Lil Uzi Vert Skips Own Lollapalooza Birthday Slot, Then Surprises Fans at Major Lazer's Set and Drops New EP

Lil Uzi Vert was scheduled to play Lollapalooza's Chicago festival on Friday, July 31, 2026 — a date that also happened to be his 31st birthday. Organizers cancelled the set due to severe weather, which also cut short or cancelled other performances that day. Uzi still turned up in Chicago and marked the occasion in a different way: a surprise cameo and a surprise EP.

A surprise cameo with Major Lazer

After his own set was scrapped, Lil Uzi Vert unexpectedly appeared on the Perry's Stage during Major Lazer's performance, joining them for his 2022 single "Just Wanna Rock." The crowd broke into a spontaneous "Happy Birthday" singalong for him on the spot.

Lollapalooza 2026 officially opened on Thursday, July 30, with a genre-spanning lineup headlined by Charli XCX, Lorde, The xx, Olivia Dean, Tate McRae, The Smashing Pumpkins, John Summit and Jennie. The festival also delivered a run of surprise collaborations: Lorde joined Charli XCX for "Girl, So Confusing," Sam Fender joined Olivia Dean for "Rein Me In," Smashing Pumpkins reunited with Melissa Auf der Maur, and Sombr brought out 5 Seconds of Summer. The festival wrapped on Sunday, August 2.

A surprise EP, exactly 10 years after his debut

On the same day as his birthday, Lil Uzi Vert dropped a new EP, Maverick 'Almost Forever', without any prior announcement — his first new project since 2024's Eternal Atake 2. The release date also marks exactly 10 years since his debut mixtape, The Perfect LUV Tape.

According to NME, which previously gave Eternal Atake a five-star review, the outlet has described Lil Uzi Vert as an artist who "twists rap around his fingers" and called him "the Lil Wayne of our generation."