Lollapalooza Wraps In Chicago As Delta Variant Ravages Nation

Source: Scott Legato / Getty

The summer is the season for massive outdoor festivals and many music fans and artists were itching to get back on the scene after the pandemic essentially shut things down for more than a year. Lollapalooza just wrapped its weekend-long event and many of the images from the festival have many wondering if we’ll see yet another spike in COVID-19 cases.

The images from Chicago’s Grant Park were, in a word, shocking, to say the least. Thousands upon thousands were crowded in the outdoor space to take in the 30th anniversary of Lollapalooza with Foo Fighters, Tyler, The Creator, Post Malone, Young Thug, Megan Thee Stallion, Freddie Gibbs, Jack Harlow, BIA and more taking the stage.

The three-day festival reportedly went on without any disruptions or major issues but there was a major cancellation of one headlining act. DaBaby was dropped from the festival lineup in the wake of his homophobic rant at Rolling Loud Miami last month, along with the North Carolina rapper leaning into the villain role and doubling down before eventually apologizing.

What has continued to baffle observers from the outside is the rise of Delta variant cases and the festival’s decision to forge ahead in one of the major metropolitan cities in the nation and once an epicenter of high coronavirus cases. As has been seen in other “superspreader” events, the expectation is that case numbers will indeed rise, putting a strain on the public health system and throwing the country’s progress in slowing the pandemic into jeopardy.

On Twitter, many were appalled at some of the footage that arose from Lollapalooza. We’ve got those reactions below.

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Photo: Getty

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