Lollapalooza Day 3: Happy Landing made their Lolla debut

Day 3 of Lollapalooza started off as a hometown affair Saturday with two buzzy local rock acts getting their time on the stage in early sets, including indie troupe Friko and retro pop rockers Brigitte Calls Me Baby, the latter celebrating their debut LP released just yesterday.

Both bands are slated for later afternoon showcases in back-to-back slots at the Toyota Den as well. With sunny skies and the first true weekend day of the four-day event, fans were starting to trickle in early to catch the main events, particularly dominating Perry’s Stage, which has been taken over by Skrillex for the day and renamed Sonny’s Stage (a nod to the DJ/producer’s birth name).

By noon, a huge crowd had formed at that corner of the park as the EDM star kicked off the festivities with his own set, just added and broadcast on social media this morning. The rest of the day’s entertainment at Sonny's Stage is being curated by him as well and will conclude with another of his DJ sets in the headline spot.

Elsewhere in the park, other fans were preparing to stake a spot over at the T-Mobile Stage for beloved K-pop girl band IVE, carrying over the energy of last night’s big draw for K-pop boy band Stray Kids, as Lolla continues to cater to the genre’s massive fanbase.

Before Deftones, Killer Mike and The Killers lay siege on Grant Park later in the night, the festival will offer a few other can’t-miss experiences on Saturday. That includes a special hand drum performance from the American Indian Center at Buckingham Fountain this afternoon as well as popular attractions like the Coke Studio turned into a roller rink and the Jack Daniel’s Music & Karaoke Experience where fans can get their own turn at the mic.

— Selena Fragassi

Friko

One of the biggest schedule conflicts of Saturday came with local gems Friko and Brigitte Calls Me Baby booked in similar time slots. After getting a brief taste of Brigitte’s retro rock swagger, Friko was calling with a voluminous thunder of rock venom over at the Bacardi Stage.

The two mainstays behind the music project — frontman Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger, who originally met at Evanston Township High School — truly came alive in the set with a frenetic energy like they were playing the first and last sets of their lives.

They would have been well enough on their own, but adding another guitarist and their new bassist David Fuller only amplified the layered sonic template of their debut album, "Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here.” It made the Lolla set as true to the studio versions of songs like “Crimson To Chrome” as they could be.

“Thank you for coming early to hear us on this hot a** day,” Kapetan triumphantly shouted to the modest sized crowd that had gathered and kept inching closer to the stage as the set went on.

The songwriting efforts of these young 20-somethings creatives is exceptional and makes you wonder if tracks like “Where We’ve Been” would be the stuff of The Beatles if they still existed in 2024 and perhaps collaborated with Radiohead.

When Friko whipped out the stunning piano-centric ballad “For Ella” with its twisted dark curves and emotional lyrics, it was another compelling moment. If you closed your eyes, you could visualize it as a soundtrack to a scene in a Tim Burton movie.

Fresh off an appearance at Newport Folk Festival and Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival and ahead of sets at Pygmalion Festival, Desert Daze and Pitchfork Fest in London, Friko is going places, but we can be proud to say they’re still one of Chicago’s best new artists in years. — Selena Fragassi

Happy Landing

All Happy Landing really needed to complete their set was a campfire near the stage to evoke the woodsy folk music and slices of Americana they delivered early Saturday afternoon.

At the very least, their backsplash with ‘70s nostalgia and moon motif evoked the vibe they were going for. Like many other artists this weekend, the five-piece “edgy folk” band was making their Lollapalooza debut and did so with an air of total fun and revelry that was two steps away from a full hoedown.

Made up of a group of college friends from Oxford, Mississippi, Matty Hendley (guitar/vocals), Keegan Christensen (keys/bass/vocals), Jacob Christensen (drums/vocals), Andrew Gardner (violin/mandolin/vocals) and Wilson Moyer (bass/guitar/vocals) started making music together in 2020 and just released their first album, “Golden,” in January.

It's full of energetic barn burners and storyteller narratives like “Let Me Out” that call to mind the handiwork of The Head and The Heart and The Lumineers, with a little punk and Southern rock thrown in the mix.

Those who were brave enough to leave the shaded grove near the Bacardi Stage in the oppressive heat were up front and center, doing a jig and dancing along with the animated five-piece band. No one was more animated than Gardner, who looked to be having the time of his life while playing violin and mandolin.

All of the members were dressed in full one-piece jumpsuits that symbolically emphasized their strong work ethic and well-synced chemistry on the stage, particularly on the song "Lose the Gun."

For anyone who may want to see the act again — or for the first time — Happy Landing will keep the fire going by coming back our way soon. While they may have jumped the gun on the public announcement, before closing out their Lolla performance, the band shared they will be playing Lincoln Hall on Nov. 9 with tickets on sale next week. — Selena Fragassi

Check back later for more reviews.

Lollapalooza 2024 in photos