YG photographed by Danny Pleckham
About a month ago I had the incredible opportunity to cover Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL. Being from the suburbs of Chicago, and having been to the festival myself as a fan for years, I knew the magnitude of weight that this festival withheld firsthand.
I also understood that this was a staple event in the Chicago community that would have something for everyone and allow the fans to get together to enjoy the world’s most universal language: music.
J Cole photographed by Danny Pleckham
While Lollapalooza is most notably known for its incredible variety of EDM, Rock, Alternative, and Indie music, this year boasted a great lineup of premiere hip-hop acts such as J Cole, Lil Durk, Big Sean, Don Tolliver, Denzel Curry, TheKidLaroi and many more. Alongside the big acts, Lollapalooza seems to always find a way to gather some of the most up and coming faces of music as well.
Strictly focusing on the hip-hop side of things, there were some significant underground stars in town. Acts like Cochise, SoFaygo, Teezo Touchdown, RedVeil and more were bringing in the newest wave of music, and trust me when I say you don’t want to sleep on them.
Don Toliver photographed by Danny Pleckham
For some of these artists, it was their first time performing at Lollapalooza. There was an ample amount of energy in the air and you could feel that these artists and fans were ready to give it their all.
These one of a kind acts went out and put on some of the best performances I’ve seen. Lil Durk performing in front of what seemed like an endless sea of fans in his hometown, Cochise performing in upper 90+ degree heat while wearing a professor jacket, Teezo Touchdown using an old telephone as his microphone for his performance, and J Cole performing his newest hit “Stick” with J.I.D are all striking moments that stand out to me when I recap the weekend in my head.
Lil Durk photographed by Danny Pleckham
From being a fan to now covering artists at the festival itself, this was an all around incredible experience. Having the ability to share my talents with these artists to help capture their tremendous performances is a priceless experience that I can only be grateful for.
Backstage, I was able to meet with some of the artists as well such as Denzel Curry, Cochise, RedVeil, EricDOA, and Teezo Touchdown. It was remarkable to have such great conversations with such inspiring people. At the end of the day, everyone was there for a great time and it showed through the conversations that I had and the energy that was portrayed through the artists and fans alike. An all-around remarkable weekend in the city of Chicago.
Big Sean photographed by Danny Pleckham
Article + Images By Danny Pleckham