Lollapalooza 2026 Day Three Shines Despite Delays and Schedule Changes

By: Alina Pawl-Castanon and Shawna O’Hara – INK photo by Dennis M. Kelly

Day Three’s morning quickly became Day Three afternoon, as heavy rain and flooding ravaged festival grounds and the city alike. Concert-goers were advised of gate setbacks, first receiving notice that gates would open at 2, only for the festival to announce that the weather had forced the opening back an hour to 3 p.m.

Once the gates opened, it was a mad dash inside. What would have been an energetic stride into the concert grounds became a sort of running-of-the-bulls toward stages that were finally open. Through mud, mulch, and raindrops, fans and second-half artists alike rallied for an unforgettable day at Lollapalooza.

It was a landmark day for high-profile debut sets at the festival. Liam Gallagher’s son, Gene, and his band Villanelle were saved by the Toyota Music Den stage, along with other artists making their first appearance, including INK and polarizing Brooklyn-based sensation Geese.

Rain or shine, nothing stopped the day from rolling on as planned.

Gene Gallagher’s Villanelle Defies Weather, Makes Lollapalooza Debut Despite Cancellations
Shawna O’Hara

After the weekend’s storms washed out their original set, Villanelle finally reached the Toyota Music Den stage late Saturday afternoon with a sound perfectly suited to the rain. Fronted by Gene Gallagher, son of Oasis vocalist Liam Gallagher, the young English band arrived carrying traces of Britpop lineage in its look and swagger, but its music landed somewhere considerably heavier. Crunchy guitars, forceful bass and flashes of Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden drove the set, offering a contemporary reinvention of ’90s grunge rather than a simple exercise in Gallagher-family nostalgia.

Every instrument occupied a distinct place in Villanelle’s remarkably full sound. The guitars alternated between dense distortion and melodic lift. At the same time, the drummer, dressed in a Soundgarden shirt, struck with explosive force and a cymbal-heavy physicality occasionally reminiscent of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Although the members are young, they performed with the assurance of musicians who have been doing this for decades. Their banter remained minimal but friendly, “We brought the rain from England, unfortunately,” while sly smiles were exchanged after songs revealed how much fun they were having beneath their otherwise composed stage presence.

That composure loosened before “Pretty One,” when Gallagher stopped to wrestle with an out-of-tune guitar. “I better tune this. I’m having too much fun,” he joked before fumbling briefly and finally conceding, “Ah, fuck it. ‘Pretty One.’” By the final song, Villanelle’s musical identity had come fully into focus: the abrasive weight of Nirvana meeting the melodic instinct and unmistakable swagger of Oasis, filtered through a band beginning to carve out its own place between the two.

INK brings the streets of Atlanta to Chicago for her Lolla Debut
Alina Pawl-Castanon

INK opens her Lolla debut set with an intimate crowd as she hits the BMI stage on the third day of festivities, bringing her Atlanta roots with her to Chicago.

Tony, from the interlude of “Tony on 42nd Street”, screams into the mic in adoring introductions as the multi-Grammy Award artist makes her way onto the stage with applause from her band. Ornamented in her signature turquoise, a cowboy hat with snake detail and suede fringe, INK made waves with her raw, honest lyricism and the community she created on stage that could be felt during her 40-minute set.

Born Aita-Boggs, INK has been on the map as a multifaceted artist; If you don’t know her name, you certainly know her music and the genre-bending sound she’s created. INK has already left her mark with collaborations with big names like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, having a leading hand in shaping albums like “Renaissance” and Lamar and SZA’s latest hit “Luther”.

Now, INK is standing center stage with her debut album Big Buskin, released in October of last year, allowing audiences to see the face of the name who has earned two No. 1 hits on the Top Billboard Hot 100 list.

INKS ‘performance felt like a community backyard event, with her band moving together in a combination of smooth footwork, callback responses, and big smiles. She moves within her power across the stage, going up and down her newest album with songs like “Turquoise Cowboy” and “Gods Been Drinking”.

“The Rain Can’t Stop Us.” Ink said before turning around and having a moment to dance with her band, the swelling soulful guitar and keys bringing a beautiful harmony.

The rain was a light sprinkle through the encompassing trees, giving concertgoers shelter for the time being.

INK slows it down, stripping her set to just her voice and acoustic guitar. She offers strong words of encouragement to the crowd.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for people like you when I started busking in the street and that told me to keep going,” INK says, earning cheers back from the eager audience.

Read our interview with INK right here

Lollapalooza Day Three Attendees Flock to Geese’s Massive Festival Debut
Shawna O’Hara

Whatever lingering argument pop culture is having about Geese, it should have ended in the mud at Lollapalooza. Even Courtney Love’s initial “Geese-curious” Instagram experiment (well documented in Reels) reportedly evolved into full-blown appreciation after seeing the band live, and the devoted crowd gathered at the Allianz Stage seemed equally converted. As day turned into night, fans danced through Woodstock-level mud and wailed alongside frontman Cameron Winter with the communal abandon of a latter-day Grateful Dead audience. Lanky and immediately identifiable, Winter commanded the field with soft authority, moving easily between playful conversation and a booming, unmistakable voice that sounds timeless enough to have existed for decades.

United Airlines had lost the band’s instruments in transit, including a guitar Winter referred to onstage, but Geese turned the mishap into both comedy and fuel. Winter dedicated a snippet of Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4” to the airline before joking that the quality of the performance was “up in the air.” Any technical limitations were quickly overwhelmed by the musicianship of the expanded live lineup.

With minimal staging and few visual distractions, every instrument carried a distinct sonic purpose as the band shifted from blues and jazz-inflected breakdowns into eruptive, uncompromising rock. “2122” opened the set, while “Cobra,” “Au Pays du Cocaine” and “Taxes” inspired some of the evening’s loudest communal singing before “Trinidad” closed the hour in a phenomenal collision of brutal blues and hard rock.

Geese make the kind of rock music audiences have been deprived of for decades: strange, loud, musically adventurous and rooted in a sound that feels tried-and-true without becoming nostalgic. The band appeared completely at home amid the rain and mud, trading tiny smiles as its songs stretched, swerved and exploded around Winter’s extraordinary vocal range. Geese should not be treated as a controversial curiosity much longer. They already possess the sound, charisma and fiercely loyal following required to command a massive stage. After a set this transfixing, it was difficult not to wonder why they had not been given Saturday’s headlining slot in the first place.

Lollapalooza 2026 Day Three Shines Despite Delays and Schedule Changes 1 — Trixie Mattel by Chad Wadsworth for Lollapalooza 2026

Trixie Mattel brings her pink furbies to her Lollapalooza Debut

Performer and DJ artist Trixie Mattel blew the airBNB stage out of the water with a dense crowd that spread beyond into the trees and beyond the grounds. The crowd chatter halts and turns into a roar as Mattel starts her set in a splash of pink and feathered backup dancers, making for an incredible theatrical set for the Drag Queens Lollapalooza debut.

Starting the night strong with a cape, silver knee-high boots, and flirtations with the crowd, Mattel struts down the stage before revealing the pink, sparkled one-piece underneath. Her blond hair was radiant under the spotlight, defying gravity as she spun, twirled, and kicklined across the stage.

Mattel’s set was a vibrancy of synchronized dancing, comically timed quips to the audience, and lip-syncing breaks to complement her set of Y2K pop hits. The crowd devoured it all, screaming for more as Mattel floated from the dance floor to the DJ booth.

Hands delicately placed to the sides, she frollicks to her booth before demanding the crowd to jump as she slides into another mix.

Her crowd was ready to receive, a mix of hands adorned with decorative fans whipping in the air in appreciation. Her crowd was just as memorable as the show itself. Kind and appreciative words floated over their heads before the set; voices calling for water to be passed and phones given to strangers for photos to be taken, the encouraging energy radiated as the crowd had each other’s back on Lolla’s Saturday night.

Mattel’s love for her backup dancers was clear to see as the show went on, with duo and single dances gracing the center stage in different outfits of pink feathers and full furbie suits to have their moments. In a mix of modern and club dance moves, the dancers interacted with the crowd, making sure the energy was alive and vibrant throughout her set as she closed the night off with a fabulous bang.

Conclusion

The third day of Lollapalooza marked the cautious end of rain for concertgoers, performers, and crew members. With many eager fans and artists disappointed with the changes and cancellations within the Saturday schedule of the festivities, Chicago showed up for hard hitters across the evening stages. First-timers to the fest and Lollapalooza veterans like Alison Wonderland shook the crowds, getting the audience primed for headliners Olivia Dean and Trixie Mattel.

Despite rain, Lollapalooza stood victorious with the help of the crew and festival team, showing Chicago what it looks like to pivot under pressure. While many were unable to grace the stages for their scheduled shows, the resilience of concertgoers and crew alike radiated across Grant Park, mud and all.