Written by and photos by Anna Chahuneau (@annalechah)
Originally brought to you by the city of Chicago, Illinois, Lollapalooza is an iconic alternative rock, electronic and hip-hop music festival that first ran in 1991. In 2010 the festival announced its debut outside the United States and first branched out across South America. Last weekend, we greeted it for the third time in the city of the light – Paris, France.
With a miniature, lit up Eiffel tower in its backdrop, this year’s Lollapalooza Paris brought us artists from a wide variety of music genres and international fame. From Bad Bunny to Martin Garrix, the festival banked on bringing big names of a varied scene, ensuring to conquest a wide audience of Parisians and tourists of all ages and backgrounds. Lollapalooza also made sure not to neglect its host and brought its fair share of well- loved french artists such as Orelsan, Kungs, Nekfeu and Camélia Jordana.
Overall, the festival was a success, blessed by the blazing Parisian sun. The french exclusivity, Lolla Chef, added its french gastronomy touch and offered delicious signature meals, while Lolla Planet brought attention to important environmental issues by inviting international non-profits such as Sea Shepherd and Green Peace. On the music side, the festival boasted four stages, with two mains and two alternatives at the back and the sound system resonated across the green, powerful and full. The only downfall of this whole week-end may very well have been the massive lines at each vendor. Wether it was for beers or crêpes, the lines were long and exposed to the smoldering heat.
Surprise, surprise on the Parisian green this week-end was Bad Bunny’s excellent and humble performance for an audience very familiar with his tunes. From trap to high-class reggaeton, Bad Bunny is a young new king in the United States and Latin America’s charts. The artist appeared on scene with a bee-keeper’s hat, a Virgin Maria red-overcoat and all the energy in the world. Aided by well-orchestrated backdrop visuals and fireworks, his sunset performance enticed the whole of the festival while a sea of heads bobbed up and down to his famous Callaíta.
Without a doubt, the most anticipated event of the festival was the long-awaited appearance of the quintessential band The Strokes, which hadn’t performed in Paris since 2011. Indeed, The Strokes is part of a small group of internationally famous bands that have left an indelible mark on the history of an entire generation, and while their fans swarmed the main stage, waiting for their star, the hip-hop sound of Migos could still be heard electrifying the crowd a few meters away. Sadly, once The Strokes began their set, their performance kept being broken up by technical adjustments that killed the otherwise thrilling rhythm of the show.
And while the Strokes was not the show expected by the band’s faithful fans, Bad Bunny will remain the surprise of the festival, exhilarating the young crowd that singed its lyrics along debajo del sol. This was my fist year attending Lollapalooza, and I will be back next year for more!
