A$AP Rocky, through fits and a late start, finally nails the flow: Lollapalooza review

A$AP Rocky really loves to make people wait — seven years and counting for a new album and more than 15 minutes for his set at Lollapalooza.

At 8:55 (10 minutes past his scheduled start time), stagehands were still tinkering with the design, setting up and moving metal detector props on the catwalk and dealing with a helicopter (yes, a helicopter) that A$AP used to make his entrance, much like he did at Rolling Loud.

“He’s still not onstage, what a f- – – ing tease,” said one annoyed person in the crowd as others started chanting the rapper’s name in a bid to get him to show up. At 9:02, the curtain finally dropped, and A$AP, in pink hair curlers and holding a megaphone, hung off the side of the suspended aircraft and riled the crowd with opener “Grim Freestyle.”

The stunt really wasn’t worth the delays, and it set off a domino effect of bad timing throughout the set. Numerous moments of dead air and unnecessarily repetitive crowd hyping (“open that pit up” and “turn the f- – – k up” were on a near loop) ate up valuable performance time, not to mention the minutes spent on a reel of video clips rehashing his felony assault case.

By the end of the night, A$AP had to rush through what he had planned, as the festival’s strict 10 p.m. curfew approached.

“They’re trying to kick us out,” he clapped back. Lollapalooza cut off his mic anyway and set off fireworks to send the hint that it was time to go home for the final time of the weekend.

The set wasn’t entirely disjointed and awkward, though. When A$AP did get into his flow, he nailed the vibe.

“Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” and “RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n)” were heavy hitters early on. By midshow, A$AP had beautifully dialed it back with the more introspective numbers “L$D” and “Sundress,” intending to spread good vibes.

“I know rap is competitive right now, but I’m gonna spread love tonight,” he told the crowd. “I’m so grateful and humble for this opportunity.”

A$AP also had a couple surprises for Lolla, playing two songs he almost never brings out live: “LVL” and “I Smoked Away My Brain.” The musical treats were a bit of a thank you, he said. “I made this music 13 to 14 years ago, and thanks to y’all, you’ve been reviving them and making them new again on TikTok.”

One surprise the crowd did not get? Any new drop from A$AP’s much-anticipated forthcoming album “Don’t Be Dumb,” other than the previously released singles “HIGHJACK” and “Taylor Swif.” The rapper is clearly in dad mode, expecting his third baby with Rihanna, and busy acting in movies, including a star turn in Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest,” out this month. It appears we’re just going to have to wait a little longer.

A$AP Rocky’s Lollapalooza 2025 set list

Grim Freestyle
A$AP Forever
Praise the Lord (Da Shine)
RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n)
Tailor Swif
HIGHJACK
L$D
Sundress
Everyday
Goldie
LVL
Fashion Killa
I Smoked Away My Brain
Jukebox Joints
Jump Around (House of Pain)
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)