Returning to Chicago, Summer Smash Festival wrapped up a spectacular three-day event in Douglas Park.
The festival opened with a massive crowd on Friday, headlined by Lil Uzi Vert, who debuted a new look in his hair. Uzi’s hair was spiked through the air, and he took the stage showing off his entire body of tattoos. The crowd was in uproar as he performed his hits into the warm Chicago night. Earlier in the day, Wiz Khalifa took the stage running through hits and giving fans an early glimpse of what they can expect when the Pittsburgh native hits the road with Logic later this year.
Additional stars through the first day included Nardo Wick, who had the crowd bouncing through his entire set, a high-energy Trippie Redd, female power as Rico Nasty was on the stage, and Sheck Wes, delivering his hit “Mo Bamba,” which will forever open mosh pits and more.
Saturday brought all eyes on Summer Smash as Post Malone hit the stage to deliver his first headlining set since his new album twelve carat toothache. In addition to his latest singles, Post Malone delivered hits like “Rockstar” and “White Iverson,” making him the superstar he is today.
Throughout the Saturday afternoon, Chicago was heavily resent, delivering performances from Polo G and G Herbo to the raucous crowds, holding down their hometown heroes. The first ladies of the city, Katie Got Bandz and Dreezy, also took the Saturday stage, holding down the Windy City. Adding to the total of 20 Chicago acts throughout the weekend were Lucki, Famous Dex, Tink, Femdot, and more.
Not to be outdone by the prior days, Sunday at Summer Smash had possibly the best set of all, a headlining Playboi Carti. Set up by the high energy of 2 Chainz, Lil Yachty, Key Glock, and Yeat before him, Carti dived into his closing set, forcing attendees to find their last bit of energy to close the weekend strong. And to make it a visual experience, Carti performed on top of a massive black pyramid, making for an amazing nighttime sight.
Summer Smash always keeps a special guest in the back pocket. A year after bringing Lil Durk back to his hometown, Summer Smash kept the surprise appearances by bringing in Quavo, Takeoff, Cordae, Cochise, Queen Key, and Antonio Brown for guest spots.
For the local organizers at Lyrical Lemonade and SPKRBX, Saturday’s attendance shattered records, and the festival welcomed about 90,000 visitors from across the nation and abroad.
You can see images from the weekend in Chicago below. Also, keep an eye out for the 2023 dates.
Photos courtesy of Dan Garcia
