Lollapalooza kicked off last Thursday in Chicago amidst sweltering heat. One of the weekend’s most talked about sets featured the Lolla debut of SB19, a performance which now stands as the first by a southeast Asian artist in Lollapalooza’s more than two decades as a destination festival in Chicago.
Further introduced to the world outside Chicago’s Grant Park via placement on Lollapalooza’s Hulu/Disney+ livestream, the Filipino P-pop boy band tore through a one hour, mid-afternoon set on Lollpalooza’s Allianz stage, launching a meticulously choreographed performance that’s bound for bigger stages soon.
“We are SB19 from the Philippines!” said the band’s five members together on stage at Lollapalooza, flanked by a troupe of backing dancers. “I didn’t expect it to be this hot!” said Josh accurately on stage with a smile. “And to our Filipinos watching the livestream, hello!”
On stage last week at Lollapalooza, the group opened up with “DAM,” moving deftly into “Gento.” Performing in support of the recently released studio album Wakas At Simula, the latest SB19 single “Lawless,” which celebrates ideas like ambition and belief in one’s self, was an early on stage highlight as Lollapalooza got underway.
Lyrics to SB19 songs appeared on screen in Grant Park’s Hutchinson Field in both English and and Filipino as hundreds of fans nearest the stage frantically waved Filipino flags. It was the type of performance which masterfully underscored live music’s virtually unparalleled ability to simply bring people together.
“Music has that power to really connect people,” said Pablo backstage following the set. “Even though we have different languages, when you listen to a certain music, you feel the same emotion the song is trying to convey. And, so, through that, we’re able to connect to each other. And through these kind of festivals, like Lollapalooza, we get to see each other and have that connection and have that energy.”
I spoke with all five SB19 members backstage at Lollapalooza about making their festival debut, the new single “Lawless” and the message they take to fans around the world via their music. A transcript of our conversation, lightly edited for clarity, follows below.
Jim Ryan: Well, I saw the set and it both looked and sounded fantastic. How was it for you guys on stage at Lollapalooza?
Josh: It was really amazing. It was actually nerve wracking at first. But once we got to the stage, we were just having fun. We were just being lawless all of the time.
Ryan: Well, “Lawless” [is now available]. What can you tell fans about the latest SB19 single?
Justin: Actually, we [didn’t] know what to expect. Because right now, we’re just being lawless. So, we just did everything. We’re doing our best. And, of course, I hope fans would expect more. Because this Lollapalooza stage is really big for us. So, we should not take that for granted. We should do our best. And do more.
Ryan: One of my favorite things about live music, especially at the moment, is the way in which it brings people together regardless of divisive times. That’s a rare thing. How important of a role is that for music to play?
Pablo: Music has that power to really connect people. Even though we have different languages, when you listen to a certain music, you feel the same emotion the song is trying to convey. And, so, through that, we’re able to connect to each other. And through these kind of festivals, like Lollapalooza, we get to see each other and have that connection and have that energy. And it’s just amazing to be in the flesh and hear amazing artists and share different cultures and different music together.
Ryan: That was quite an impassioned response today out there from fans to your first ever Lollapalooza performance. What do you say to a reaction like that?
Stell: We just want to say thank you to all of the SB19 fans who came today just to see us perform. We’re very honored and happy to represent not only our group but also the Filipino community on a global stage. We can’t promise a lot of things. But one thing is for sure: we will do our best every time we step on the stage. Small stage or big stage, we’ll do our best for our fans. All of this is all because of you. And we’ll do this not only for us but for all of the Filipinos. Thank you again. We love you forever. Always remember that. Thank you so much.