Yungblud Returns to Lollapalooza, Brings a Fan Onstage to Play “Fleabag”

Yungblud’s second Lollapalooza appearance, seven years after his first, arrived heavy with recent context. Earlier in July, the musician pulled out of Cowboys Music Festival after a vulnerable social media post addressed being called an “industry plant.” On Friday at Chicago’s Grant Park, the set felt less like a rebuttal and more like an exhale.

Opening with “Hello Heaven, Hello” from his latest album Idols, he tore through a high-temperature set that placed new material beside callbacks to recent high-profile collaborations. A cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” acknowledged Ozzy Osbourne, with whom he performed at what was billed as Osbourne’s final concert. He also played “My Only Angel,” born from an Aerosmith team-up last year. The Smashing Pumpkins collaboration “Zombie” closed the set, though frontman Billy Corgan did not appear onstage until the after-show at the Riviera.

The clearest lift came mid-set, when Yungblud pulled Katie, a fan from Michigan, out of the crowd. He handed her a guitar and pick, and they launched into “Fleabag,” the fan favorite. She held her own, and he jumped into the front rows afterward to embrace more fans. It was a gesture that cut through the noise of his July—a stripped-back reminder that his connection to audiences is the act’s engine.

The performance wasn’t a victory lap. It was someone back at work, channelling the tension.