Medicine for the Music-Loving Soul
The infamous SoCal May Gray was not on the official bill but definitely made an appearance on day two of BeachLife Festival 2024 at Redondo Beach.
Seeing multiple acts was breezy, like the weather. The festival had so much texture musically and visually on Saturday with acts like Sun Room, UK reggae band Steel Pulse, Grace McKagan, Local Natives, DEVO, Incubus, and more.
Halfway through the day, Santigold performed to a likely millennial-heavy crowd. The whole band wore white, playing hits like Unstoppable, Disparate Youth, and Creator. In the front of the stage, two dancers, styled like high-fashion vintage church ladies, moved through a synchronized sequence, rich with theatrical gestures. The show crescendoed with band members delivering a righteous dose of percussion and Santigold inviting several crowd members up for an on-stage dance party, likely making their weekend with a little taste of the limelight, in the daylight.
As the sun went down, DEVO was introduced with a glitchy video reminiscent of 80’s VHS, inviting the crowd into the world of De-Evolution and their honed brand of kitschy humor and satirical social commentary. At one point, legendary guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh closed out a song snapping guitar strings, emphasizing that the guitars and synths were not the only things electric about the set. The performance led by keyboardist and singer Mark Mothersbaugh was dialed in. As the band seamlessly moved through a few costume changes and planned video-art interludes, it was clear that they had done this before a time or two.
As the show went on, more and more people with red DEVO hats danced in, as if to summon the band’s iconic hit, Whip It. If that was the case, it worked. The large and loud sound of DEVO’s music filled up the whole festival grounds, extending into the main stage area where people were gathering in preparation for the arrival of Incubus, the rock band.
While DEVO expertly brought 80’s New Wave to festival goers, Incubus was playing to the memory vaults of rock fans from the 90’s and early 2000’s, sounding fresh as ever.
Throughout the set, people were belting out hits like Drive, Megalomaniac, and Circles. In the performance of Incubus’ classic Pardon Me, frontman Brandon Boyd generously left space for the crowd’s collective voice to carry the chorus. DJ Chris Kilmore was on the turntables, adding to that signature and beloved Incubus sound. It was fun to see him take an occasional break from record-scratching to headbang with his impressively long dreads. Boyd’s melodic vocals were transcendent, sending fans into outer space with his impressive vocal range.
A few stellar covers were mixed in and spiced with the groovy Incubus flavor. They picked musical gems: Riders on the Storm by The Doors, Portishead’s Glory Box, and Let’s Dance by David Bowie.
Musically, this was the show for me. The playing was outstanding, the setlist was exceptionally curated and I was in their pocket the entire time. Influenced by drummer Jose Pasillas’s intricate and driving drum beats, the warm-sounding bar chords from Mike Einziger, and funky bass lines played by newest member Nicole Row, you literally couldn’t remain still.
Incubus was the heaviest act on the lineup, but for me, the show was so uplifting. During the song, Wish You Were Here, the image on the video screen was a giant heart, pulsing love out into the crowd.
It’s good medicine to sing along at the top of your lungs to the music that inspired you along the way in a crowd of others who may feel the same.
-Written by Sarah Kennedy
