hardest twerk in the motherf–king rain, because I want the hotties to have a good-ass time.” 

Despite the weather and the wrapping-up of her summer tour, Meg made her return to Chicago worth fans’ while. She even brought a special hometown guest to the stage, and played a new viral hit in front of thousands.

Here are five of the best moments from the Meg Thee Stallion’s headlining Lollapalooza performance. 

The ‘Hotties for Harris’ Campaign

Days after her campaign rally appearance, the “Houston Hottie” paused her Lolla show to double down on her support of the presumptive Democratic nominee. “Let me pop my s**t real quick, because [people] were fake mad that I was popping it for Kamala,” Megan said to the crowd at Grant Park’s T-Mobile stage. “I don’t think they heard what she said. Kamala said she wants a ceasefire. Kamala said she supports women’s rights. And she said she’s tired of those high-ass gas prices … It’s ‘Hotties for Harris,’ goddammit!” There were no audible rejections from the audience — the campaign is in full effect. 

The Twerk Encouragement

It isn’t enough for Megan to simply twerk on her own — she’s a masterful hype woman who encourages her backup dancers to shine during brief intermissions in her set. She even had one of her dancers shine with a solo moment while she performed “Gift & A Curse.” The same courtesy was given to the crowd, as fans broke out into twerk circles and hyped each other up from across the park.

The Newest Hit

In short time, Megan has established herself as one of the biggest rappers in hip-hop, as her catalog of trap-infused hits, sharp-tongued diss records and femme-powered jams have elevated her to superstardom. The international appeal of the viral hit “Mamushi,” featuring Tokyo’s Yuki Chiba and given a TikTok dance, has broadened her horizons as well, and went off like a firecracker during her Thursday night set. But overall, her Lallapooloza performance was evidence of her ascension and rightful place as a headliner. 

The Special Guest

While GloRilla was sadly absent from Meg’s Lollapalooza performance after a rumored appearance, the Houston-born rapper invited a familiar face for Chicago sports fans to the stage. The special guest was WNBA all-star forward Angel Reese, who danced with Megan as she rapped “Where Them Girls At.” The Chicago Sky star mostly stood toward the back half of the stage, but she and Meg shared several videos and hugs during the must-see moment. 

The Day-One Hotties

After playing songs from her recent album Megan and Traumazine, Megan traveled back in time, and fully morphed into her alter ego Tina Snow, for stomping hits like “Hot Girl” and night club anthems like “Big Ole Freak.” And while her newly initiated hotties were welcomed with open arms, Megan acknowledged the festival-goers who supported her as she ascended the rap music ladder. 

– Billboard

5 Best Moments From Chappell Roan’s Jam-Packed Set at Lollapalooza 2024

Even with the unforgiving heat looming over the crowd during the opening afternoon at Lollapalooza 2024, seemingly every fan in attendance left their pockets of summer shade on Thursday (Aug. 1) for a clear view of Chappell Roan’s entrance. The vertically challenged climbed their partners’ shoulders; others slipped through gaps in the tightly packed parkway in Chicago’s Grant Park. 

As the clock struck 5 p.m., the exploding pop star rose onto the T-Mobile Stage, and was welcomed with cheers that stretched across the southern section of Grant Park. Roan came out to the anthem “Femininomenon” while dressed in a cotton-candy-colored outfit with a luchador-style mask covering her face, but once she dove into dance-pop tunes like “Naked in Manhattan” and “Red Wine Supernova,” she unveiled the face that has quickly become a mainstream fixture, and let her fiery amber hair loose. She swooned the crowd with her theatrical moves and striking vocal runs, as flashing lights and fireworks helped turn Lollapalooza into a 1980s-style music video. 

Roan’s command of an audience as large as Lolla’s shouldn’t be a surprise. The self-proclaimed “Midwest Princess” has sprinkled her musical fairy dust across continental lines on her global tour, and her enchanting stage presence was on full display during the opening day of the festival. Roan transitioned from sultry tunes like “After Midnight” to campy dance jams like “Good Luck, Babe!,” giving license to sequenced fist pumps, dance moves and percussive chants among the crowd. “Thank you for having me Lolla!” she screamed — although on Thursday afternoon, Lolla was no doubt thankful to have the ascendant star on its main stage.

Here are five of the best moments from Roan’s Lollapalooza set. 

The Slower Moments

While the sonic potpourri of Roan’s 2000s-inspired pop records garnered the biggest receptions at Lollapalooza, Roan fell to her knees to deliver tales of past hookups on “Casual” and the emotionally rich heartbreaker “Subway.” These setlist entries brought balance to Roan’s high-powered performance, which prompted shared hugs and kisses among festival-goers. 

The Vocal Shapeshifting

Roan has amassed a sprawling fan base for several reasons, but those not paying close attention may not expect the breadth of her vocal ability. At Lollapalooza, Roan continued to prove she’s a musical acrobat who can seamlessly leap from whimsical pop tunes to roaring ballads on a dime. Her vocal power allows for such versatility — and part of the fun of attending a Chappell Roan show is watching the audience try to match it, howling and bellowing in charming attempts to match her flowing harmonics.  

The Outfit

Roan, whose aesthetic is often influenced by glittery drag style, chose to go with a (relatively) muted outfit choice at Lollapalooza: the artist dressed in a wrestling-inspired short-sleeved bodysuit, with colors bursting in blue and pink highlights, lots of fringe and a silver star belt. Despite the 90-degree heat, she sported a luchador mask — but only for a few minutes. Once she settled on stage, Roan turned to the crowd to let her strawberry-colored hair and silver face paint grace the sun. 

The Welcomed Theatrics

Long before she rose to pop stardom, Roan was a theater kid whose Hollywood dreams first bloomed in her hometown of Springfield, Mo. Her Lollapalooza set was full of flashes of her dramatic training, as she twirled on stage, belted out ballads with Broadway fervor and often grabbed her chest to further emphasize the emotional notes. Then she made a full split halfway through her set, leading to some of the loudest audience roars of the day.

The Global Fandom

While she’s crowned the “Midwest Princess,” Chappell Roan’s fandom stretches far and wide, beyond the confines of Lollapalooza. Festival-goers ventured from around the world to attend Chicago’s annual music festival, and shots of the crowd size started going viral before the set had concluded. Roan’s mountainous vocals and crowd-pleasing tunes forged one of the better performances on day one, and with her global success in full bloom, it’s safe to say Roan has graduated from “Midwest Princess” to international star.

– Billboard