The air is sticky in Chicago’s Grant Park as the crowd begins to pack in at the Bud Light stage. But this is not a typical headliner moment with fans eager to watch one of the final acts of day one (August 3) of Lollapalooza 2023. Tonight, we’re witnessing history in real-time. Karol G will be the first Latin female artist to headline the famous music festival since its inception in 1991.
“Hello Chicago,” says the singer as she walks on stage, wearing a Rolling Stones halter top, tiger-print bellbottoms and her long light pink hair flowing in the summer air. “How are we doing? We’re here to have a good time, yes or no? I am trying with my English but this is so amazing,” she says before jumping into her first song of the night ‘TQG’.
She then flows through another two songs from her album ‘Mañana Será Bonito’, including ‘Besties’ and ‘X Si Volvemos’, all while stopping to chat with the audience between tracks, introducing her band and even talking with the sign language interpreter. The crowd begins singing along to the latter, embracing the slower beat of the track’s sensual lyrics.
As ‘X Si Volvemos’ continues to play, couples throughout the crowd hold each other close, leaning into dance hall moves, whining along to G as she sings. The highlight of the song is an interpolation of the 2005 mega hit ‘Noche De Sexo’ by Wisin & Yandel featuring Aventura. Everyone makes sure to scream along to the lyric ‘Hoy es noche de sexo’ at the top of their lungs paying tribute to the 05′ classic.
“I have to sing some iconic songs,” says G as she takes a short break from the tracks off of ‘Mañana Será Bonito’, leading into ‘BITCHOTA’. The crowd goes wild. Everyone is dancing and repeating every single lyric to the hit.
The performance and set list is perfectly edited for both old fans and new, and the importance of the history-making moment is palpable. Whether it be the doodle-like stage design that reflects her album artwork her band made entirely of talented women or her sweet interactions with the crowd, G easily cements the festival’s choice to have her close out night one.
It’s a powerful moment to take in. Looking around, this is not your average crowd of dedicated music lovers. These are generations of Latinos who have made their way to Chicago to experience this moment. Nearby, a little girl is in her mom’s arms as they both dance along to ‘Gucci Los Paños’. Elsewhere an elderly woman and her family are letting loose, swaying with the beat and singing along as if she’s the star. In that moment, we no longer feel like festival attendees watching a performer. We become a united group, more like a family at a summer cookout just dancing and making memories to last us a lifetime.
We all witness history happen, another win for Latinos everywhere. As the night comes to a close G makes sure to look into the crowd and say “Hey family, remember to believe in yourselves. You can do anything. I love you Chicago,” as a final sendoff of the night.
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