Kygo (aka Kyrre Gorvell-Dahll), the 23-year old DJ/producer from Norway, recently took the title of MVP (Most Valuable Performer) of Lollapalooza 2015 weekend. From playing a headlining time-slot at one of the biggest festivals on the planet to performing an acoustic show for one of the biggest publications in the world, Kygo seems like he is truly one with the universe.
To kick things off, he played a secret show organized through Uber at the Emporium Arcade Bar in Chicago’s Wicker Park area. Mainly due to it’s unique way of announcing the show, this particular show was made extremely exclusive. At exactly 7:30PM on Thursday night, fans who were tipped off about the secret Kygo show were instructed to go on their Uber apps to request a ride to take you to the hush-hush event.
It’s clear that with new technology, come new methods of promoting. After logging in, I immediately noticed a Kygo icon on the bottom of my Uber screen. Yes, Kygo had his very own button to push! Unfortunately, after trying for nearly an hour with a group of nearly 10 people manning their phones, it became clear that the secret show was not in the cards for a lot of Kygo fanatics that night.
As another bonus for the lucky attendees, during Kygo’s Uber performance (****which happen to be the first time ever for Uber to team with an artist to unveil new hit material via a live show****) he dropped his brand new single, “Nothing Left” Featuring Will Heard. Oh yea, did I mention the show was completely FREE?!
When Saturday rolled around, rumors spread that Kygo was playing an acoustic set downtown at Studio Paris (aka Paris Club) for Rolling Stone magazine. Apparently, this was yet another exclusive show because tickets were nowhere to be found. After several pictures floated around on Instagram, another feeling of disappointment set in as I realized I missed another show by ‘Kid Kygo.’
Sluggishly, but surely, crowds in the 10’s on thousands headed to Day 3 of Lolla. Aside from Kygo, motivating the masses included performances by Bassnectar, Florence + the Machine, A$AP Rocky, Of Monsters and Men, NERO, Nicky Romero, NGHTMRE and many, many more.
Due to weather conditions earlier in the day, Lolla was evacuated for an hour or so, which pushed back some set times. For the most part, not too much music was missed and the bands played on without further complications.
Following an emotional performance by A$AP Rocky, NGHTMRE was left with just 30 minutes to impress audiences traveling to see Bassnectar, Kygo, NERO, and Florence + the Machine close the night out. People passing were immediately drawn in by his irresistible, bass-pumping sounds. To everyone’s amazement the newcomer captivated the crowd and delivered an unforgettable set.
When NGHTMRE’s set came to a close, everyone within the vicinity of both the Bud Light and Palladia stages felt vibrations as Bassnectar started the show. As predicted, Bassnectar did what he does best and delivered the loud, whomping bass-drops that his fans know and love him for. After getting down to some of the vibes at Bassnectar it was finally time for Kygo, who also only had a brief time to show the crowds what he’s made of.
Upon walking up, the sounds of fans singing his most infamous songs filled Columbus Dr. outside of the Pepsi stage. With such a short period of time to play, Kygo stuck to his popular tracks and rocked a sing-along set for the ages. 30 minutes was simply not enough for a lot of fans in attendance and were fortunately forced to get their fix at the Concord Music Hall after Lollapalooza came to a close.
The rain picked up again, but it didn’t stop many people who desperately wanted to see Kygo crush it for an entire set. By the time his openers, Louis The Child, came on the rain had stopped and the walls were jam packed with eager festival-goers.
At 1:15AM sharp, Kygo, appeared on the stage and the crowd went wild. The smile on the young superstar’s face was priceless. As he continued to perform, he seemed confident in the spotlight, yet, he also came off as extremely humbled to be in the position he is so early on in his career. How he conveyed that message from the stage, I cannot completely explain, but the feeling was definitely present throughout his performance.
Throughout his show at the Concord, he had bubbles blowing above the audience and across the entire venue. Kygo also had his crew bring out props during his show for the audience to enjoy. Confetti and streamers filled the air as smoke bursted during bass-drops. From a visual standpoint, Team Kygo nailed it.
The LCD panel display was also a sight to see. At one a point a Pug appeared on the stage, then people in the front row start screaming. Eventually Kygo’s pet Pug was in his hands and presented high in the air like Simba from the movie The Lion King. After the Pug’s brief time in the spotlight Kygo got right back to feeding the beast music treats in the form of unique, tropical beats.
The moment made me realize that this was a special show for even Kygo himself. Aside from having his friends help with props and the programming the LCD with his favorite companion, the preparation conveyed that he really wanted to enjoy this show. The performance at the Concord Music Hall seemed to be the icing on the cake after successfully accomplishing a weekend tour of this magnitude.
From a venue holding nearly 100,000 people to those that hold only 1,000, Kygo has had huge success on every stage he’s come in contact with recently and he shows not signs of slowing down. It was an incredible time chasing him around the city from place to place. I’m confident that the people who were fortunate enough to catch him in the act were left craving more. If you didn’t catch him, rest assured that this is only the beginning for ‘Kid Kygo.’