Happy Hump Day, KCR listeners and readers. This week’s Neighborhood Jams is a little different this week. I wanted to experience this music festival before my write-up so I could be able to share my personal thoughts. Also, be sure to listen to my music show on KCR College Radio Wednesday at 3:00 – or be the ultimate fan and read this while I’m on air since both pieces are interrelated.
This past weekend I was able to go to one of San Diego’s newer music festivals, KAABOO! This 3-day music festival takes place on the Del Mar grounds where multiple stages are scattered throughout the location. Besides having awesome, and random, artists performing nonstop there were also comedy acts, artists painting murals, and tons and tons of food vendors. It was truly a cluster celebration of the arts – and your girl got to experience it! Here are my top five favorite moments of KAABOO 2016:
- The Location
First off the location was great. Del Mar has such a laid back attitude. The air is crisp from the ocean, and the sunset was out of this world every night. One main stage was at the very end where the Ferris wheel usually is during the summertime when the fair is there for a month. Another main stage was near the racetrack. It was really cool to see the grounds transform to a music festival from a racetrack. They even added sand where the audience stands in front of one of the stages to get the beachy feel going.
- The Art
I am a big fan of art and watching people create art – probably because the only things I can decently draw are flowers. There were giant walls and murals displayed all over the location and artists were working on these awesome paintings while the bands were performing. Some of my personal favorite paintings were definitely the seahorses and the mermaids. It brought the feel of the ocean to the festival. My only question is what did they do with these giant masterpieces after the festival? Hopefully they didn’t get hit with pepper spray Saturday night.
- The Line-up
Let’s get into the real reason I wanted to attend this festival – for the music! This year’s lineup was a little random, but KAABOO covered all genres and decades in to one package. Some of the headliners included Jack Johnson, Fall Out Boy, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Buffett, and Aerosmith. There were other bands which included Echosmith, Lenny Kravitz, Hall & Oats, Ludacris, and Flo Rida. This is just a list of some of the musicians I was excited to see but the line up is much, much longer than that. That is what is great about KAABOO because where else can you sway to the sounds of Hall & Oats and then rap with Ludacris a couple hours later?
- The Crowd
This might seem like a weird thing to list so high, but the crowd was one of my most favorite aspects of this festival. The age range was anywhere from early twenties to late sixties. There were tons of families that had babies with giant headphones on, and groups of friends enjoying the music. Everyone seemed so mellow and excited to be there. I also went with a great group of friends and that definitely contributed to my experience.
- Aerosmith!
Now you are probably thinking, “Bri, you already described the lineup?” but no. This is Aerosmith, you guys! I got to see them perform! Out of the entire weekend I was anticipating their set the most. Steven Tyler looked fantastic and sounded great, too. Joe Perry killed it on every single song that they performed. There was not a single body in the audience sitting or standing still – everyone went wild. I personally lost it two times when Tyler threw not only a scarf of this to the crowd (he was wearing three, by the way), but he also played a quick harmonica solo and then threw that out in the crowd! Could you imagine leaving KAABOO with a souvenir like that?
Overall KAABOO was a ton of fun. I was able to hear some great music, spend time with my friends, experience art, and enjoy the Del Mar sunshine. Check out my playlist that will be live on air Wednesday 9/21 at 3:00 p.m.!
https://open.spotify.com/user/1226147478/playlist/5fyOh1he8JsE0t0dAlkspT