Lollapalooza 2019: I stood in Grant Park Chicago waiting to see Bishop Briggs — my second-to-last set of an action-packed day. I was a fan of the singles “River” and “Wild Horses,” so I knew her set was not one to be missed. She was full of energy, sporting a pink track suit and a freshly shaved head, and she belted out notes effortlessly while sprinting around the stage. It was one of the most memorable sets I experienced at Lollapalooza that year, and have been following her ever since.
On March 26 at 9:30 Club, I saw her for the second time. A lot has changed in six years! At the Lollapalooza set, Bishop Briggs was newly out of a relationship and still reeling from that heartbreak. At the 9:30 Club, she relished in being happily married with a child. Her set remained wildly full of energy — still not missing any notes while jumping and running around the stage.
Ellise opened up the night, gracing the 9:30 stage with dark alt-pop goodness. She played new songs off her record PRETTY EVIL that just dropped on March 28. “Bite” is a vampy track, which features Ellise doing her best Anora impression in the music video. She covered Paramore’s “Decode” to show off her grunge powerful vocals. “Dead2Me” is a synth-pop earworm that emulates Melanie Martinez and Marina. Ellise’s set concluded with her viral TikTok hit “911” that amassed more than 158k streams on Spotify. She’s definitely one to watch this year.
Watch the official visualizer for “911” by Ellise on YouTube:
Bishop Briggs fired off her set with the single “My Serotonin” from her third album, Tell My Therapist I’m Fine. The scream-able track made for an excellent opener, and she kept the fire going with “I’m Not A Machine.” She played “Wild Horses” next, which is one of my favorites ever since the Lollapalooza performance. The beat drop is incredibly fun to jump around too, and she knows it.
Briggs acknowledged the daunting task of creating a setlist for a show after performing “Hurt Me Now.” She said she tried to make her set “a mix of old and new” and that she wasn’t going to play all songs from the recent album. She transitioned into her 2017 song “The Way I Do,” which accentuates her vocals and has the “church choir” backing, which is prevalent in her earlier music.
“Champion” and “Art of Survival” are two hype-tracks that’ll get you moving. They both feel like they should be played in a high-intensity workout class in the best way. “Champion” was a new song when I saw her in 2019, and hearing it live again immediately transported me back to the woods in Grant Park. She truly makes the high notes towards the end look easy. “White Flag” also fits into the category of motivational workout songs that was another early favorite of mine from the 2018 debut album Church of Scars. During this song, I happened to notice the diversity of the crowd. There was no “distinct” type of concert goer for this show; there were people of all ages and genders. I always find that amusing when the crowd isn’t a homogenous lump.
Watch the official music video for “White Flag” by Bishop Briggs on YouTube:
Briggs was quite the comedian over the course of the evening. After “White Flag” she said, “If I seem out of breath it’s not because I am. It’s just the way I talk,” she paused, “nothing to do with fitness.” She let out a laugh and then a relatable awkward scream. Briggs began introducing her next song “Growing Pains” and she described writing it when she was nine-months pregnant: “It’s this concept that I wanted to be able to describe to my baby that it’s okay to not feel happy all the time. That doesn’t mean that you are failing at life or failing at anything,” she paused to laugh, “you know just a lighthearted concept.” She continued: “I have lost so, so deeply, and it’s because I have loved so deeply. And I’m so glad that I have done that, despite that meaning that the hurt is so hard. So, this is ‘Growing Pains.’” Briggs played it acoustically — it was a sweet and tender moment in the otherwise loud and defiant set.
Briggs took a moment to shout out Travis Barker: “Travis Barker of Blink-182 fame. Travis Barker of Kourtney Kardashian of perfect husband fame. There was something in the universe that led him to believe that I was sane,” casually, she continues, “As you guys have been able to tell, I’m not, right?” She joked about having to “check her schedule,” but that in reality she would clear it immediately to work with him. At the end of their writing session, he “laid down some drums.” Briggs says, “He played and when he came out I started crying and I just said ‘This is just the biggest honor to be here. I can’t thank you enough for having me,’” jokingly she says “and then security escorted me out,” which got lots of laughs. She praised her tour drummer Beau, “he truly is incredible and he’s an amazing human as well. So don’t f**k it up. This is ‘Isolated Love.’” The drums shine through on track, and match the intensity of Briggs’s vocals.
Stream “Isolated Love” by Bishop Briggs featuring Travis Barker on YouTube:
Bishop followed up with “Shut It Off,” a powerful punk-esque song also off the new album. Briggs introduced “Lightning,” which she described as her “first love song” in reference to her husband. The song does have a brighter sound quality to it, which contrasts a lot of the darker, edgier tones in her music.
Nearing the end of the set, Briggs thanked her opener, Ellise, as well as Beau on the drums and Taylor on the guitar. She commented that she recently made a music video for “Woman Is King” where she has this dream of becoming a large apple, she laughs, “you know those dreams right?” She said this is a reference to her MySpace days where her username was “applejuicequeen.” In the music video she’s living an okay life at the apple juice stand, but she’s not feeling very fulfilled. Apple Bishop goes to an audition where she doesn’t get the part, and is denied by a “manspreading” man “just because it felt like the type.” She notes the change in tone from feeling down to suddenly resilient, and powerful. Briggs leaves off with this message: “If there’s anything you leave her tonight with, it’s to always try. Trying is what gives you everything. Trying is where you learn everything. Even if it ends in failure, whatever that means, you won’t live a life of regret, not knowing what that dream could’ve been. So always try. And if that is difficult to remember, BE the apple.”
The set concluded with the empowering “Woman Is King,” and then played the viral hit “River.” I left that night ultimately feeling inspired and empowered, which speaks to the power of music and a memorable performance. I remember leaving the Lollapalooza set with a newfound energy — quite literally — I sprinted to the next stage to see Childish Gambino. I’m still repeating “be the apple” in my head.
Here are some photos of Bishop Briggs performing at 9:30 Club on March 26, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey.
Here are some photos of Ellise opening Bishop Briggs at 9:30 Club on March 26, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey.
