With six studio albums, and all six hitting Number One under his belt, J. Cole’s bonafides as a Lollapalooza headliner have been long established. Still, like the inspiration behind much of his music, he hasn’t forgotten from where he came. Like fellow headliner Dua Lipa the night before, J. Cole recalled performing a side stage at the festival, a “special stage” where aspiring artists and fans bond and Day Ones are solidified. He opened with a run of songs from his latest album, 2021’s The Off-Season, and his subtle jumping as he dropped his verses mirrored an athlete’s warmup befitting the LP’s themes. He also shared the spotlight with his Dreamville cohorts, bringing out Bas for “100.mil’” and later J.I.D joined them for “Down Bad” and “Stick.” Other highlights came by way of his performances for the Day Ones who packed the main stage field, including “Nobody’s Perfect,” “Power Trip,” and rousing closer “No Role Modelz.” [Rolling Stone]
Lollapalooza continued on Saturday with headline sets from J. Cole (who brought out Bas and J.I.D) and WILLOW, as well as a mosh-inducing sets from Turnstile and IDLES (who played a Lolla aftershow on Thursday at Metro), as well as YG, Meet Me @ The Altar, plus YG, Mariah the Scientist, Kygo, Duke Dumont, Big Sean, Dashboard Confessional, Alexander 23, Hinds, Duckwrth, Pom Pom Squad, Cochise, and more.