Shawn Mendes launched his much‑anticipated On the Road Again Tour on August 2, 2025, at the Sunny Hill Festival in Pristina, Kosovo. The tour marks a celebratory return after time away and honors the 10th anniversary of his debut album Handwritten. Mendes, now 26, expressed gratitude to his fans, saying that time off helped him appreciate just how special live performances truly are. The tour will span 20 shows across Europe and North America, eventually concluding at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 17. His European opening acts include MARO and Lubiana, while Eddie Benjamin will support the North American leg.
This international kickoff coincided with a major U.S. music moment: Lollapalooza 2025 in Chicago, entering its third day on August 2 at Grant Park. The four‑day festival, running from July 31 through August 3, delivers a genre-spanning lineup of over 170 artists across eight stages.
Read Also: https://artistrecap.com/bonnaroo-2025-festival-cut-short-due-to-severe-weather-conditions/
On August 2, festival goers were treated to standout performances. RÜFÜS DU SOL closed the T‑Mobile Stage around 8:45 p.m., while TWICE topped the Bud Light Stage shortly after. Additional featured performers included Doechii, Clairo, Young Miko, Marina, JPEGMAFIA, Landon Barker, and Isaiah Rashad, among others.
Headliners for the multi-day event included Tyler, The Creator and Luke Combs on opening day, Olivia Rodrigo and Korn on Friday, and concluding sets by Sabrina Carpenter and A$AP Rocky on Sunday. Olivia Rodrigo electrified the crowd on Friday, even making headlines again that evening by surprising fans at a Chicago Cubs game after her set, a dual appearance that delighted both music and sports audiences.
The festival offered comprehensive live streaming through Hulu, with all headlining performances available to subscribers starting each day at 5:05 p.m. EDT via two separate channels covering major acts like Rodrigo, Korn, TWICE, and RÜFÜS DU SOL.
Together, Mendes’s grand tour launch and Lollapalooza’s live crescendo underscored a pivotal week in global music. One represents a major star returning to full-scale global touring; the other demonstrates the continued power of large-scale festivals in blending international and homegrown talent across diverse genres.
Mendes’s tour offers fans an intimate look back at a decade of hits, while giving them a preview of what’s to come—he has confirmed stops in London, Amsterdam, Munich, Boston, New York, Chicago, Vancouver, and San Francisco in the months ahead.
Meanwhile, Lollapalooza 2025 continues to add to its legacy as a defining moment in contemporary music—its diverse lineup and strong streaming presence highlight the way festivals continue to expand reach beyond physical crowds to audiences around the world.
These simultaneous events reflect a broader industry moment: audiences hungry for live connection, star power delivering in-person and digital experiences, and festivals anchoring summer as a global cultural rhythm. Mendes’s solo comeback and Chicago’s festival showcase converge seamlessly into a week that proves—live music matters.