5 Seconds of Summer took to Lollapalooza for the first time ever on Thursday July 30.
The band which is made up of Calum Hood, Ashton Irwin, Luke Hemmings and Michael Clifford – childhood friends who grew up in Sydney Australia before the band took off, took to the main stage on opening night of the festival.
As 5 Seconds of Summer took a break from their Everyone’s a Star! Tour, they brought all the rockstar energy of being “the biggest boyband you’ve never heard of” to the Lollapalooza stage.
Their 16-song early evening slot on the mainstage brought in a huge crowd as they performed a range of newer songs such as “NOT OK”, “Everyone’s a Star!”, and “’I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again” , as well as old hits such as “Amnesia” “She Looks so Perfect”, and “She’s Kinda Hot”, and finishing off the show with their hit “Youngblood”.
What really got a lot of people talking was when the band took to their b stage, which then raised 30ft in the air over the Chicago crowd where they absolutely crushed their performance of a trio of songs from their latest album Everyone’s a Star! including “Boyband”, “Telephone Busy” and “Evolve”.
A beautiful touch for fans was the way REAL FANS SAVE BANDS, was printed across each podium. A quote from Michael Clifford way back in 2013. And something that resonated with hardcore 5SOS fans ever since.
Many fans commented on how incredible that moment was, although still taking time to find humour in the fact that some members – mainly Calum (But also Michael and Luke at times), looked terrified at certain points, meanwhile Ashton looked like he was having the time of his life. Afterwards Calum admitted he was “pretty terrified out there”. But despite the fear, the 5SOS guys absolutely rocked it.
The band performed a throwback cover of Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, a deep cut that longtime fans experienced over a decade ago - which any big 5SOS fans in the crowd would be able to tell you that was a HUGE deal.
At the end of the set the band bought back their old iconic Tally Logo to the screens for the first time since 2015 where 5SOS faced trademark and copyright pressure from the streetwear clothing brand Undefeated and had to change their logo… it seems like 5SOS have now got the rights to use the logo again just in time to celebrate their 15 Year anniversary as a band.
To top their insane Lollapalooza set, 5SOS also hosted an After Show Party where they dropped the instruments for the night and got the DJ decks out – something they’ve never done before publicly.
They took to the Salt Shed in Chicago and performance an insane DJ set full of remixes of their own songs as well as a few other party bangers - while enjoying many drinks throughout the night & dancing on stage and keeping the crowd of fans hyped.
Over on Instagram, Drummer and Vocalist Ashton Irwin described it as being all about taking a leap of faith and doing something different and leaning into the chaos of their insane Lollapalooza set.
After Lollapalooza, Discogs – the words leading record collecting platform published that they saw an increase of 361% of 5sos records being added to users want lists.
The band are currently touring as part of their Everyone’s a Star! World Tour, which breaks down different eras (or “Acts”) of 5 Seconds of Summer, and even includes a solo segment where each band member performs a song from their solo albums.
The 2026 tour began in Belfast on March 26 at the SSE Arena and is currently set to conclude on December 6, 2026 in Jakarta at Indonesia Arena – just days after the band celebrates their 15-Year Anniversary.
In a backstage interview after their Lollapalooza show, Bassist and Vocalist Calum Hood said “we’re always making new music, so hopefully there’s new music upon the horizon, and our 15 Years (as a band) is at the end of the year (Dec 3)”
Guitarist and Vocalist Michael Clifford also teased fans who are waiting to celebrate the 15-year anniversary saying “we have so much planned for that”.
It’s safe to say 2026 is probably the best year ever for 5SOS fans, and what a great time to become a fan if you’re one of the many that got converted during their Lolla set!