Lollapalooza 2026 opened with warm sunshine on Thursday but the weekend soon brought rain and turned Grant Park into a mud pit.
But neither winds nor rain nor Saturday’s delayed start prevented our critics from canvassing stages in search of the next big talents. After all, veterans of Lollapaloozas yore like to compare notes on which major acts they saw way back when, be it Lady Gaga or Charli xcx with early-in-the-day slots before making it big.
Here are 8 up-and-coming performers that our reviewers say will stay on their radars for months to come — and could end up on bigger stages in the future.
Cruz Beckham
Cruz Beckham got his first taste of the stage 18 years ago. His mom Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, was performing with the Spice Girls at Madison Square Garden, and the then-3-year-oldbusted out breakdancing in front of 20,000 people, prompting Posh to declare him the “next Justin Timberlake.”
That he is not. But as Beckham and his band The Breakers made their festival debut at Lollapalooza on Sunday, he showed he could be the next great Brit rocker.
No one probably would’ve guessed that the 21-year-old (the youngest son of Posh and soccer legend David Beckham) would have one of the breakout sets of the weekend with an honest-to-god talent that supersedes his last name. Lollapalooza has opportunistically booked rock progeny before — Lars Ulrich’s sons in the band Taipei Houston and Travis Barker’s son Landon are recent ones that come to mind — and while both of those acts were just fine, Beckham doesn’t exactly follow the same lineage.— Selena Fragassi, read the full review here.
The Braymores
The thing you gotta love about Chicago music fans is we’ll always show up for our own, whether it’s Lincoln Hall or Lollapalooza. The Braymores can now claim both after christening the BMI Stage Thursday for a larger-than-expected crowd, a few people appropriately wearing Cheap Trick and Smashing Pumpkins shirts.
The indie rock band hails from Barrington: “Close enough, it’s the same thing, right?” singer Matt Tilles bravely posited, surprisingly to little dissent. The quartet of high school friends who reconnected in 2022 grew up going to Lollapalooza. That heritage came through in their set. It swirled with ‘90s Wicker Park rock edge, hazy surf rock that brought Twins Peak vibes and a pride that can only come from playing the biggest music event in your backyard.
“This is the best day of our lives,” said Tilles. In addition to a homegrown crowd they’ve carefully cultivated in recent years, some of the band’s mothers appeared to be in the mix, recording the set with their phones and mouthing lyrics to songs like “Where Did My Baby Go,” “Like the Others” and “August,” the latter from their just-released album “When the Lights Went Out.”
The band also had time for a solid cover of Dr. Dog’s “Where’d All the Time Go” before wrapping. While their time at Lolla was short, The Braymores won’t be far this summer, headed back to another local stage at House of Blues Aug. 21. – S.F.
Destin Conrad
When discussing his Grammy-nominated debut album, “Love on Digital,” with Billboard, Destin Conrad called the sound “loud” and “queer.” Those are also fitting descriptors for his set on the Allianz stage at Lollapalooza on Sunday. But you could also add “unapologetically Black.”
The 26-year-old Florida native demonstrated his deep understanding of multiple Black art forms, performing R&B tracks from the aforementioned “Love on Digital,” and jazz tunes from his new album, “wHIMSY,” Oh, and he can also make irresistible island music; he played a song from his upcoming reggae album.
That versatility, along with his humor and natural performance ability onstage, is why he’s such an exciting new talent.
At the end of the set, the sun emerged from the clouds, as if to herald the rising of a new star. And by the lyrics of his song, “So Nice,” Conrad knows it, too. “It’s OK, it’s all right/My life is so nice.” — Erica Thompson
Die Spitz
Fans who braved the weather and the awaiting mud for Day 3 were two very different kinds of people — the kind who ran for their lives to catch K-pop group Cortis or the folks who risked life and limb to make it over to metal-punk rebels Die Spitz. There was no in between.
When doors finally opened at 3 p.m. after rain delays, attendees scrambled to get through long security lines to make it on time for their preferred group. Both artists kicked off the festivities shortly thereafter and wrapped quickly after.
Those who made it to Die Spitz were greeted with their next feat: dealing with an overwhelming amount of mud swamps. While some froggered their way around them, others dived right in. “Girl pit! Girl pit!” chanted a growing group of women who formed a circle pit right in the thick of the sludge, clearly inspired by the ferocity of the four women on stage. Hailing from Austin, Die Spitz is the poster child for everything being bigger, bolder and brawnier in Texas. The group’s breakneck blend of riot grrl punk and heavy metal has already drawn comparisons to scene setters like Black Sabbath, Nirvana and L7, prompting Jack White to sign them to his Third Man Records label. And all this before most members turn 25.
“We’re really sad we have such a short set today but we’re really lucky we get to play,” said singer/guitarist Eleanor Livingston, making note of the many acts that were sacrificed to the weather gods Saturday.
The quartet worked with the 30 minutes they had, making a solid first impression before heading off to Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Festival later this month. But it wouldn’t be a shock to see them back at Lolla — on a bigger stage — in the near future, where they’ll hopefully get a proper full play. — S.F.
horsegiirL
Typically, the only animals allowed inside the Lollapalooza grounds are dogs and miniature horses trained as service animals, but organizers made an exception this year for horsegiirL. Not to be confused with Chicago rock band Horsegirl, Friday’s performer was the mythical half-human/half-mare DJ, singer and songwriter who claims to have recently broken off a farm in Germany and experienced runaway success with her debut album, “Nature is Healing.”
She really sticks with the bit in every interview and stage performance, disguised behind an incredibly realistic mask that can make you question your own sense of reality, wondering if maybe such a creature does exist (see video from WBEZ sister station Vocalo here). The music of horsegiirL is just as much about escapism, a transcendental rave where Eurodance bangers like “Eat, Sleep, Slay” are juxtaposed with scrolling messages that bid you to “trust the rhythm of the Earth.” “Let nature be your guide.” Or a personal favorite: “Lollapalooza ascend with me.”
The crowd took it like gospel. The DJ enjoyed a huge turnout at the Airbnb stage, and there was a horse inflatable that crowd-surfed its way across the sea of people. EDM music continues to have its stake at Lollapalooza. Once relegated to Perry’s Stage, artists like horsegiirL are getting booked on bigger stages, not the least of which was Naperville accountant-turned-DJ John Summit headlining this year.
That could be horsegiirL’s future too. She’s no one-trick pony. Rather, she fluidly moves from a commanding singer and dancer to turntablist literally without skipping any beats. But most importantly, she creates a world that unlocks imagination, which is way too rare these days. — S.F.
Amber Mark
“Someone’s getting fired” was the consensus after Amber Mark endured egregious microphone issues at the top of her set on the Allianz stage. The 32-year-old singer was clearly ready for her moment in the spotlight, looking like a true disco queen as she ascended the stairs of the stage-within-the-stage, which had been decorated with silver fringe. But the moment she opened her mouth, nothing. It went on like this for a few minutes until Mark and her band caught up with the crowd screaming, “Fix her mic!”
These snafus are always one of the pitfalls in an uncontrollable outdoor festival environment, but it couldn’t have happened at a worse time or for a more deserving artist.
Lollapalooza was a big moment for Mark, who recently came back to the stage after suffering a vocal fold hemorrhage that forced her to cancel previous tour dates. But the singer handled it all in stride, and once the issue was finally resolved, she was flawless.
Mark nailed covers of Prince’s “I Feel For You” and Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” and brought out the club vibes with “All the Work” after asking the crowd, “Do y’all like house music?” As if you even need to ask that question in Chicago.
By the end, Mark was on her knees, hands raised in prayer mode, thanking the heavens – and the crowd — for allowing it to work out in the end. “Thank you all so much for sticking through the technical difficulties,” she said, “we got through it.” — S.F.
Slayyyter
From a Midwest Princess to Midwest Pleb, Lollapalooza has really cornered the market on catching regional hype stars in the moment, starting with Chappell Roan in 2024 and, this year, Slayyyter who has only very recently seen a large ascent in her career
In a repeat last-minute pivot this week, organizers smartly promoted the electro pop artist — alter ego of St. Louis native Catherine Grace Garner — to a main stage in anticipation of the large draw. A majority of the park did mosey over, proudly donning pairs of bunny ears and trucker caps, both familiar talismans in Slayyyter’s diabolical music videos as of late. Garner had her own pick, a bedazzled cap that spelled out Slayyyterpalooza. No truer words ever spoken.
“I always wanted to play Lollapalooza, and I’m so happy we’re doing this today y’all,” she remarked about making her festival debut. “I want to thank you for coming to my set. Everything happening with me lately is so crazy, and you all make me feel like I’m such a celebrity.” — S.F., read the full review here
Jae Stephens
Jae Stephens makes music for heartbreakers.
That much was true for the Los Angeles-based pop and R&B singer during her Lollapalooza debut Saturday on the BMI stage, where she sang odes to keeping a roster of men for options — and loving and leaving without regard.
“Which one should I choose today? Switch ’em out like shoes today,” she sang on her single “SMH,” with a sly smile to the delight of the crowd, who erupted when Stephens brought out Chicago’s very own Shea Couleé to snap into fierce choreography alongside her.
That bold bravado was served via a sound that pairs precise R&B melody lines with forward-thinking pop and hip-hop-leaning production that melded the 1990s and the early 2000s.
Songs like “Him&Him&Him” had a bubbly lightness reminiscent of SWV’s 1998 classic “So Into You,” though Stephens’ was a little less tender — “I never save their numbers, just here for the summer,” she sang while popping on stage. And her song “Precious” had a bounce that conjured images of Ciara.
In response to the loud cheers for her, Stephens appeared to get emotional onstage, before clicking back into stunt mode.
Stephens and two backup dancers hit their marks, dedicating choreo to each song while Stephens kept singing without a hint of sounding winded, as if she trained at the Destiny’s Child academy for pop’s next big star.
In reality, Stephens, 29, has cut her teeth in the music industry and as a performer, releasing several mixtapes and writing songs for the likes of Jennifer Lopez.
Clocking in at just 30 minutes, Stephens felt deserving of a larger stage, longer set time and more hearts to break. — Matt Moore