Billie Eilish Debuts ‘Barbie’ Song, Honors Angus Cloud On First Night of 2023 Lollapalooza: 8 Best Moments

The last time Billie Eilish played at Lollapalooza in Chicago was in 2018, before the release of her smash debut album, 2019’s, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Before her Oscar, her Golden Globe and her seven Grammy Awards.

Back then, she was an up-and-coming 16-year-old playing the handful of songs she and brother/producer Finneas had written together in her childhood bedroom — plus a cover of Drake’s “Hotline Bling” — and if you wanted to see her you had to find the vodka-sponsored side stage where she made the first of many impressive first impressions.

Thursday night (August 3) in Chicago, however, things were way, way different. This time Eilish was one of the undisputed must-see headliners, drawing a modest midwestern town size sprawling audience to close out the first night of this year’s four-day Lollapalooza Festival on the city’s lakeshore.

On a warm, sunny day that featured ecstatically received sets from rising K-pop girl group NewJeans, a mob scene craning to see Vermont folk rock sensation Noah Kahan, a surprise appearance by Nelly Furtado during Dom Dolla’s set in the Perry’s Stage dance area and a pop-splosion from Carly Rae Jepsen, the table was set for Eilish to bring it all back home in style on the main stage.

And because the former teen buzz bomb who has since blossomed into a bonafide global superstar now has the skills and repertoire to hold a good share of the 115,000 fans in attendance at rapt attention — even as Karol G made history on the other end of the pitch as the first-ever Latin female artist to headline the fest. Plus, she brought along some Barbie — and hometown — magic, just to make sure she sealed the deal when she performed the live debut of summer movie smash’s soundtrack song “What Was I Made For?” while wearing a Michael Jordan No. 23 jersey.

Eilish also took a moment to pay tribute to late Euphoria star Angus Cloud in a touching moment.

Check out the the eight favorite things we saw during Eilish’s Lollapalooza set.