Behind the scenes: How Chicago venues prepare for Lollapalooza aftershows

CHICAGO (WGN) — As Lollapalooza brings tens of thousands to Grant Park, the crowd also spills into nearby neighborhoods, where iconic music venues host aftershows featuring some of the festival’s biggest names.

But every sold-out crowd is made possible by months of meticulous planning, late nights and heightened security.

At Thalia Hall in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, the Lollapalooza aftershow experience begins long before the doors open.

Talent buyer Bobby Ramirez says the preparation process starts as early as a year in advance.

“We have holds on our calendar for next year’s festival already,” Ramirez said. “The lineup changes as the Lollapalooza team curates the next year’s acts. Typically, the lineup announces in May and most of our shows get confirmed in the month leading up to that.”

While the festival lineup changes annually, the challenges remain the same each year: shifting a large-scale act to a much smaller venue while ensuring both the artist and audience have a safe and unforgettable night.

“Normally these acts would be playing in a lot bigger rooms that are used to larger productions so trying to take these huge productions and scale them down often leads to some pretty long days in terms of sound check and building the sets,” Ramirez said.

Unlike a regular concert night, Lollapalooza aftershows start much later, often after the final headliner wraps up in Grant Park. This adds an extra layer of complexity for staff.

“We want to make sure that if folks are coming from the festival that we’re giving an extra eye to folks who might be dehydrated or might need to rest,” Ramirez said.

Security is also a top priority for the venues hosting Lollapalooza aftershows. While crowd sizes inside the venue are usually the same as a sold-out show, activity can ramp up outside.

The venue also has a limited number of tickets available at the box office on the night of the shows, giving fans one final chance to get in.

“We definitely get a lot more people hanging out in front of the venue in hopes of finding a last-minute ticket or getting that face time with artists as they come and go,” Ramirez said. “We just want to make sure that our neighbors feel safe with us bringing so many people to the neighborhood and that our fans feel safe coming to the shows.”

Ramirez says not only is it important to make fans and neighbors feel safe, but that they take extra precautions for the artists as well.

“We want to make sure that they feel comfortable and that they feel like they’re still getting the same level of security detail in terms of their gear and in backstage areas,” he said.

Beyond the music, Lollapalooza’s aftershows bring a surge in foot traffic and revenue for local businesses. Concertgoers often arrive early to eat, grab drinks or shop before doors open.

“We do get a lot of people that come in very early into the neighborhood to try and come to the show and make sure they have all of their plans squared away,” Ramirez said. “It just brings a certain energy to the neighborhood that I think a lot of folks enjoy.”

Despite the logistics, long shifts and security demands, Ramirez says it’s all worth it.

“I think it’s so cool that these artists are willing to do these shows because some of the most memorable moments of the year occur during the aftershows,” he said. “And I think it’s a really special way for them to connect with fans in a way that doesn’t really happen too often at the scale they’ve now achieved.”

Lollapalooza runs from Thursday, July 31 to Sunday, August 3, with aftershows scheduled at stages across the city each night.

For ticket information and aftershow schedules, click here.