The JBTV Blog

Lollapalooza 2025: Day One Highlights

7/31/2025

Photography by Bobby Talamine
Writing and Editing by Fiza Javid

Grant Park - Chicago, IL
Thursday - July 31, 2025

A sold-out Lollapalooza kicked off on a brisk-leaning Thursday, the kind of summer day that whispers “layer up” but still bursts with festival fever. Bobby hit the ground running—camera in hand, ready to capture the color, chaos, and incredible acts of Day One.

Grant Park always sparkles on opening day, buzzing with the thrill of thousands of travelers, locals, and music lovers who’ve been counting down all year. There's something beautifully unpredictable about that first day—where the setlist of your soul might change forever, thanks to a surprise performance, a new band discovery, or the simple magic of live music against a Chicago skyline.

Let’s get into it—because I ran (yes, sprinted) toward Silly Goose, a nu metal band from Atlanta who felt like they crash-landed straight from a chaotic house show into a festival main stage. Their energy was untamed, their sound was feral, and you couldn’t pry me away from screaming along to “Bad Behavior.” Honestly, I haven’t moshed in a minute—but they made it impossible not to.

After the Goose madness, I caught early standout sets from some names you’ll want on your radar:
The Symposium, bringing their signature Chicago flavor with a hazy-rock cool;

Girl Tones, with Brad Schultz of Cage the Elephant bringing gritty guitar vibes and underground heat;

Julie, dreamy and dissonant in all the right ways;

Azzeca, repping the electronic scene with dark, hypnotic beats;

And of course, The Blessed Madonna, who turned a sunlit afternoon into an ecstatic dance floor.
As the day unfolded, the lineup just kept delivering:

Barry Can’t Swim provided shimmering house vibes for golden hour;

Glass Beams had us tripping into another dimension with their psychedelic instrumentals;

Magdalena Bay brought a synth-pop explosion complete with choreographed surrealism;

Cage the Elephant (Brad again!) lit up the stage with their signature chaos-meets-charisma performance;

Luke Combs gave the country fans their moment—and what a moment it was;

And finally, Dom Dolla closed the night with a bass-driven, laser-lit finale that left everyone buzzing into the afterhours.