No, that’s not a spaceship getting ready for takeoff, that’s RÜFÜS DU SOL’s Lollapalooza performance. RÜFÜS DU SOL is made up of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt, who combine talents to put out high-quality electronic dance music for a wide audience.
Before a single lyric was sung, the group built anticipation by gradually increasing the intensity of an electronic background track and adding in more and more strobing lasers until the audience’s energy was piqued. At this moment, RÜFÜS DU SOL broke out in “Levitating,” a track that got festivalgoers singing and jumping around in a rave-like fashion.
While many things set RÜFÜS DU SOL apart from other EDM artists, the most notable is its ability to incorporate natural elements like vocals and traditional instruments into scrubbing electronic tracks.
Lindqvist, RÜFÜS DU SOL’s vocalist, has a unique quality to his voice that allows him to stand out despite how easy it would be to get lost in the forest of sound behind him. His voice cut through clearly, conveying lyrics of love, loss and contempt.
As the show progressed, the group added in more and more elements like different types of lasers and a variety of songs, but the audience was quickly distracted as two other performances utilized drones to display colorful images in the sky. At one point in the performance, many audience members turned to look in the direction of Perry’s stage or Bud Light stage, where Two Friends and Twice were performing, respectively.
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Attention was regained as RÜFÜS DU SOL started to play “Treat You Better,” a song off its 2018 album, “Solace.”
The T-Mobile stage viewing area was packed with festivalgoers accessorized by an assortment of objects, including inflatable animals and clips of sprouts that are common in rave culture. Listeners even lined the hills leading out of the stage area, with some members of the crowd climbing the trees to get a better view of the group.
As the group played “Innerbloom,” fireworks were set off behind T-Mobile, signaling the wrap-up of the performance. Much to the surprise of the audience, at the conclusion of the song, Lindqvist asked, “Do you guys want a couple more?” and was met by cheers of approval.
However, perhaps people were worn out by the third day of the festival, or were trying to beat the crowds, but after “Innerbloom,” a sizable chunk of festivalgoers were seen streaming out of the venue.
These audience members did not let their exit stop them from enjoying RÜFÜS DU SOL’s set, as many of them were singing and dancing to its slowly fading set.
As RÜFÜS DU SOL made its conclusion, festivalgoers showed their support with thunderous applause and cheers, indicating a successful conclusion to Lollapalooza day 3.
