KAABOO Del Mar

Unless indicated, I took all the pics posted on this blog. Feel free to repost – just remember to give credit. Cheers!

This last weekend, I attended the 5th (and my 5th) KAABOO music festival in Del Mar, just north of San Diego. Right from the beginning, something felt a little off with this festival. The lineup didn’t seem as long. Mark Ronson was originally on the lineup, but clarified on his Instagram account that he wasn’t performing. I bought a ticket mainly for Dave Matthews Band, who I’d yet to have seen in a festival environment. Needless to say, my expectations were fairly low.

I got there fairly early on Friday, splitting time between Vintage Trouble and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. The biggest surprise came from Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul. Springsteen’s right hand man proved to be a force with his own band, and provided a nice energetic mid-afternoon set. Silversun Pickups was on a smaller stage, which felt both disrespectful, and yet, convenient. They sounded fantastic, as they churned out old hits (“Lazy Eye,” “Panic Switch”), as well as some tracks off their last record. Boyz II Men was next on the agenda, and one of the reasons I went. Getting through some early mic problems, I was able to enjoy this nostalgia trip as they stuck to the hits for the most part. Naturally, they closed their set with “End of The Road.” The Cult also provided a nice rock boost, which has been missing from most festivals this year. Maren Morris took the main stage next, showing why she’s country music’s next big thing.

The biggest disappoint of the weekend came next, with Wu-Tang Clan having sound problems the entire set. They were one of the acts I was most excited about seeing, and we could barely hear their vocals. Snoop followed, and didn’t seem to have any problems. My final stop was Kings of Leon, who I hadn’t seen since my first festival, Bottlerock 2013.

Day 2 started out with a double bourbon, and a healthy dose of legendary DJ (known best for his work with the Beastie Boys), Mix Master Mike. His set was badass, and a reason why I still love to watch old school dj’s. I then caught part of Badflower, again adding a nice rock spark to the fest. Bryan Adams brought some surprisingly fun nostalgia, as his raspy rock voice held up pretty damn well. He’s another example of an artist that has more songs that you know, than you think you know. Closing out Day 2 was Dave Matthews Band. Not much to say, except they were fantastic. They played it safe, mainly focusing on singles/hits that people were familiar with. No surprises there, given that they’re playing a festival. But it was still nice to see Dave and company still bring it, without Boyd Tinsley on the violin.

The last day was highlighted by a host of women from the 80’s through the 2000’s. I had a crush on Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles (low key still do), so I was excited to catch part of their set. Unfortunately, in the only major conflict of the weekend, they were opposite Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. I ran across the fest to catch some of their set, and they were better than I remembered. Great jamming, and I didn’t even hear them play the one hit everyone knows them for! Sheryl Crow also served up a collection of hits, and cuts from her newly released album, on the main stage. Like Adams, I know a lot more than I thought I did. Colbie Caillat played a sunset show at the smaller Trestles stage, telling some stories alongside her songs. Lastly, Mumford and Sons closed out the main stage, jumping between the big stage, and a smaller intimate stage in the middle of the crowd. Great way to end the fest.

Overall, this will probably be my last KAABOO. Not because I didn’t enjoy the music acts there, but because it felt like the organizers were skimming throughout. That lineup issue I mentioned at the start was an early sign. They had less of the mobile bathrooms that were a nice touch in the past. The main Sunset stage used to have sand and fake grass; this year, you just had the parking lot under your feet. Unless you planned on dumping a ton of money into one of the VIP options, it just didn’t feel worth it. On the upside? Some fantastic music, from acts I wouldn’t probably see otherwise. They had a great art section also, something this festival rarely gets credit for. With the move to Downtown San Diego next year, this may be it for me. Cheers!

New Albums/Playlists Spinning…

Jaime – Brittany Howard // The solo outing from the Alabama Shakes frontwoman is out today. Gave it one spin, and dug the trip.

This is The Cars – The Cars // Give this playlist a listen to get a full taste of how good of a pop/new wave writer Ric Ocasek was. Plus, a lot of these tracks are just damn fun.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX3rbisgSkL1w?si=mVsonVopTpK0ysDNto0NYQ

I Love My ’90’s Hip -Hop – Various Artists // After watching the documentary on Netflix about hip-hop, and after seeing Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop, and Mix-Master Mike at KAABOO, I was feeling nostalgic. This is a great playlist.

All The Feels – Fitz and The Tantrums // Fitz has a new record out today! One of my favorite live acts, I’ll be spinning it this weekend. I know they’ve lost some fans as their pop has gotten more shimmery, but they still have some great songs.

Other Music Stuff…

Country Music: A Film By Ken Burns – This latest documentary installment from legendary Ken Burns, focuses on the history of country music. I only started watching the movie (whose early episodes are available on PBS for free viewing), but it looks good. Beginning with the early days of ‘hillbilly music,’ this country doc traces its evolution. Here’s the Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXaCbW1zSZOp0?si=ErFpgGaGT8S2QJIuK7HNGg

Eddie Money passing – Late last week, 70’s/80’s pop-rock singer Eddie Money passed away from cancer. My best memory of him (aside from oddly having his account follow me on Twitter) was from my youth. My dad had a 45 record of “Take Me Home Tonight,” his great duet with the one and only Ronnie Spector. We used to play that cut over and over. He was a good dude, and we’ll miss him.

Ric Ocasek passing – The second major pop figure to pass earlier this week, Ric Ocasek could craft a pop song. The Cars had some great pop/new wave gems, while also being an early presence on MTV (I still have memories of that “You Might Think” video). Also, Ocasek was a legit producer, namely producing Weezer’s Blue and Green albums. While not in the public eye as much in recent years, he left a pretty damn good mark. I’ll be cranking out his songs for the near future.

Daniel Johnston passing – They say these deaths come in threes, and this one came first. I’ll be honest, I never listened to Johnston’s music, and hadn’t heard his stuff since my sister introduced him to me almost 20 years ago. But he had a lot of indie/lo-fi fans, including Kurt Cobain. RIP.

Here’s my ongoing playlist, updated weekly with both new and old tracks I’m listening to.