Review: Lil Uzi Vert, Chief Keef, Sexyy Red and G Herbo deliver explosive sets on day one of Summer Smash

In the days leading up to this year’s Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash, Bridgeview was among the hardest hit by waves of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across Illinois this week. It took over 48 hours of labor from the festival organizers, construction crews and the Village of Bridgeview to get the festival up and running, organizers said. Even then, the festival started a bit later on Friday, and performance schedules were delayed. At least one prominent art structure was reportedly found blocks away from the stadium.

Since its Douglass Park days, the festival has weathered many storms, including in 2022 when a similar storm hit. Despite the challenges, Lyrical Lemonade and SPKRBX still delivered a strong showing on opening day.

Fans from all across the country traveled hundreds to thousands of miles to see explosive sets from G Herbo, Sexyy Red, Lucki, North West, Molly Santana, Lil Uzi Vert and Chief Keef, who returned after his highly anticipated hometown return at the fest in 2024. Neighborhood youth sat on the large hills outside of the stadium to watch the show, which, honestly, is a great way to make memories for those who couldn’t get tickets. Friday was the first set of single-day tickets to have sold out for a reason.

Here are some highlights from the stages on day one of 2026 Summer Smash.

Lil Uzi Vert

Having seen Lil Uzi Vert perform some of the festival’s wildest shows for years, I was a bit nervous as during previous shows. I have witnessed insane behavior from the crowd like random fights and fans hurling objects at each other, (which did not deter from the great performances themselves). Fans were getting so antsy waiting for Lil Uzi Vert to show up Friday night that crowds on opposite sides were throwing water bottles at each other. But when the lights went down, everyone immediately locked eyes toward the stage, yearning for Uzi’s arrival.

“Sorry I’m late, I just got off the jeeeeet,” he gleefully told his fans as he got on stage, draped in a white Gucci outfit.

From the moment he hit the stage, his set was filled with nonstop energy performing hits from his catalog like “Money Longer,” “XO Tour Llif3,” “What You Sayin” and “Sanguine Paradise” to name a few. But compared to previous eras of Uzi, he managed to deliver all the sass and finesse with none of the high octane extremity as his previous performances. No stage diving this time, but all footwork, pyro and well-coordinated dance moves.

He even gave a lovely showout to Ye’s daughter North West in the crowd, during “XO Tour Llif3.” “Hello Northyyy,” he affectionately said in his auto-tuned mic. It was a charming moment indeed.

Chief Keef

The beauty of Chief Keef’s second go-round at Summer Smash was that he delivered a memorable set that stands akin to his 2024 debut. Draped head to toe in diamonds and a nostalgic KISS T-shirt with rips in it, he arrived with an esteemed entourage of 30 to 40 people on stage. Many of whom were family members, cameramen, longtime friends and artists from Chicago.

With all red lights cast over them, Chief Keef and the Glo Gang delivered a monstrous set list of classics like “I Don’t Like,” “War,” “Love Sosa” and “Let Me See” featuring Tadoe, who was on stage, and the modern Chicago anthem, “Faneto.” The red light helped create a brooding aesthetic that made each song feel a bit more dynamic, like a rap video playing out.

Longtime friends Herbo and Doo Wop, appearing on stage alongside his cousins Ballout and Tadoe, were emblematic of their relationship that connects their neighborhood ties from the Robert Taylor Homes (The Met Building) to Herbo and Doo Wop’s South Shore neighborhood, as Doo Wop was the glue that bonded everyone.

And Keef bringing out Sexyy Red was a welcome surprise, as the two had a unique chemistry on stage together for their collaboration “Damn Shorty.” Her being on stage, dancing and twerking, gave a house party feel to his set.

Sexyy Red

Sexyy Red has come a long way since her 2023 debut at Summer Smash. That was when rude fans threw objects at her, provoking her to end her set early. Despite that, in the years since she has been coming back, she’s always been able to deliver an incredibly raunchy and insanely fun set. And 2026 was no different.

From the jump, Sexyy Red and her dancers brought plenty of sultry, high energy to her set, going through a flawless litany of anthems like “U My Everything,” “SkeeYee,” “Looking for The Hoes” and her latest bangers, “If You Want It” and “Hang Wit a Bad B—–.” Never being one to leave fans unsatisfied, she even performed her feature verses from songs like Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy” and Glorilla’s “Whatchu Know About Me.”

Sexyy even turned the pit near the stage into a big, outdoor party. A variety of Chicago rappers, influencers and notable Chicago athletes were all out there rocking to the show with festival co-founder Cole Bennett. Well-known buddies Bennett and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams were hanging out. Fellow Bears Kyle Monangai and Colston Loveland, with Bulls player and hip-hop fan Matas Buzelis, were right there with them.

And that catchiness and sex appeal make Sexyy Red’s such an irresistible guilty pleasure. It’s her unabashedly honest persona, matched with an undefeated knack for making trunk-rattling hits, that captures the fellas as much as she does the ladies.

G Herbo

South Shore’s own G Herbo never skips a beat at his own shows, let alone Summer Smash. He’s been a staple of the festival since 2019 and, to a greater extent, a staple of the Lyrical Lemonade brand. And he’s maintained this, constantly putting his full effort into his shows and fan-friendly set lists, with surprises each time. Friday was also the same day he released the deluxe edition of his 2025 album “Lil Herb” with his hot new single “Thug,” which samples “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” by Bone Thugs & Harmony.

Herbo practically brought his Ward 7 neighborhood to the stage. He came out to firestarter “Reasons” from a structure that resembles a local corner store at 79th Street and Kingston Avenue, a store that was featured on a few videos from the former Lil Herb and former rap partner Lil Bibby. And he went to town with his banger after banger, performing the aforementioned “Thug,” “Went Legit,” “2 Chains,” “Kill S—” and closing with the heartfelt, “Write Your Name.”

The only notable flaw was (and a common flaw at his own shows) the DJ using Herbo music with the lyrics instead of just the instrumentals. Unlike many modern rappers, he does not lip-sync his lyrics and puts in effort to memorize his songs like his predecessors. The problem with his performance over his lyrics is that the track clashes with his own voice.

But the highlight was when he brought all of his children on stage. His youngest son, Essex, appeared on stage alongside Herbo in 2024, while Yosohn, AKA Baby Crash, went viral for performing his first song, “Hit The Road,” with his dad in 2025. This year, he brought the two boys, his daughter Emmy and all of their friends on stage with him. And for such young children, they handled being in front of tens of thousands of people better than other kids performing in front of 100 people. Stage fright, be damned.