Lollapalooza presented peace, love and safety in 2021

If you have seen the documentary Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage on HBO, then you saw what toxic masculinity can do to a music festival. Lollapalooza 2021 avoided many of the missteps that the recreation of the classic festival did in the past.

Overall, Lollapalooza continues to be a safe gathering with plenty of space to distance yourself from the crowds. Yes, water is still $4.00 a bottle, as it was at Woodstock 99, but times have changed otherwise with refillable water stations, clean bathrooms and plenty of food vendors. There were a variety of acts, with the presence of women performers magnified even more and LGBTQIA+ acts sprinkled throughout the roster. Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit, who was blamed for some of the wreckage of Woodstock 99, even showed up in drag at Lollapalooza.

DaBaby was removed from the lineup as a reminder that homophobia would not be tolerated and Princess Nokia preached from the mic during her set,  “If you are cis white man, then keep your hands to yourself!”

Most male artists playing at Lollapalooza 2021 were in sharp contrast to the angry ones at Woodstock 99. They showed respect for female artists and the LGBTQIA+ community on an eclectic roster of entertainers at the music festival. They were open to talking about anything before and after their sets in the media area. 

Jason Singer of Michigander said that his girlfriend was over watching Joy Oladokun at the BMI Stage and that he is also a fan of the out and proud singer's work.

He described his own music as “very heavy soft rock.” He plans more touring and a new music in the future.

Performer Jawny has music that is more difficult describe, but clearly stated that he loves what he does. He mentioned Tyler, the Creator and Eminem as past inspirations with how they told stories in their work. The Story of Hugo, his EP on Interscope records, reflects that while carving out his own unique niche.

He experienced major support from the fans after his spectacular set at Lolla and said he felt, “On top of the world!”

Gus Dapperton is another young, up and coming performer who is not afraid to be himself. His is known for playing with styles from eyeliner to distinctive clothing. He said he's inspired by various decades over the years. In June, for Pride month Dapperton died his hair in support of the community.

His second studio album Orca brings him out on tour in the fall of this year.

A safe and luxurious place to have seen Dermot Kennedy's set on Sunday was from the VIP Tito's Vodka Lounge. Guests enjoyed listening to his powerful voice from a distance with good sight lines that evening. Kennedy reminisced backstage about playing Lollapalooza in the past and how his music has changed during the pandemic. He explained, “I was always out on the road and then I was suddenly at home all the time. I had an interesting viewpoint that I didn't have before.”

His album came out fall of 2019 and he toured until March of 2020 until the worldwide pandemic hit. “I wasn't worried that I wouldn't have a career when I came back, since I was an established artist. I went in the studio the whole time and did all I could. I found myself being more active on social media. I refused to let whatever momentum I had slip!”

After seeing the trajectory of his career grow, he said he continually wants to stay true to himself and put out work her can be proud of. “It's not worth playing for a room of 10,000 people if you don't feel anything That is the main challenge to stay satisfied with myself.”

Kennedy has maintained his voice by having a better technique he explained, “I had a vocal injury where I lost the whole top octave of my vocal range. That is where I spend all of my time, so I couldn't sing any of my songs. I saw a vocal coach in Dublin and sing completely different now.”

His home country of Ireland has continued to be champions for this singer, who has not forgotten his roots, in terms of radio play. He stated that he also feels the love from Chicago also after playing a show the night before the interview, possibly because the strong Irish presence!