The Backseat Lovers performed a set at Coinbase stage on the closing night of Lollapalooza 2023 to an enormous and enthusiastic audience.
The alternative rock band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Joshua Harmon, guitarist Jonas Swanson, bassist KJ Ward and drummer Juice Welch. The four took the stage at 7:30p.m. to huge cheers from the crowd.
The Backseat Lovers kicked off their hour-long set with a few minutes of instrumental, getting the energy going right off the bat.
The band got fans dancing and singing to “Pool House,” one of the group’s top hits off of their album “When We Were Friends.”
Harmon laughed in disbelief as the crowd sang the song’s lyrics at the top of their lungs.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
During a brief break between songs, Harmon quickly and simply expressed how the band was feeling performing such a huge set.
“This is really scary!” Harmon said to laughs from the crowd.
This is not the band’s first Lollapalooza performance, as they previously played the festival in 2021. The set two years ago was noticeably earlier in the day, at a much smaller stage and for a smaller crowd.
The Backseat Lovers kept the hits coming with a performance of “Kilby Girls,” their biggest hit yet. The 2019 single currently has over 250 millions streams on Spotify, and reached number 39 on the Billboard Rock and Alternative Airplay chart.
The band has been on an impressive touring cycle of two years, commencing with the 2021 Lollapalooza performance. They recently finished
touring Europe and the United Kingdom this past spring.
During their extensive touring, the band put out their second studio album “Waiting to Spill” in 2022.
The band expressed their gratitude for their fans from the stage.
“I don’t really know what to say other than just thank you so much for being here with us,” Harmon said.
The band closed out their set with “Sinking Ship,” as has become tradition for the group.
Harmon finished off the set by giving his guitar away to a lucky member of the crowd.