Flooding Disrupts Lollapalooza 2026: Wolf Alice Cut to 40 Minutes as Olivia Rodrigo Joins Smashing Pumpkins Onstage

Lollapalooza 2026 opened July 30 in Chicago with a lineup including Olivia Dean, Charli XCX, Lorde, The xx, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jennie, CMAT, Geese, Wet Leg, Ethel Cain and Wolf Alice. Heavy rain before the Friday, August 1 stretch of the festival left the grounds waterlogged, and organizers pushed the day's gates back three hours, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM CT. Sets scheduled in that window were largely delayed or cut, with knock-on effects for the rest of the day's running order.

Wolf Alice's set: 8 songs, 40 minutes

London band Wolf Alice's originally planned hour-long performance was cut by 20 minutes, leaving the band just 40 minutes onstage. According to Far Out Magazine, the band played 8 songs, opening with "Bloom Baby Bloom" and closing with "Don't Delete the Kisses."

K-pop group Cortis also had their slot pushed later into the afternoon of August 1, with their set shortened from a planned 50 minutes to 40 minutes. In an official statement, organizers described the grounds as "swamp-like" and said crews were "actively cleaning up the site," necessitating the delayed opening.

Beyond the disruption: crossover sets and duets

The bad weather didn't overshadow every highlight. The Smashing Pumpkins brought out Olivia Rodrigo for a joint appearance during their set, while Lorde and Charli XCX performed their 2024 collaboration "Girl, So Confusing" together.

With no time to rest after Lollapalooza, Wolf Alice heads straight back to the UK to play Kendal Calling on Sunday, August 2, before continuing a European tour through Hungary, Switzerland, Lithuania, Poland and Belfast the following week.