I went to this year’s Lollapalooza in Berlin with mixed feelings. And somehow it was exactly that – a mixture. A festival between the rain poncho and sunglasses, in terms of quantity between families and TikTok dances, musically between Justin Timberlake and Brutalism 3000.
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The audience? As diverse as the line-up itself. Family-friendly, less drunk, many kids. Pleasant for some, maybe too clean for others. The Lolla wants to be accessible – and it is too. But it sometimes seems as if everyone wants to like it. And if you want to please everyone, you often stay approximate.
Chart pop, rain shower and nostalgia: Saturday
A rainy Saturday (July 12th) opened the open air. According to the organists, around 60,000 visitors came every day: inside, but for the second time in a row, the festival remained “sold out” without the label.
Nevertheless: Gracie Abrams was there with a melancholydome pop, The Last Dinner Party brought dark, opulent indie on stage. And also artists: inside and Ashnikko showed how diverse a festival line-up can be. Female Empowerment, directly and loud – her show looked raw, confident and revealed an artist with a lot of presence.
On Saturday evening, Ritter Lean provided mood with moshpits and water pistol action on the alternative stage on Saturday evening. The artist presented himself backstage in the ME-KURZINVIEW and explained why it is important to him to address equality in his music and on stage.
Click here for the backstage interview with Ritter Lean:
“I got that sunshine in my pocket”
Justin Timberlake was the last to make the crowd dance despite the rain on Saturday. “I got that sunshine in my pocket” he sang – and it actually felt briefly as if the sun wanted to come out again. Timberlake showed why he still has headliner status. He delivered one hit after the other, embedded in an almost musical -like live spectacle with dance performances and huge trumpets.
Particularly touching: his little anecdote about his first visit to Germany at the age of 14. You realized that it was a nostalgic moment for him – not a standardized “Germany, you’Re amazing”, but real memory.
Sunday: sun, emotion-and a K-pop earthquake
Sunday (July 13) not only brought a little more sun, but also some emotional highlights – and a few surprises.
Benson Boone delivers a show that co -trius. Between acrobatic moves and Saltos, he made a close connection with his fans clear. He divided his personal thoughts on his music on stage and thus created an intimate atmosphere. You felt: here is someone who leaves musically and human impression among people in the crowd.
Royel Otis, an indie band that should be remembered, also convinced. Guitarist Royel Maddell shone with strong riffs and solos, while singer Otis Pavlovic rounded off the whole thing with his special voice. Solid, honest and above all unpretentious.
Yes and Raye occurred despite back problems – and illustrated what vocal power means. Many perhaps know them through the remix hit “Prada”, which became a Tikok trend. But on stage she was much more than that. It was vulnerable, but strong and completely with herself.
K-Pop as a mass phenomenon: J-Hope is overwhelming everything
Probably the greatest surprise moment of the festival: J-Hope. Anyone who still lived and thought behind the tree that K-Pop was a niche thing was taught better here. The decision between him and brutalism apparently did not find it difficult for many – I thought it was a clear case for techno. But wrongly thought. The crowd at J-shop was gigantic. The interaction? Enormous. The tictok choreos? Sat.
What it looked like: an upper body-free J-shop on stage and fans screeching in front of the stage with purple hearts and BTS light balls, which cost 60 euros the piece and transformed the crowd into a light spectacle. It was particularly striking that young women dominated the crowd and could sing and dance along almost every text. This is mainstream – global.
Conclusion: colorful, loud – but maybe too much of everything?
The Lollapalooza Berlin 2025 was a festival that wanted to serve as many tastes as possible – and ran the risk of not really meeting. For radio listeners: inside and families a dream, for music lovers: inside with clear preferences more of a challenge. Criticism of the line-up? Partly justified. But at the same time the festival made it clear how pop culture feels today: fragmented, fluid, diverse.