Every summer, thousands of music-loving humans escape to the juxtaposition of a festival – an inner city and yet lakeside-oasis that is Lollapalooza. This year, the festival broke records with its attendance which was no surprise when four day passes sold out within the hour they dropped. Chicago’s loop became the place to be for music lovers for four short days.
Like many other music festivals of this size, Lollapalooza caters to a wide audience by offering an array of genres, stage sizes, levels of comfort, and programming. You’ll find folks from all walks of life at Lollapalooza: toddlers rocking too-large headphones at Kidzapalooza, elder emos and rock dads headbanging to KORN, Instagram girlies lined up at every photo op in Grant park, and pashmina and basketball jersey-wearing frat boys moshing at Perry’s Stage. There’s space for everyone to come as they are. Albeit, with a little more glitter and sprouts than normal.
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Chance the Rapper (Credit: Taryn Valentine)
Industry giants, Grammy winners, nostalgic indie sleaze bands, and international pop groups rounded out the impressive lists of artists performing at Lollapalooza. There were many firsts: Luke Combs became the first country artist to headline, and girl group, Twice, was the first K-Pop group to nab a headlining spot.
Lollapalooza has no trouble stacking their lineups year-after-year, but with two queens of pop adding the festival to their list of tour stops, this became a once-in-a-lifetime chance for some to see these stars. Tweens in lingerie inspired tees and little girls drenched in glitter camped out at the gates in hopes to see their idols, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, as close as humanly possible. Camping out for a headliner isn’t out of the ordinary for Lollapalooza-goers, but as always, comes with its share of drawbacks. Cell service becomes a pipe dream, and paired with massive lines for the bathrooms and bars, leaving means risking your spot, and your squad. Imagine being in a portapotty as you hear Olivia Rodrigo take the stage. Or you find yourself at the bar when Sabrina Carpenter’s opening sequence starts. Good luck making it back to your group without a small miracle!
Dom Dolla (Credit: Taryn Valentine)
Thankfully, a group of dreamers knew there had to be a solution to this problem that plagues music festivals. The Totem Compass was designed to help friends stay safe and connected at music festivals, so they could immerse themselves in the performances of their favorite artists instead of being glued to their phone in an endless game of hide and seek with their friends. Totem Compasses don’t rely on cell service to work, they use satellites to help you navigate. At festivals like Lollapalooza, the Totem Compass team even integrates the festival map into the app, which means you can pinpoint a stage, bar, food stall, shaded spot, you name it, and your Totem Compass will effortlessly guide you to your desired destination.
Tape B (Credit: Taryn Valentine)
The SPIN and Totem teams vibed together over the Lollapalooza weekend, and had the chance to chat with a long list of artists. To kick off the weekend, we talked to Dom Dolla about his Perry’s stage takeover, which set records for highest attended set in the stage’s history. “It’s an honor, it’s incredible. I know Skrillex was the first to do it and I suppose to be asked second year is unbelievable, honestly,” he said about being asked to set the lineup for Perry’s stage on Thursday, dubbed “Dollapalooza” for the day. Dom Dolla didn’t forget his friends when making the decisions of who to include, “Creating events is something I really really love to do and having artists – my friends on at an event like today – the Prospa guys, The Blessed Madonna, Cloonee, Mau P, Azzecca, DJ Heather, Torren Foot, and Airwolf Paradise, it’s a sick lineup. The progression evolves really well and I’m really excited.”
The likes of Tape B, Two Friends, and Jigitz also stopped by to give us the inside scoop about their Lollapalooza sets, new music, and more. Let’s not forget an insane meeting of the minds that happened during an interview with the guys from Levity, Gryffin, and his collaborators, Daya and Julia Church. After our interview, talks of collaboration swirled in the air, and Gryffin even showed off a snippet of his newest, unreleased track. That’s the beauty of Lollapalooza. Meeting new people, the sharing of ideas, coming together for a common purpose of loving music, and of course, enjoying performances from world-class artists against the glittering Chicago skyline while a cool breeze drifts off Lake Michigan.
As a Chicagoan, I would never forgive myself for not taking advantage of the world class music festival taking place in my own backyard. It’s plain to see why people of all ages and creeds travel from near and far to be a part of the magic, and why artists constantly sing it’s praises and return year after year. You find yourself lost in the music, the crowds, the excitement. Thankfully with The Totem Compass, you’re never truly lost, just immersed in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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