Rocking an electric guitar in the middle of the IHG stage, Briston Maroney poised comfort and charm to his audience during his Saturday afternoon set. The set saw a sizable crowd who nodded along to the riffs of the guitar and drums solos.
Maroney started with an unreleased song — a bass and drum-heavy song unlike the rest of his discography. Mid-song, he stopped the music because he heard something strange in his earpiece. He took it again from the top, and the audience present cheered him on.
“It is such an honor to be playing at this festival,” Maroney said after singing his second song, “Body.”
The third song of the set, “Small Talk,” was popular among the crowd. As more people started crowding the IHG field, the electric guitar went on a highly-cheered-on solo before the song ended.
After the “Small Talk” performance, Maroney emphasized his love for the crowd and told members to keep drinking water. The field — a plain field with hardly any shade around it — was at extremely high temperatures and many sweaty crowd members heeded Maroney’s advice, taking a communal sip of canned water.
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He continued showing gratitude and empathy for both the crowd and the festival organizers throughout the show. Later, Maroney instructed the audience to continue looking out for one another, specifically if they turned an unnatural color.
“June,” “Fool’s Gold” and “Rollercoaster” were among other numbers Maroney performed at the comfortably-packed IHG stage. The crowd, still engaged, had only grown in size throughout the middle of his performance.
Stage lights blinked during beat and chord changes, captivating the audience further. They recorded the band’s intense guitar and drum instrumentals between verses and captured the iconic Briston Maroney sign behind him on screen.
Filling the southern quarter of Grant Park with an indie-rock-folk sound, Maroney displayed his humanity within his set. He frequently checked in on the crowd between songs, expressing deep regard for their well-being. The crowd received this with gratitude, cheering in response.
Audience-pick “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate” played toward the end of the set, and groups danced together as space permitted. Loud applause welcomed the start of the song, meeting it with excitement.
To close his time up, Maroney played “Caroline,” another crowd-favorite. The electric guitar in this one was also heavy, syncing with the lit production on the stage.
“We’ve been dreaming about this (performing at Lollapalooza) since we were baby, baby, babies,” Maroney had said to the audience earlier. “I cannot stress enough how special it is to be a part of this festival … Thank you so much for having us, oh my goodness.”
