Tate McRae Was Dipped in 660 Gallons of Liquid Gold at Lollapalooza. Here’s the Secret (Exclusive) Michelle Lee, Jeff NelsonWed, August 5, 2026 at 3:23 PM UTC 0 Tate McRae performing at 2026 LollapaloozaCredit: Barry Brecheisen/Getty (2) Tate McRae headlined her first Lollapalooza on Aug. 2 The 23yearold pop star concluded her set at the Chicago music festival with “Sports Car,” ending the number by dipping herself in gold liquid Creative director Parker Genoway reveals to PEOPLE how the finale was perfected The spotlight was on Tate McRae at 2026 Lollapalooza. On Sunday, Aug.
Tate McRae Was Dipped in 660 Gallons of Liquid Gold at Lollapalooza. Here’s the Secret (Exclusive)
Michelle Lee, Jeff NelsonWed, August 5, 2026 at 3:23 PM UTC
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Tate McRae performing at 2026 LollapaloozaCredit: Barry Brecheisen/Getty (2) -
Tate McRae headlined her first Lollapalooza on Aug. 2
The 23-year-old pop star concluded her set at the Chicago music festival with “Sports Car,” ending the number by dipping herself in gold liquid
Creative director Parker Genoway reveals to PEOPLE how the finale was perfected
The spotlight was on Tate McRae at 2026 Lollapalooza.
On Sunday, Aug. 2, the Canadian pop star made her headlining debut at the Chicago music festival with a 90-minute set that concluded with her stepping into a vat of chrome-colored liquid and emerging from it looking like a vision in gold.
How did she, and her team, make it happen? Turns out, hundreds of gallons of slime were involved.
Creative director Parker Genoway reveals to PEOPLE that for McRae, 23, to look like a “molten, gilded, untouchable statue,” the team — also including fellow creative directors Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Ignacio Muñoz and Alex Clark — sourced 660 gallons of “skin-safe” gold liquid just for the show.
Tate McRae covered in gold liquid during the finale of her Lollapalooza setCredit: Barry Brecheisen/Getty
The material was developed by Wesley Goodrich and Blair Adhesives — the company behind Nickelodeon’s famous green slime — and it traveled from Los Angeles and Montreal, Canada before eventually landing in Chicago.
Genoway further explains, “While discussing with Tate, Ludovic, Ignacio, Alex and I agreed that her latest festival performances deserved a truly astonishing finale; something that would leave audiences floored.”
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Reneé Rapp getting slimed during the 2024 Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice AwardsCredit: Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty
McRae’s finale was inspired by her performance of “Sports Car” at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, which “immersed” her in “elemental sand and fire.” So, the creative team wanted to pull off a stunt that would have jaws dropping and McRae shining “brighter than ever,” not only with the golden performance, but also with 1,000 aerial fireworks.
The rest of McRae’s first-ever headlining set at Lollapalooza saw her singing hits from her 2025 So Close to What while outfitted in monochromatic white Ludovic de Saint Sernin looks with glam by Kennedy, who shared with PEOPLE the details behind her makeup.
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“For stage we didn’t want to take away from how elevated she naturally looks,” said Kennedy, who used Neutrogena products the day of (McRae was announced an ambassador of the cosmetics brand in February 2025). “We just went darker with the eyeliner. Imagine a French bombshell in the ‘60s with a little sparkle.”
Tate McRae dressed in Ludovic de Saint SerninCredit: Barry Brecheisen/Getty
The pro also shared what goes on during their “zen” glam sessions, which are great for McRae, who she describes as “energetically aligned.” They’re all about keeping positive vibes, which is why they sometimes have a “little shrine with crystals” wherever they’re working or a vintage silver fawn figurine, because they often reference “doe-eyed ‘baby deer’ makeup” for McRae’s looks.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: August 5, 2026 at 11:36AM on Source: PRIME TIME
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