We arrived at the beach early for the opening day of Hangout 2024 to a smooth check-in process and a relatively quick entrance through security gates. As a result, we were able to explore and get the lay of the land with the new festival setup.
As we first speculated – and then received confirmation for – the Malibu Shoreline Stage was, in fact, next to the Hangout Main Stage, which switched off back and forth between sets. It is far enough away that the performers onstage are not visible from the VIP area but close enough that, when standing on the right side of the Shoreline Stage, there was noticeable bleed from the changeover playlist being played from the Hangout Stage. Large crowds in front of the Shoreline Stage, like during NLE Choppa, were gathered in a perpendicular fashion to the path of travel between the two main stages, causing folks to have to go around or push through the crowd to the other side. In the end, though, it wasn’t a real issue for most of the day.
The story of the day, according to some staff and security with whom we spoke, was avoiding an early thunderstorm evacuation. There was a violent storm on Thursday night, and dark clouds loomed most of the afternoon Friday. At one point, preparations were being made on the stages for rain and wind, and the sails of the shade structures had been removed. However, the shade tents on the beach never went up despite the intense heat, but hopefully they’ll be present today. Here are some of our favorites from day one.
The Stews
We started our day with The Stews on the Hangout Main Stage. An electric, solo-driven, classic rock-inspired performance that kept vibes high as patrons filed in. As a touring machine across the U.S. and Southeast, The Stews have gained notoriety for their consistently good performances of original tunes, both new and old. While they were a strong start to the day, I don’t think it will be long before they return with a later time slot.
Beaches
My favorite band on the Shoreline Stage was Beaches. They are an all-girl, all-queer alt-rock band from Toronto with matching haircuts and an iconic style. I love when a lead singer also plays bass, and Jordan Miller did it effortlessly. Miller has been making music with her sister Kylie Miller for a long time. They were even in a band, Done With Dolls, together in the early 2010s along with their childhood neighbor Eliza. That deep-rooted connection in life and music is obvious in their stage presence and chemistry. While they do speak on female and queer-specific topics, it didn’t feel like the focus. They didn’t have to explain themselves, and that to me is a sign of positive growth and inclusiveness in the scene.
Daily Bread
The first act I saw on the new Shein-sponsored Boom on the Beach Stage was Daily Bread. His set was legit while still being fun for those that might not be into electronic music. There was a good blend of original beats and remixes of other songs, along with samples of sounds from the internet. The BLANK crew watched part of the set from the balcony of The Pink Pony, a restaurant and bar overlooking the beach. We were able to get some food and cold drinks in an uncrowded, air-conditioned space without leaving the festival, and I definitely recommend stopping in if you’re a GA attendee in need of a break.
The new Boom on the Beach setup was cool; the larger stage did allow for more LED screens and effects that added to the performance, including a large LED DJ booth. However, part of the “boom” in previous years came from the stage being compacted in a smaller area, where everyone watching could really feel the bass. In the new, open-air setup, some of that was lost unless you made it up to the front. The presence of the DJ booth also limited the stage to all electronic acts on day one, and pushed hip-hop acts to other stages, when I feel they could have thrived on the Boom Stage.
Dominic Fike
Dominic Fike is a creative, sexy, vibrant beast of a performer. His set was a powerhouse of rock and hip-hop, sliding seamlessly between genres. His stage presence was relaxed, and the way he chatted with the audience showcased his experience in front of large crowds. His artistry oozed through his outfit, the LED back-wall designs and his musical diversity. He took Prince-esque guitar solos on some songs, and chopped up/added effects to his vocals through a secondary mic rig on other songs. He played songs he made in his Florida bedroom years ago, songs he wrote for the “Spider-Man” movie and songs he wrote with Paul McCartney. It was a beautiful set and my favorite performance of the day.
Matt Maeson
The Mermaid Stage always provides a haven for smaller, different and acoustic acts. Matt Maeson leaned into this at his second Hangout Fest appearance and played his entire set completely solo, just him and a guitar. Usually I’m not a fan of dudes with a guitar at music festivals, but he managed to keep the crowd engaged the whole time. There were several songs where the audience sang every word, and with the closeness of the stage, it overpowered his troubadour presence. Tears were shed, vocal chords were fried and love was shared.
Lana Del Rey
We knew night one’s headline performance would be iconic, but maybe not for the reasons it was. Here’s the truth: Lana Del Rey is beloved for being real. She is always honest and open and unapologetically herself. And when you have a performer that doesn’t put on a mask, you’re bound to see some weird parts sometimes. And Del Rey was weird. She was 20 minutes late at a festival that is notoriously strict on set times. When the lights finally did come on, there was live video of a golf-cart entourage driving towards the main stage, with Lana standing on the back seat of the leading cart. It was not quite the motorcycle brigade she had at Coachella but a parade nonetheless. She did two laps up and down the beach, waving like a princess and stopping to interact with people in the crowd.
Once she finally made it onstage, she started off by rambling about her love for Alabama before going into her first few songs, which she sang maybe half of the words to. She let the tracks and her background dancers carry the performance while she walked around singing falsetto runs, drinking water and messing with her in-ear monitors. While she was sat on the ground for a large portion of the show, her set design was beautiful, and the background dancers were first-class, which made it hard to tell if certain things were planned or if everyone else was adapting to her in real time. Del Rey brought up multiple guest performers, which is one of the perks of seeing someone at a festival … except none of the guests were other festival performers, and they weren’t collaborators or featured artists of hers, either. She just brought them up to each sing one of their own songs while she stood beside and watched. She made at least five comments into the mic mid-song about production issues, saying, “I asked for a spotlight,” or, “Can I get more of [so-and-so] in my mix.”
Toward the end of her set, it must have been communicated to Del Rey that she was running out of time. This resulted in her responding into the mic, “Well, that’s not f***ing possible,” before her mic was cut and she walked to the side stage to discuss the situation for a minute. She came back and made some comments about running out of time and finished with “Video Games.” Several big songs and at least one guest performer were cut from the set, and she ended with several apologies about being late and cutting songs, promising to make it up to the fans.
In an act of possible redemption, Del Rey brought rapper-turned-country star Jelly Roll onstage to sing “Sweet Home Alabama” as a send off for day one in what either could have been an homage to a Hangout tradition or sheer coincidence. Either way, her typical sweet and slow music was offset by the uneasiness of her performance, and I couldn’t tell if she was about to start laughing or crying at multiple points throughout the show. I was disappointed to not get the Lana Del Rey experience I expected, but at the same time, I was impressed by her vulnerability, and I can safely say it is one of most unique performances I’ve ever seen.
Hangout continues today with Odesza, Cage the Elephant, Alison Wonderland, Sexyy Red and an artist that we predict will headline this festival in the future in Chappell Roan.
