Chicago’s Lollapalooza delivers year after year, and continuing it’s new tradition of kicking off on Thursday, day one of Lolla 2018 went off with a bang, with performances from Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, Jaden Smith, Khalid and many more.
Ahead of the release of his brand new LP, Astroworld, GOOD Music’s Travis Scott put on a wild and energetic headlining set, just a couple years after La Flame was arrested at the festival. Delivering some pop spice to Grant Park, Camila Cabello also put on one of the days best sets. From top to bottom, day one of Lollapalooza had a lotta something for everyone.
Check out our photos from Lollapalooza Day 1 below.
Taylor Swift delivered two sold-out performances at Chicago’s Soldier Field this weekend for over 100,000 screaming fans. A critically acclaimed tour complete with a 110 ft. tall stage, a plethora of snakes, A+ choreography and 2-hours of amazing live performances, fans got their money’s worth in the Windy City.
So it was only right that we made our way to Chicago’s lakefront to capture some great images of the tour.
Check out our photos from Taylor Swift’s first Soldier Field performance below and read our full (Taylor co-signed) review of the performance here.
When Taylor Swift announced that she would deliver another two-night residency to Soldier Field, three years after Swift’s critically acclaimed 1989 World Tour rolled through the Windy City for back-to-back nights, the pop superstar’s Chicago fans were instantly Ready For It.
But if you were expecting a repeat of Taylor’s Chicago visit in 2015, or even a repeat of her recent Rosemont appearance for the B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash, you were wrong because Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour raises the bar when compared to all of her tours to date, making it her biggest and best tour yet. While packed crowds, a carefully crafted setlist, talented dancers and screaming fans are all familiar constants throughout the years, the Reputation Tour is an extravagant show that sets a new standard for perfection that only her tours to come will likely have the potential to surpass.
Friday night’s story began, not when gates opened or when the opening acts hit the stage, but months ago when Taylor Swift announced her 2018 tour. In a fight to ensure that real fans get tickets from the primary source, Swift and Ticketmaster joined forces for her verified ticket program, where fans had the opportunity to watch videos, purchase merch and more, to earn points that could be used for early access to tickets. While this program drew some criticism (almost entirely from those outside of her fan base), the end result was Taylor’s most engaged fans having first dibs at their most wanted seats. Fast forward to June 1st, scalpers’ profits were curbed severely and true fans filled the stadium to witness what may be one of the highest grossing tours of all time.
So with tickets in hand, fans made their way to the home of the Chicago Bears to watch music’s biggest artist and two of her own favorite pop singers, Charli XCX and Camila Cabello, all who have performed for huge crowds in Chicago on several occasions before. From Charli XCX’s memorable performances at Lollapalooza to Camila Cabello’s recent and sold-out Chicago show on her headlining Never Be The Same Tour, and of course Taylor’s 2015 visits to Soldier Field, the powerful trio were prepared to deliver a night that the city would not soon forget (only to do it again on Saturday).
To kick things off on a high note, Atlantic recording artist Charli XCX blessed the stage first and rewarded the thousands of fans who arrived to the show on-time. Performing her biggest singles and collaborations, including ‘Boom Clap’, ‘Fancy’, Break The Rules’ and more, XCX hasn’t released a full length album since 2014 but quickly reminded fans that she has recorded some of our favorite pop records throughout the past few years. Even if she doesn’t release another album (something she has hinted at in the past), Charli XCX’s fun energy on stage will draw a crowd every time she returns to the city.
Next up, pop’s biggest emerging star, the lovely and talented Camila Cabello, said hello to her Chicago fan base. The 21-year-old Cuban-American singer and former Fifth Harmony stand-out, has already surpassed the successes of her former group in so many ways. Her self-titled debut is one of our favorite pop albums from the past year and the LP’s lead single ‘Havana’ has topped the charts in countries all over the world. Her stage presence as a solo artist is well beyond her years and her new Pharrell collab ‘Sangria Wine’ has been on repeat since its release. All of the above was on display Friday night.
Camila’s set was a lite version of her headlining tour that made its way through the Midwest just a few weeks ago, but everything that made the tour great transitioned to the stadium level. Cabello performed her album’s best tracks, like ‘Consequences’ and ‘Never Be The Same’, and closed the performance with her mega-single, ‘Havana’.
Two acts in, the crowd already got their money’s worth with great sets from XCX and Cabello. Taylor Swift casted some hard acts to follow on her tour (something she has done in the past with openers like Shawn Mendes and Ed Sheeran), but the Swifties in the crowd knew that she would welcome the challenge and elevate the night from an A to an A+.
As the last fans through the gates found their seats and the house lights throughout the stadium dimmed, the mood was set as Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” played. Of course tying in the 1981 track’s theme to her newest and similarly titled album, the tour continued with a video montage of mass media critiquing Swift and her lifestyle over the past few years. “Taylor Swift is on top of the world, but has she does some sketchy things to get there,” one reporter asks. Taylor Swift embraced this criticism in her new album, and this was instantly evident in the concert’s opening.
“Baby, let the begins” are the first words we hear as the 100+ foot video screens separate and a smokey silhouette of Taylor Swift appears. The fog settles as Taylor Swift drops her sparkly hood (just one of many costumes throughout the night) and charges towards the snake pit, opening the night with her Reputation single, ‘…Ready For It?’.
Immediately the attention to detail and subtle effects of the production are on display. “Rep” is projected onto stage’s long catwalks as the dancers march to join Taylor while the crowds light-up bracelets illuminate the stadium. Smoke blasts up as the bass resonates through the crowd between verses. All small but important details that help compliment the performance while Taylor’s singing and dancing are at the forefront.
And while ‘…Ready For It?’ is the perfect opening number for this album, the concert’s production levels only increased as the night went on. The fireworks that shot up from the second song until the last, rivaled the fireworks on display every summer week on Lake Michigan. The heat from the pyrotechnics could be felt all the way from the South Endzone.
Plus, if you thought Taylor’s stage on the 1989 Tour was big, then her main stage on this tour is enormous. And this tour has not one, but three stages, where Taylor can make the entire stadium feel like they have a close view for at least a couple of songs. In fact, both B-stages on the Rep Tour are bigger than the main stage from the 1989 Tour. There wasn’t a single bad seat in the house on Friday night.
Staying true to her bad reputation theme, Swift’s showcased her new favorite animal throughout the show. While they will never compete with Swift’s cats Olivia and Meredith, snakes were rapid at Soldier Field. From her custom made snake microphone (subtle detail #173) to the giant 30-foot purple eyed cobra that slithered on stage for ‘Look What You Made Me Do’, Swift continued to flip the script on her haters by making the once negative symbol one of her own.
Seconds later, a brief video skit featuring actress/comedian Tiffany Haddish played, where she subs in for the track’s memorable line.
“Sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now… Why? Cuz she’s dead!”
Even if the old Taylor is dead, she came back to life for the tens of thousands of fans in attendance Friday. Swift performed almost the entirety of her 2017 LP, however she still dedicated 9 tracks of her setlist to the old Taylor, performing songs from 1989, Red and more.
It says a lot about how massive Swift’s catalog of hits are when she performs more old tracks on this tour than any of her tours before, and still big hits like ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’ don’t make the cut with a two-hour set. Although there were songs not performed that fans would have loved to hear, if Taylor Swift fully solved that problem, the show would have practically bled into Charli XCX’s opening set for the next day. All things considered, fans couldn’t have asked for an objectively better setlist, and to make the June 1st performance different from all others, Taylor Swift even delivered a special acoustic performance of ‘Our Song’, the first time she performed the track on this tour.
Taylor Swift also took to her guitar for an acoustic stripped down performance of ‘Dancing With Our Hands Tied’, a track which is heavily produced on its album version. The change in pace was a stand out moment from the evening.
Another highlight from Swift’s performance was her performance of ‘Shake It Off’, where the Grammy-winning singer was joined by both Charli XCX and Camila Cabello. ‘Shake It Off’ is perhaps the most fun track in Swift’s catalog, so it was only right that the three sang and danced their butts off to the 2014 single. Although Camila and Charli weren’t big surprise guests like the last guests to join Taylor on stage in Chicago (Andy Grammer, Sam Hunt), it was still a memorable moment that fans won’t forget.
To bring night one to a close, Swift paired her John Mayer-inspired ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ track with ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’, a record inspired by Mayer’s ‘Bittersweet’ collaborator, Chicago’s own, Kanye West. These back-to-back performances were 0% bitter and 100% sweet, as the tracks went together perfectly, and for the latter Swift totally let loose. Performing the track in a huge water fountain, not too different from Chicago’s landmark Buckingham Fountain, located just a mile north, Swift got more than her feet wet for the grand finale.
From start to finish, the hits, the fireworks, the impressive choreography and the screams and smiles throughout the crowd never stopped. Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour will exceed even the highest of expectations, and Taylor continues to amaze us all. Whether she is penning Grammy-winning tracks for other artists, breaking records with her full length releases, changing compensation structures from streaming platforms for artists everywhere, or of course blowing us all away with her live shows, there isn’t anything that Taylor Swift can’t do.
If you somehow missed out on Friday night’s show (only acceptable excuses include: emergency surgery, wedding, death in family), you’re especially lucky because Taylor Swift will be hitting the reset button in the Windy City and delivering another Soldier Field performance on Saturday, in what will surely be another memorable night.
Setlist
…Ready For It?
I Did Something Bad
Gorgeous
Style
Love Story
You Belong With Me
Look What You Made Me Do
End Game
King of My Heart
Delicate
Shake It Off
Dancing With Our Hands Tied
Our Song
Blank Space
Dress
Bad Blood
Should’ve Said No
Don’t Blame Me
Long Live
New Year’s Day
Getaway Car
Call It What You Want
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
If Camila Cabello wasn’t busy enough, on a huge stadium tour in support of Taylor Swift, the ‘Never Be The Same’ singer released her highly anticipated track, ‘Sangria Wine’.
Featuring the uber talented and never aging Pharrell, the duo makes for a great pairing on the addictive song, which features vocals in both English and Spanish. After performing the track on her headlining tour this past spring, fans couldn’t wait for the release of the collaboration, so many were more than excited about the release.
Camila Cabello shined last night, after her sold-out Milwaukee performance at the beautiful Riverside Theater. Currently in the middle of her headlining Never Be The Same Tour, the former Fifth Harmony stand-out is constantly proving that her solo career is more than promising.
Although we have already caught a few solo performances from Camila, during a number of radio shows, it was interesting to see how Camila Cabello would handle herself on a headlining tour of her own. From opening her performance on a high note, with her current hit single ‘Never Be The Same’, to closing the memorable night with her number one single, ‘Havana’, Cabello was amazing from start to finish.
With opening performances from a cast of emerging artists, which included Bazzi, Jack & Jack and Skylar Stecker, Cabello’s headlining set had the highest of expectations. And Cabello delivered. Performing her entire debut album, as well as a number of features and unreleased tracks, Cabello put together a perfect blend of tracks for her setlist.
Highlights of the night included her stripped performance of ‘Consequences’, her (literally) dark performance of ‘In The Dark’, and of course her encore of ‘Havana’ and her unreleased Pharrell-featured track, ‘Sangria Wine’. Cabello’s talents are as diverse as her audience, bringing together fans of different cultures, orientations and more, which made the night a very special one.
Camila Cabello isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and after witnessing her debut headlining tour in person, it’s obvious that Camila Cabello will be a staple in pop music for years to come.
Check our our photos from Camila Cabello’s Milwaukee stop on the Never Be The Same Tour below and peep the remaining dates of the sold-out tour here.
Returning to Chicago’s Grant Park from August 2nd to the 5th, Lollapalooza is set to deliver another summer of great live music for its Windy City fans. And moments ago the top tier festival revealed its full 2018 lineup, just a day after 4-day passes went on sale.
1. The Return of Travis Scott
Travis Scott performs at Lollapalooza 2015 (Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration)
After arriving late to the festival grounds for his Lollapalooza performance in 2015, rapper Travis Scott tried to make up for lost time by delivering the wildest festival performance imaginable. Too wild for the taste of some, as Travis Scott was arrested only a few minutes into his set after encouraging his fans to climb over security barricades and storm the stage. It’s common for performances to get cut short by storms, but not of this kind. Although it was Lolla that decided to pull the plug on his 2015 performance, all is forgiven and both parties will try again this August. Needless to say, it will be a performance that you won’t want to miss.
2. Bruno Mars, But No Cardi B
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Lollapalooza will be dripping in finesse this year, as Bruno Mars is set to deliver a headlining Lolla performance that Chicago may talk about for years. The booking was unexpected, but made sense, as there was no Chicago date for Bruno Mars’ summer tour. However Bruno’s tour-mate, Cardi B, was heavily rumored to perform at Lolla this year, so it was a surprise when her name didn’t appear on the lineup poster this morning. Does this all but confirm those pregnancy rumors? We think so! Either way, Bruno will definitely bring some 24K Magic to Grant Park this summer.
3. No Female Headliners
Lana Del Rey headlines Lollapalooza 2016 (Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration)
While fans were instantly blown away by the top to bottom quality of this year’s lineup, many fan noticed that the festival booked no female headliners this year. From Lorde’s rainy performance last year, to Lana Del Rey’s headlining set in 2016 and more, female headliners have historically killed it at the Chicago festival. In fact, a female artist does not appear on the lineup poster until the 4th line.
And while this critique is certainly accurate, that is not to say that Lollapalooza isn’t full of amazing female performers. Bebe Rexha, St. Vincent, CHVRCHES, Dua Lipa, Jessie Reyez, Daya, Kali Uchis and Jessie Ware are just a few of the women artists who we can’t wait to see at Lolla this summer.
4. Camila Cabello!
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Camila Cabello is killing it right now, so we are so excited to see her bless the stage at Lolla this summer. But her booking is perhaps the most surprising, for a number of reasons. Music festivals are normally light when it comes to Top 40 pop performers, leaving fans to catch their performances on tour or perhaps an iHeartRadio event. Not only that, but Camila is already scheduled to perform three times in the Windy City, twice as a supporting act for Taylor Swift’s Chicago stops at Soldier Field and once for her headlining tour. Lolla usually frowns on their artists performing in the city (or within 100 miles) around the summertime, but I guess for Camila Cabello they had to make an exception! Chicago will never be the same.
5. You Can’t Rain on Lil Uzi Vert’s Parade
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Lil Uzi Vert was just at Lollapalooza in 2017, however heavy rain and lighting caused the festival to come to a close early, leaving fans of Lil Uzi Vert, Lorde and more left hanging. So let’s hope the festival gods bless fans with calm conditions when Lil Uzi returns to Lolla this year. Just a few months ago, Lil Uzi gave an awesome performance at the United Center for the WGCI Big Jam, so you can expect the same energy for his return to Chicago.
Less than a year after singer Camila Cabello left the group to pursue a solo career, the remaining four members of Fifth Harmony have announced that they will be taking an indefinite hiatus to pursue solo careers of their own.
Oddly similar to the break-up/hiatus of One Direction, Fifth Harmony formed via the televised singing competition, X Factor, and after years of success a member (Malik/Cabello) decided to branch off to pursue their dreams of a solo artist, only for the rest of the group to do the same months later. Fifth Harmony seemed very bitter towards Cabello’s departure and success, so it’s very interesting that the rest of the members decided to do the same, not even a year later.
In a statement to fans, the group explains that they are taking a breaking to find their footing as individuals. The group still does have a number of performances scheduled for the rest of the year, and at this point, they still plan to make the performances.
Following the release of her new debut album, Camila Cabello has shared her upcoming headlining tour. Dubbed the “Never Be The Same” Tour, Cabello will kick things off on April 9th in Vancouver, and will make stops in Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle, Los Angeles, Oakland and more, until the North American tour concludes on May 4th in New York.
After the North American dates, the ‘Havana’ singer will take her tour overseas, with performances in London, Glasgow and more.
Tickets will go on sale for the general public on February 16th at 10AM (local time) at CamilaCabello.com. Additionally, a portion of the VIP package proceeds will be donated to the Childen’s Health Fund.
Check out the dates and locations for the “Never Be The Same” Tour below.
Last night Chicago’s 103.5 KISS FM and iHeartRadio brought their show stopping Jingle Ball to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
With a number of amazing performances and guest appearances, artists like Demi Lovato, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Kesha, Camila Cabello, Liam Payne, Charlie Puth and more blessed the stage, to give their Chicago fans a night that they will not soon forget. Year after year, iHeartRadio, KISS and Capital One give Chicago the ultimate present for the holiday season, and 2017 was no exception.
Check out our photos from Chicago’s 2017 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball below, peep our red carpet photos here, and stay tuned for our full review!
Camila Cabello performs with Shawn Mendes at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball (Photo by Dan Garcia)
After much anticipation, former Fifth Harmony stand-out, Camila Cabello, has released the short film/music video for her solo debut single, ‘Havanna’. With visuals directed by Dave Meyers, the mini-movie features appearances from Latin superstars LeJuan James and Lele Pons, and of course the track’s stars, Camila and Young Thug.
‘Havana’ has gained a ton of momentum, recently crossing the 200 million mark on Spotify, and with a new music video to promote the record, don’t expect its climb to stop anytime soon. ‘Havana’ is just the first track of many, off Cabello’s highly anticipated debut album, coming soon.
Watch Camila Cabello’s music video for ‘Havana’ below.
The Early Registration 