J. Cole supplies the rhymes, Kygo brings the beats, Sidepiece eyes a tiger as Lolla reloads

J. Cole J Cole photo provided by Greg Noire / Lollapalooza 2022

The core of Lollapalooza’s long weekend found festivalgoers filling almost every inch of Grant Park and they were met with yet another smorgasbord of styles as Kygo kicked off the co-headliners.

The Norwegian DJ was accompanied by the sights of lasers, smoke stacks and screens as he pumped out a ton of house and tropical beats, spanning a remix of Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff,” his own “Born To Be Yours” (with pre-recorded accompaniment by Imagine Dragons), a tribute to Avicii and even an early cameo from singer/songwriter Dean Lewis.

J. Cole

Kygo photo provided by Ismael Quintanilla III / Lollapalooza 2022

Rapper J. Cole got underway shortly thereafter with a killer live band and stunning background singers, unlocking the rhymes from 2021’s monumental long player, “The Off-Season,” plus several from the multi-platinum masterpiece, “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” such as his personal favorite, “Love Yourz.”

Though he was seated for that sole ballad, the superstar otherwise raced around the stage and hyped up the massive crowd, while also bringing out fellow Dreamville favorites Bas and JID for “Down Bad” and “Stick” as practically every phone shot in the air.

Speaking of surprises, boy band Tomorrow X Together brought the K-pop fans out in full force to see an array of dance steps set to shiny harmonies, along with a guest appearance from rapper Iann Dior on “Valley Of Lies.”

As if those features weren’t enough, EDM duo Sidepiece brought out Illinois’ own Jim Peterik to add guitar to a supercharged remix of his Survivor co-write, “Eye Of The Tiger,” while also reviving Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and numerous originals that were amongst the most lit of the entire event.

J. Cole

Sidepiece photo provided by Ismael Quintanilla III / Lollapalooza 2022

In addition to a primary set, fellow local Alexander 23 gave an intimate glimpse into his smartly crafted songbook as part of a special Bud Light Seltzer Session, which included a revealing glimpse into his full-length debut album, “Aftershock,” following work with Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae and tons more.

Additional promise was shown by alternative rocker Gayle, who translated over a billion streams of her EP, “A Study Of The Human Experience Volume One,” into commanding the stage until the very last second she closed with the smash “ABCDEFU.”

Actor Dylan Minnette leapt off the screen of “13 Reasons Why” to lead the already prolific Wallows through an enjoyable hour of alternative, indie and punk rock that wouldn’t have been out of place in the 1990s, but was very much on point in the present.

Pop singer/songwriter Fletcher has steadily made the rounds of all the major fests, making her a natural fit for a major afternoon slot at Lollapalooza, which was filled with a fearless charisma and colossal voice that may be hard to top, but at least there’s still one more must-see day to try.


Lollapalooza continues at Grant Park through Sunday, July 31. For additional details, visit Lollapalooza.com.