The Jarvis Lounge

The second annual KAABOO festival in Del Mar, CA, offered an intriguing, if not scattered lineup. I was skeptical before going, given that last year’s festival was such an amazing surprise of a lineup. This year’s headliners included Jimmy Buffett, Aerosmith, Fall Out Boy, and Jack Johnson. While not a huge fan of this, I’d purchase my ticket early, so $200 for a three day festival would still be a good deal. Here are my bullets on my 3 days in Del Mar/Solana Beach:

• I split my time between Fall Out Boy and Jimmy Buffett, since I’m not a huge fan of either. I don’t really know Fall Out Boy’s music, but they put on a pretty awesome show. Lots of fire and fireworks. Jimmy Buffett was about what I would come to expect. His devoted “Parrotheads” were there in full force, while he sang his songs of booze, fins, cheeseburgers, and latitude attitudes. I am happy he sand “ A Pirate Looks at 40,” one of his songs I do enjoy (and which is also covered by fellow headliner Jack Johnson)

• Night 2 featured Aerosmith, and shot down any doubts that guitarist Joe Perry would not make it. He looked to be in fine form. Steven Tyler was simply phenomenal. The dude does not age, and his voice could still get up there. They did most of their hits, reminding us that they are one of the few bands that can boast three decades of solid hits. I gained more respect for Tyler and the boys that night.

• Chainsmokers was the other headliner Saturday night, and while I would have loved to catch their set, I wasn’t about to at the expense of the legends. What followed the Chainsmokers set was apparently an altercation between concert goers attempted to get into the “Encore” building to watch Ludacris’ late night set. My understanding is that sheriffs used pepper spray to subdue fans, and people are still awaiting KAABOO to address what happened.

• Night 3 featured Jack Johnson, and his performance was about what I’d expect from him. I used to listen to his music, back in 2005, but haven’t really kept up with him. Apparently this was his first performance in almost a year (think last year’s Farm Aid), and according to KAABOO his only performance this year in the US. He went through his songbook, playing a lot of familiar cuts, as well as his version of Steve Miller’s “The Joker.” He also had a number of guests though out, including the previous act, the Avett Brothers.

• Some other highlights for me: Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Hall and Oates, Judah and the Lion, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Gin Blossoms, The Struts, Lenny Kravitz, Atlas Genius, Jason Isbell, Cypress Hill, and The Avett Brothers. I’d already seen a lot of the bands there, but it was nice to see some of them again (I’m talking to you Echosmith!)

Overall, I had a good time at the festival. I ALWAYS get my money’s worth, even if it means running across the festival to split times between acts. Having said that, this festival had some kinks. First, they had a lot of popular bands on a relatively small stage (Cold War Kids, Collective Soul, Goo Goo Dolls), which made it difficult to get anywhere near it. Also, there’s the aforementioned issue from Saturday night. Having said that, I had a good time, and by the time today is over, I’ll most likely buy a pre-sale ticket for next year.Enjoy the pics I took! Cheers!