With Lollapalooza just around the corner, host Stella Huang talks with Columbia students and recent grads who are prepping for a weekend of unforgettable music in this week’s Chronversations. From first-timer jitters to veteran tips, hear how they’re planning for the festival, what artists they can’t wait to see and how Lolla feeds their creative lives.
Transcript:
0:07: Welcome back to Chronicle Chronversations.
0:10: I’m your host, Stella Huang.
0:15: It’s that time of summer, flower crowns, stomping boots and four days of absolute music mayhem.
0:21: Summer in Chicago means one thing for music lovers.
0:24: Lollapalooza is almost here, bringing four days of sun, music and unforgettable memories at Grant Park.
0:29: I caught up with a few Columbia voices to see how they are gearing up for one of the city’s biggest weekends.
0:35: I have been to two other Lollapaloozas and going to all four days of Lolla this year.
0:42: Both Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, they were a big motivation for me going because it’s a big deal that they’re at the same festival.
0:50: That’s Jackie Krieger, a recent Columbia graduate in music business who’s no stranger to Lolla.
0:55: She’s got a few favorites on her radar, but she’s not the only one with a packed weekend ahead.
0:59: This is my first Lollapalooza ever, actually
1:02: I am attending Lollapalooza all four days.
1:05: I am most excited to see Tyler, the Creator, absolutely, and I am more recent person I’m excited to see is 2hollis.
1:14: Ellie Mickey, a rising senior in vocal performance.
1:16: Ellie is diving in head first as a Lolla first timer.
1:19: She’s buzzing with excitement and a little bit of nervous energy.
1:23: I’m expecting to be incredibly hot and probably overstimulated.
1:28: But I’m also expecting to just kind of stand in the back the whole time and just chill with my friends.
1:34: And if you’re wondering what the vibe is really like.
1:37: The vibe, it’s a mixed crowd.
1:38: We’ve got the teenagers coming in from the suburbs.
1:41: We’ve got college aged students and older.
1:44: This isn’t really a rave festival.
1:46: There are raves and there’s indie alternative artists like other stages, so everyone can find something that they enjoy, but just don’t ruin that for someone else.
1:55: The vibe at Lolla is definitely high energy.
1:58: There’s lots of young people, a lot of people travel for the festival, and you can definitely see people’s passion for their favorite artists in the way that they dress, like Chappell Roan last year, a lot of cowboy hats and pink boots, and I’m assuming we’ll see something similar for Sabrina this year.
2:13: Lolla definitely brings the energy.
2:15: Sydney Munson, another recent Columbia graduate whose major was arts management, has experienced that energy firsthand.
2:22: I actually worked the festival last year, like Jackie, she’s worked at Lolla before and both of them have their own favorite moments to remember.
2:30: Seeing Lizzie McAlpine and Hozier back to back when it was sunset and then starting to storm.
2:37: A really cool memory from last year is that I was at Chappell’s record-breaking set where she drew like 80,000 people, and I got to do the Hot-To-Go dance live, so that was pretty fun.
2:46: Beyond the big-name artists and festival chaos,
2:49: There’s something deeper and more meaningful for Columbia creatives.
2:52: As a Columbia student, I feel like Lolla does tie into my creative life and influence my work.
2:57: I would love to perform at Lollapalooza, or I would love to work directly with talent.
3:01: Anything involving the music industry is just very inspiring to me.
3:04: Every time I attend a concert, I’m personally inspired, whether that’s lyrically or just like seeing someone else do something I’ve always wanted to do and go into.
3:12: And I feel like a music festival is going to be that much.
3:15: More inspiring, considering I’ll see a bunch of artists, big and small, that I’ve been listening to for years.
3:21: As a music business student, I definitely have taken inspiration from Lolla.
3:25: Seeing artists that I’ve enjoyed like really gets me wanting to make more music myself.
3:29: Going to festivals like this, it’s always really interesting to see the newer artists that are making their way into the spotlight and to see how newer audiences receive them as well, and how they end up doing after the fact in terms of their streaming, so.
3:42: I think it’s definitely cool.
3:43: Heading to big events like Lolla, don’t go in unprepared.
3:46: So, how do you make the most of it?
3:48: If you’re just trying to be barricade at Lolla for an artist that’s headlining, you’re doing it wrong.
3:55: The whole point of a music festival, you paid so much money.
3:58: You go and see other artists, smaller stages, unexpected moments, just experience everything.
4:04: Don’t just go for one artist, like you can go for one artist, but make sure you go and see artists you wouldn’t expect to enjoy, because you would be surprised.
4:13: I definitely have always highlighted the acts I want to see.
4:16: So right now I’m sending that back and forth between my sister and my friends just to make sure we’re all in agreement of who we’re going to see and at what time.
4:23: Definitely just getting lots of sleep and planning which stages I’m going to hit the next day and definitely budgeting for merch and food and all the stuff that comes with attending the festival.
4:34: For both first timers and music festival regulars, the excitement is real, and so are the survival strategies.
4:40: Bring a scarf or a bandana that you can fold up really well because you can use those to sit.
4:45: I also highly recommend bringing a poncho because it does get rainy, it does get muddy, and whether you’re using it to sit on or survive the rain, have a poncho, one of those battery-powered fans.
4:57: If you have one, those can come in really handy.
4:59: Lollapalooza means something different to every Columbia talent, whether you’re front row or just vibing from the hill.
5:05: It’s going to be fun.
5:06: Stay safe and hydrated out there, and don’t forget to keep an eye on the weather forecast.
5:11: Make sure to stay up to date with campus and metro news at columbiachronicle.com.
5:17: And sign up for our newsletter at columbiachronicle.com/newsletter.
5:22: I’m Stella Huang.
5:24: Thanks for listening.
Copy edited by Vanessa Orozco
