The one thing I love as much as travel is live music. Going to concerts and events where the music is blaring and the energy of the crowd is contagious pumps me up like no other.

Lollapalooza is a huge Chicago music festival that takes place in Grant Park every summer. I was finally able to attend this year, and it was worth every penny. On Thursday night, I saw Royal Blood at an indoor venue (The Vic, my favorite in Chicago) at a Lolla after show and was by far one of the best shows I’ve been to in recent years—and maybe of all time. I’ve loved Royal Blood for a few years now, and hearing Trouble’s Coming along with some of my other favorites was exhilarating beyond words. I had a blast and met some nice people in the crowd, and stayed up way past my bedtime!

I took the following day off to attend the actual Lollapalooza event and loved every minute of it. I’ve been planning who I wanted to see and when for quite some time, and was thrilled with yesterday’s lineup.

Genesis Owusu is someone I’ve recently discovered and loved instantly. He’s super political and progressive, and all his songs are as meaningful as they are bops!

I obviously had to see Royal Blood again. They’re one of my all time favorite duos and I can’t wait to see them again. Seeing them at an intimate venue and at an outdoor event were two completely different experiences—and I appreciated them both in differing ways.

After Royal Blood and King Princess for a drink and sit down session, I saw another longtime favorite: Glass Animals. Juan and I saw them back in March and have loved them since 2015 or 16, but going alone was my way of reclaiming them for myself. I danced with other loyal fans in the crowd and I had the time of my life. Dave Bailey delivered yet again!

Last but certainly not least was Machine Gun Kelly. One word: OBSESSED! I’ve attended somewhere between 50 and 100 concerts in my lifetime, and can easily say he and his band were the best performers and knew how to work the crowd.

I love that he raps and is punk—which led to the best surprise of the night…

AVRIL LAVIGNE performed with him!!! Oh my god, my ten-year-old self would’ve died knowing that this would happen in my future! We all screamed and it was SO MUCH FUN!!!

Thursday night and yesterday evening were full of memories that I’ll never forget, and I look forward to feeling more of this ❤️

Media taken Thursday and Friday, July 28-29, 2022