The Hits and Misses at Lollapalooza India 2024

We recap all the action from the second edition of the Mumbai multi-genre music festival, which took place at Mahalakshmi Race Course on January 27th and 28th. 

Slated to return for a third edition in 2025, much can be said about how Lollapalooza India’s second outing fared compared to its debut in 2023. Some things changed and there were surprising snafus that the festival got pulled up over on social media.

We go over what worked and what didn’t at the festival – from power-packed performances to set times being cut and everything in between.

The Misses: 

Long Distances and Jatayu getting the slot of a lifetime and then having it snatched away from them. While it was rumored to be security protocol that left the gates unopened for one-and-a-half hours and bands on stage being asked to start on day one of the festival, it was hardly fair that artists got to play very little time before they were asked to end their set, with no explanation. Here’s hoping Lollapalooza makes it up to these bands.

The weather and the long walk into the festival. We know it’s quite a feat to convert Mahalakshmi Race Course into a festival ground, but it feels like not much was thought about what kind of toll it takes on bodies to talk nearly half an hour in the heat to get to a stage. Maybe a few buggies in the future could lessen the intensity of physical exhaustion that many encountered.

Metal was absconding. This could have applied to other multi-genre festivals, but everyone’s found a heavy act to program in recent times. The closest we got to heavy at Lollapalooza India – who had folk-metallers Bloodywood in 2023, were Chennai trio Skrat, U.K. duo Royal Blood, and the aggro JPEGMAFIA. Let’s hope Lolla India brings metal back in 2025.

OneRepublic working in parts of Sting/The Police songs just before his headline set. If there’s one unwritten rule about being the penultimate act at a festival, it’s to not cover the headliner’s songs. But American pop-rockers OneRepublic cheekily worked in bits of songs like “Roxanne” as they closed out with “If I Lose Myself,” sounding like a puzzling homage when people were anticipating the real thing just minutes later.

The sound system issues during Halsey’s set were a massive disappointment, especially for those positioned towards the back, who found themselves unable to hear anything clearly.

The Hits: 

Indian artists bringing their curatorial A-game – Karan Kanchan Experience, Komorebi, The Raghu Dixit Project, Dualist Inquiry, and several others didn’t miss when it came to mounting a stellar show for their respective sets. From dance troupes to hip-hop heavyweights to string sections in the mix, Lollapalooza India can flex about putting together exclusively curated sets.

A cheeky splash of pop culture occurred simultaneously during OneRepublic and JPEGMAFIA’s sets at the Walker’s & Co. and Nexa stages, respectively. While their sonic styles are polar opposites, the pop-rock band bust into a cover of Beyonce’s “Halo” at the same time that JPEGMAFIA gave us an on-brand cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.”

World-class artists like The Rose stopped by Lolla India before they strike big at festivals like Coachella. While it’s likely a function of being a part of the right booking and management agencies, it still lends serious cred to Lollapalooza India for bringing very current acts to the country.

The collaborations you’ll only see at Lollapalooza: Pop star Armaan Malik hopped in to share the stage with Lauv as well as Rolling Stone India’s February 2024 cover star Eric Nam at different points, and KING got on stage with Nick Jonas to play “Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife)” but then there was the unexpected Keane x Anoushka Shankar unmissable jam on the former’s hit song “Everybody’s Changing.”

Jungle giving a near-flawless sundowner performance on Day Two. The British electronic project brought on stage unparalleled energy with their live ensemble at Lollapalooza. Not only did they play their hits such as “Casio” and “Keep Moving,” but the performance itself thoroughly embodied the late-evening, picturesque feeling with numerous beach balls thrown across for the crowd to bounce around. After speaking to numerous festival attendees, the overwhelming answer to the question “Who was your favorite act at Lollapalooza?” was Jungle.

The mosh pit during JPEGMAFIA’s set. Known across the world for having infectious energy during his live performances, JPEGMAFIA, or, as his fans call him, “Peggy,” delivered on his promise to Indian fans. With a pit conducted by Bangalore rapper Hanumankind, JPEGMAFIA had an entire horde of audience members moving in unison to hits like “BALD!” “HAZARD DUTY PAY!” and even his rendition of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”.

The secret sets at the CRED Club were nothing short of fantastic. The invite-only area saw private sets by Kenny Beats, Keane, and Jungle. The performances left attendees in awe, creating an unforgettable and intimate atmosphere that elevated the overall exclusivity of the event.

Joe Jonas, Halsey, KING, Dualist Inquiry, and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder wearing homegrown fashion labels. Many performers wore outfits customized by homegrown designers such as Kartik Research, Saaksha & Kinni, Line Outline, and The Ikat Story. It felt pretty good to see the artists embracing local designers.