About halfway into Charli xcx’s set at Lollapalooza 2026, just as she transitioned into the third act of the setlist, the voice of John Cale flooded the grounds. She was giving “House,” the dramatic and dynamic track from her Wuthering Heights soundtrack, its live debut. That’s also when the rain started coming down harder than it had all day.
As Cale and the strings continued to increase the tension, building to Charli’s reentrance and the coming sonic payoff, thousands of audience members scrambled for their ponchos. Some even booked it to find some shelter, perhaps assuming the storm that had loomed for all of Lollapalooza’s second day had finally arrived to wreak havoc. Charli popped back out, engulfed in fiery pyrotechnics synced to the music, and finished the track in spectacular fashion.
And then the show continued. She moved on to unveil another Wuthering Heights cut for the first time, “Dying for You,” and just like that, the rain let up. There was little more than a few minutes of light sprinkles here and there for the remainder of the headlining performance. It was insane enough to make one wonder, is there a god? Did Charli make a deal with god to pull off such cosmically unlikely, thematically appropriate timing? Is Charli god herself???
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It was a striking, intensely memorable moment in the midst of a set full of striking and memorable moments. One part rock show, one part pop spectacle, Charli spent her slot proving she’s worth all the praise folks like Consequence Live Music Editor Paolo Regusa throw her way.
@consequence @Charli XCX performs “House” from the Wuthering Heights soundtrack the first time live at @Lollapalooza #lolla #lollapalooza2026
With a setlist that leaned heavily on BRAT and her excellent new album Music, Fashion, Film, Charli and her team executed a near-perfect production. The choreography was impressive, the pace of the performance was spot-on, and Charli was impossible to look away from. At several points throughout, particularly when she was making her way through the new material, she presented like a full-blown rockstar, backed by a three-piece band and donning a leather jacket or a grungy, torn T-shirt. It felt authentic and remarkably realized. Any lingering doubters can shove it; This 365-partygirl’s version of rock music fucking rips.
The runs of BRAT tracks were even more revealing of how she’s feeling now, to borrow a title from her back catalog. Since the release of the smash-hit green album, Charli has spent a lot of creative energy wrestling with her new level of success, her image, and her relationship with her art. I mean, she made a whole movie about it, The Moment, and it’s all over Music, Fashion, Film. On stage last night, she proved just how masterfully she can reinvent herself without disrespecting her past.
None of the BRAT songs felt overtly obligatory or like she wished she was singing something else. At the same time, she very intentionally left many BRAT signifiers behind, save for maybe making it raining panties during “Guess:” no viral dance during “Apple,” no gaggle of famous faces, not a shred of green. BRAT summer has well and truly sunsetted, though like the many summers captured in various coming-of-age films, it’s changed Charli and her fans forever.
@consequence @Charli XCX and her friends making “Rock Music” at @Lollapalooza #rockmusic #lolla #lollapalooza2026
All of which cements a fact old fans have known for a while: Charli can and will go in any direction she pleases, and it’ll almost certainly be interesting, if not downright fantastic. For now, we have an excellent new album anchoring a worthy emerging era for the popstar. I would not recommend missing it if you can help it.
Setlist:
Rock Music
Yeah
Apple
Wink Wink
Card Declined
Track 10
Girl, so confusing (“Lorde” remix)
pink diamond
House
Dying for You
Club classics
365 (“shygirl” remix)
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360
Sympathy is a knife
Von dutch
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Guess (“billie eilish” remix)
If You Take Away the Music Then What Has She Got?
2007
Camera
party 4 u
Playboy Bunny
SS26
No One Lasts Forever
