Megan Thee Stallion doesn't let rain stop 'Hot Girl Summer': Lollapalooza review

Hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion continued her “Hot Girl Summer” reign Thursday night at her headlining Lollapalooza set, strutting and dancing in the rain before a swelling crowd of thousands in Grant Park.

She kicked things off with “HISS,” a blazing takedown of her detractors released early this year, delivering lines like “Still going hard with the odds against me” with a cocky winner’s sneer.

Fire burst from the stage as she rapped along to her backing track, which featured her recorded vocals and a live band reinterpreting her songs into theatrical, rock- and nü-metal-leaning numbers.

But it was just Megan Thee Stallion alone onstage initially — a commanding presence swaggering in a sparkling pink two-piece, a cropped jacket (which she soon took off as her set heated up) and white cowboy boots emblazoned with red stars and flames.

With just a turn and a twerk, the Houston rapper sent fans into a screaming frenzy, as if casting a spell.

She was eventually joined onstage by eight dancers in matching pink numbers, who expertly shook, rolled and dropped with an intensity that added even more spark to the night — and was an example for fans who tried to mirror the moves while packed in close.

There is no doubt that Megan Thee Stallion is one of the best hip-hop artists in the game. She’s a dexterous, dynamic rapper who melds her Southern hip-hop foundation with chart-topping, genre-bending singles.

For her live set, Megan balanced her incessant flow with constant choreography. While still rapping impressively throughout, she frequently dropped her mic to let her backing track and audience hit a chorus for her as she danced the demanding choreography that she made look easy.

Adding to the high-wire energy of the night were periodic flashes of lightning among some clouds that finally gave way to a steady pour of rain. Lollapalooza organizers let the show go on without interruption, though.

The set also marked a victory lap of sorts for Megan, coming three years after her Lollapalooza debut and on the tail end of her first-ever headlining tour, which saw her trotting the globe in a testament to her status as one of music’s biggest names.

2023's “COBRA” was a defiant moment in Grant Park, suffused with empowerment, as if telling her fans that, amid a good time, there’s strength in being vulnerable. Other highlights included 2022’s kiss-off “Plan B,” when the crowd went bar for bar with the rapper and danced in the rain.

About midway through her set, after blazing through her 2020 track, “Girls in the Hood,” Megan took a moment to address some recent backlash to her appearance at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Atlanta.

“They was fake mad that I was popping it with Kamala — and I don’t think they heard what she said,” Megan told the crowd.

“Kamala said: she wants a cease-fire, Kamala said: she supports women’s rights, Kamala said … ‘I’m for the people.’”

Her fans, whom she affectionately calls “hotties” whooped and clapped in response, as Megan continued.

“Tonight, I’m not giving y’all my lightest twerk, I’m giving y’all my hardest twerk in the motherf - - - - - - rain because I want the hotties to have a good motherf - - - - - - time,” she said. “I want the hotties to do what the f - - - they want to do when the f - - - they want to do it. I want the hotties to be bad b - - - - - - all the time.”

Looking over the cheering audience, she capped her statement with one last message.

“Hotties for Harris god- - - - - -!” she said, before going into one of her many sexually liberated anthems, “Sex Talk,” a standout heater from her 2019 record, “Fever.”

Later in her set, Megan would pay homage to her Houston roots with a chopped-and-screwed sample of Frank Ski’s 1992 Baltimore club classic “Whores in the House,” which was soon sped up and gave way to her hit Cardi B collaboration, “WAP.” Roughly 45 minutes into a sweaty, rainy performance, the crowd indeed was wet — and embracing every moment.

At one point, Megan gasped in surprise as Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese walked onto the stage with a friend. Reese and Megan embraced and the rapper went into “Where Them Girls At,” from her latest album, “Megan,” released in June. Reese and her friend stayed onstage for the song, dancing and filming videos. “They really surprised me!” Megan said after the two left the stage.

A testament to Megan’s global reach was seen in her late-set highlight “Mamushi,” her most recent song to spark a viral dance trend on social media. Fans danced ardently and did their best attempts to rap the chorus in Japanese, performed on the song by Tokyo hip-hop artist Yuki Chiba.

The night's finale began with “Savage,” her 2020 Grammy Award-winning song with fellow Texan Beyoncé. As the song played her out, Megan ascended the stairs of a platform at centerstage, preparing to leave. But her backup dancers started to cheer for her, prompting her to sit at the top of the steps, appearing overcome with emotion as she looked out onto a crowd showering her with applause. The dancers soon embraced her and she stood up to lead everyone in one last chorus.

Now past the 10 p.m. cut-off, as some audience members exited and others pushed closer to the stage, Megan treated fans to one last installment in the serpent theme — “BOA.”

Before leaving the stage, she made a heart with her hands.

“I love you, Chicago! I’ll see you soon. Goodnight, hotties.”

SET LIST

HISS

Ungrateful

Thot S - - -

Freak Nasty

Megan’s Piano

Gift and a Curse

Hot Girl

Kitty Kat

Cobra

Plan B

Cognac Queen

Big Ole Freak

Girls in the Hood

Sex Talk

WAP

Wanna Be

Where Them Girls At

Mamushi

Body

Savage

BOA

Lollapalooza 2024 in photos