For the first time in 15 months, live music is returning nationwide after the global coronavirus pandemic ravaged the industry. Billboard’s “My First Fest Back” is a spin-off series off “My First Show Back,” dedicated to sharing stories from the return of Lollapalooza for its 30th anniversary — the first large-scale festival, bringing in 100,000 attendees each of its four days, to come back. 

In the kick-off installment, Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell talks about the decision to continue with the festival even as the threat of the Delta variant lingers and why the 2021 edition of the fest is “an extremely important and special year.” (His comments have been edited and condensed for clarity.)

I think that this moment in time is extremely important in history as the country is coming back, getting through a pandemic. We’re right on the other side of it, [but] we’re still in it and it might be another year before we’re fully away from it. It depends on our actions. And I think there was a great divide that was caused by that last president, and other people around the world, and we’re all recovering from that but we’re gaining our strength and we are mighty — and we’re going to pull this off.

We’re in a very tough situation, but I love the fact that we’re actually in the eye of the hurricane and we did the right thing — and when I say we, I don’t just mean Lollapalooza. I mean the mayor, I mean the city of Chicago. We all figured it out together, “Hey, we can use this opportunity to vaccinate people.” That’s the mayor, that was her and her staff. And us, too, but she was the one who took all that pressure when people said, “You’re going to do that?” and being a politician I can imagine the pressure she’s under. “They’re not going to vote for me if I do the right thing,” because there’s more knuckleheads than there are smart people. She just said, “This is the right thing and it’s going to actually help the world,” and I’m just honored to be a part of it.

I do feel a small responsibility, but at the same time, I’m always thinking about God. What God would want is for us to continue refining the earth, and that’s just what we’re doing. And I love meeting young musicians and artists that speak for the generation and they carry that message of unity and brotherhood and wildness and freedom — it keeps me alive.

We rushed off to LP [first on day one]. She’s got a voice as great as there is on the earth. I watch people’s reactions to the [sets] and when I see ecstaticism, their body has just given itself up to nature and the sound of music, that is the best picture I have in my head.

I’m not going to say that nobody is going to catch anything, because it’s beyond me, but I can tell you that we really set a course in the right direction — and for that, I’m happy. I think [this 30th anniversary of Lollapalooza] is an extremely important and special year, because we all are hurting a little bit, we’re all a little afraid, but yet we’re exercising courage. Not to say people don’t have fear, we all have fear, but how much courage do you have is really the question. And I think this was a very, very courageous and smart and caring year. I’ll never forget it.

Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.

These 10 tracks from artists like Aluna, Angel Olsen, Dermot Kennedy and Jungle will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.

Duckwrth & Phabo, “4K”

Duckwrth teams up with friend/fellow L.A.-based artist Phabo for “4K,” which finds them trying to find their post-quarantine celebratory sweet spot over otherworldly, blissed-out vibes and a laid-back trap beat. – Joe Lynch

Aluna & Punctual, “Summer of Love”

One of the most reliable voices in dance, Aluna teams up with U.K. production duo Punctual for “Summer of Love,” a thumping, late-night jam that will get you moving – but not so much that you sweat out half of your body weight. For a summer this hot, they’re keeping the BPMs at a reasonable level, and we salute them. – J.L.

Angel Olsen, “Safety Dance”

Slowed-down, moody covers of pop songs might be a tiresome trend at this point, but leave it to Angel Olsen to pull it off by tackling Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance” and imbuing the wonderfully goofy hit with an unironic commitment that emphasizes how durable this new wave hit actually is.  – J.L.

Su Lee, “Socially Alive”

South Korean singer-songwriter Su Lee follows up her viral “I’ll Just Dance” with “Socially Alive,” a similarly sweet, heartfelt and cheeky piece of DIY bedroom pop. “I never thought I’d like to be a little bit more socially alive,” Lee sings, repping for all those introverts who came out of the pandemic ready to reconnect with friends but can’t quite remember how. – J.L.

Dolly Parton, “Sent From Above”

After earning a Billboard dance chart No. 1 in 2019 alongside Galantis, country icon Dolly Parton is dipping her toes back into the dance world with the effervescent electronic bop “Sent From Above,” a song that wafts in to accompany her recent fragrance, Scent From Above.  – J.L.

Dermot Kennedy, “Better Days”

Ahead of the Irish singer-songwriter’s Lollapalooza set over the weekend, he released his new single “Better Days,” a well-timed, uplifting pop ballad that reminds us all better days are ahead. “I know you’ve been hurting,” he bellows as the beat picks up, helping the song feel even more positive — and believable. – Lyndsey Havens

Jelani Aryeh, “A Piece of Your Mind”

Last Friday, 21-year-old alternative R&B artist Jelani Aryeh released his debut album, I’ve Got Some Living To Do. “Piece Of Your Mind” particularly stands out for his sturdy opening vocal that quickly gets distorted over pulsing production and stellar drumming that functions as the song’s energetic backbone. – L.H.

Jungle, “Truth”

On Aug. 13, U.K. electronic production duo Jungle will release its anticipated album Love in Stereo, and so far, the project’s singles have all been promising. The latest, “Truth,” is perhaps the most rock-inspired; a racing beat and arresting riff create the perfect build-up to a wailing electric guitar solo halfway through. – L.H.

Amindi, “Slideshow”

California native Amindi has come a long way from dropping singles on SoundCloud. She released her debut EP, nice, last week and scored a feature on Isaiah Rashad’s latest album. Of the EP’s tracks, “Slideshow” stands out for the way it immediately drops listeners into the thick of it, starting with what could just as easily be an outro. Regardless, Amindi finds her footing and confidently takes hold of the track on which she asserts “You just want me ’cause I’m next.” – L.H.

Petey, “We Go On Walks”

You might know Petey from his hilarious TikToks, but he started out as a musician. The L.A.-based artist has developed an identifiable strain of indie rock on which he delivers thought-provoking lyrics about the most mundane of situations — from a haircut to, on his latest single, simply going for a walk. – L.H.

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Roddy Ricch banks a fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Late at Night” surges from No. 5 to lead the list dated July 31. The single advances with a 17% burst in plays in the week ending July 25 to become the most-played song of the week on monitored U.S. rhythmic stations, according to MRC Data.

With the new champ, here’s a rundown of the rapper’s five leaders:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Roddy Ricch), Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1
“Ballin,” with Mustard, two, Dec. 21, 2019
“The Box,” six, Feb. 22, 2020
“High Fashion,” featuring Mustard, one, July 13, 2020
“Rockstar,” DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch, nine, July 4, 2020
“Late at Night,” one (to date), July 31, 2021

As it reaches No. 1, “Night” adds to Roddy Ricch’s winning streak on rhythmic radio. The single is the rapper’s first solo release since he wrapped the album cycle for Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial, which was released in December 2019. Anchored by singles such as “The Box” and “High Fashion,” the project catapulted the rapper to major favor with rhythmic radio listeners and programmers, and he ended 2020 as the Rhythmic Airplay chart’s No. 1 artist of the year.

Beyond its Rhythmic coronation, “Night” cracks the top 10 of R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay through a 11-6 move. There, the song climbs to 14.1 million in audience in the week ending July 22, an 18% improvement from the prior week, and the largest weekly percentage gain among the chart’s 50 titles. Thanks to the five-spot jump, Roddy Ricch collects his sixth R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay top 10, following “Ballin,” “The Box,” “High Fashion,” “Rockstar” and a featured turn on Pop Smoke’s “The Woo,” (also featuring 50 Cent), which peaked at No. 4 last October.

The song also repeats at its No. 2 rank (its best yet) on Rap Airplay, though it adds 19% in audience in the latest tracking week. With growing support from its R&B/hip-hop airplay base, the track pushes 35-32 in its fourth week on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, as it picks up 19% in audience to 24.6 million.