For those who say A$AP Rocky is bad live obviously missed seeing him at Lollapalooza 2025.

In a headlining performance that surpassed all expectations, Rocky put on a momentous set of boundless energy and continuous hits — many of which he claimed he’d never played live before. 

A chill filled the air, and cheers rang out at 9 p.m. as the booming sound of a bass shook the ground for a split second before silencing. A few minutes later, blinding white lights flashed, and the stage darkened as the audience immediately screamed and pulled out their phones.

The shrill sound of sirens rang out, and multiple women’s voices doubled over one another. 

“A$AP Rocky was arrested at LAS airport,” the first voice said, referencing the rapper’s arrest after an assault case in 2021. The screen played a video montage of engrossing visuals of Rocky, making a gripping, if somewhat odd, beginning to his headlining set. 

The Grammy-nominated rapper, fashion superstar, cultural icon (and husband of Rihanna) has achieved both commercial and critical success, boasting a vibrant discography and two platinum-certified albums.

After over a decade of making music, Rocky doesn’t have much to prove anymore, and even a lackluster performance would have maintained his status as one of the biggest rappers of the 21st century. 

But the moment Rocky came out on stage, it was made very clear that lackluster wasn’t in the cards for the night.

“Lollapalooza, are ya’ll ready? A$AP! Let’s f—ing go!” 

Rocky appeared on stage, leaning out of the side of a set helicopter and holding a white megaphone. Surveying the audience with a smile on his face and pink rollers in his hair, screams thundered from the crowd in continuous waves.

The nostalgic-sounding melody of “A$AP Forever” began with Rocky screaming, “Gang! Gang! I can’t hear you!”

With ferocity, Rocky rapped the song’s lyrics while still managing to interact heavily with his fans, smoke shooting up from the stage and lights shining towards the back of Bud Light.

Following “A$AP Forever,” Rocky spent about five minutes talking to the audience and yelling into his megaphone, random crashes of bass booming in out of nowhere. 

Despite this long break, the audience never lost energy, roaring each time Rocky asked if everyone was “lit.” 

“Man, it’s f—ing beautiful out here,” Rocky said, genuinely taking in his surroundings and the massive crowd. “We f—ing love ya’ll, Chicago. Ya’ll f—ing lit.”

Throughout his hour-long set, Rocky maintained his magnificent stage presence, engaging with the crowd as a whole, talking to specific people in the audience, and, of course, lassoing a few bras around his head when thrown on stage. His crowd interactions showed his genuine appreciation for his fans and love for performing, something that is often not seen with many artists. 

Rocky’s powerful stage presence is just one of many things that made his set so memorable. The jumbo screens displayed impressive visuals throughout the night, creating a stunning viewing experience that could have held its own without any music. 

A slower moment of the set included the daydream-esque sounding “LSD,” Rocky singing the lyrics with a surprisingly impressive vocal performance. A wall of sparkling lights came down from the top of the stage as Rocky demanded that the audience move their arms from side to side.

“I’m not into making love songs,” Rocky sang, the audience’s voices soaring with his. “Chi-Town, I’m just rapping to this LSD.”

The set once again changed gears when the psychedelic pop sound of “Sundress” started playing. The stage lights turned a yellowish-orange color, drifting away from the dark blue light that had been illuminating the stage for much of the performance. 

A bright yellow sunflower appeared on the screen as phones flashed in the air. Looking out into the crowd, all that could be seen were people lit up in yellow light, jumping up and down with genuine enthusiasm in a scene that felt like the definition of summer.

Besides “Sundress,” Rocky played a string of other popular songs like “Fashion Killa,” “LVL” and “I Smoked Away My Brain.” 

Before performing “LVL,” Rocky invited the audience to smoke some weed, saying, “Chi-Town, I heard weed is legal here, so spark that joint.” 

It didn’t take much convincing; people happily obliged, puffs of thick white smoke almost immediately filling the air. 

In an unconventional ending to his set, Rocky played about 15 seconds of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” before his microphone cut out a few minutes after 10 p.m., forcing a close to the performance and Lollapalooza’s final night — both of which will not be forgotten anytime soon. 

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