Up-and-coming band Wallpaper energizes the Roxy Theatre at the music festival. (Courtesy of Maria Simpson)
Pop-rapper T. Mills gets the crowd going with songs like “Vans On” and “Scandalous.” (Courtesy of Maria Simpson)
This year’s Sunset Strip Music Festival was the hottest to date with scorching temperatures and sizzling performances.
The boulevard known for housing some of rock music’s biggest names like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Frank Zappa and Van Halen is recreating its history for a new generation of music lovers. The three-day festival, which concluded with an outdoor street fest on Saturday, shut down the strip from Doheny Drive to San Vicente Boulevard for easy access to a myriad of performances.
Two outdoor stages featured the headlining acts while venues including the Key Club, the Roxy Theatre and Whisky a Go Go accommodated smaller crowds for local bands and lesser-known acts.
The weather was an overwhelming presence, with temperatures reaching 91 degrees. Luckily, street vendors within the festival village came prepared and offered a wide variety of free refreshments including Vitaminwater, Hubert’s Lemonade, Coke and even Starbuck’s Iced Coffee.
While the event was open to all ages, it was catered to those who were 21 and over. The beer garden was one of the only locations offering lounge areas for seating and shelter from the sun. During the day, the venues drew large crowds with its air-conditioned performances, but entrance at some locations was only granted to those of legal drinking age.
Performances on the East Stage didn’t begin smoothly. The Mowgli’s, an eight-piece Southern California band, began their set an hour past their scheduled time for an unknown reason. To keep morale alive, the band’s front man greeted fans prior to the show, took pictures and chatted with fans. Once on stage The Mowgli’s gave a great performance.
Following The Mowgli’s was T. Mills, a pop-rapper who delivered a pelvic thrusting performance to the delight of his female fans. During songs like “Vans On” and “Scandalous,” girls threw their underwear onto the stage.
Inside the Roxy Theatre, up-and-coming bands like Caught a Ghost and Wallpaper got audiences amped up. Caught a Ghost had the sound of classic jazz bands of yesteryear with a fresh spin. Wallpaper increased the energy in the room with their party atmosphere, dancing and jumping on stage in tune to the drums and encouraging the audience to do the same.
Outside at the main festival stage, concert-goers crowded around to sing along to their favorite bands. Bad Religion, credited with helping to establish the L.A. punk scene, provided a consistent set including hits like “Los Angeles is Burning” and “21st Century (Digital Boy).”
The Offspring followed with 19 of their most well-known songs including “Staring at the Sun,” “Want You Bad,” “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” and “Self Esteem.” When 98.7 FM’s Kennedy introduced the group, she said how The Offspring’s ability to bring generations together was unparalleled. She asked how many in the audience remembered hearing them in the ’80s and ’90s. Sections of the crowd raised their hands in response, reminiscing over three decades of music.
The headlining act of the festival, Marilyn Manson, was undoubtedly the biggest letdown of the night. Instead of connecting with his audience, he alienated them completely. Manson continued to reference drugs throughout his performance and awkwardly babbled, made jokes no one laughed at and sometimes left long lapses between songs. In addition, his vocals were often off-key.
Toward the end of his set, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger joined him to perform three songs by the Doors: “Love Me Two Times,” “People Are Strange” and “Five to One.” The Doors was a band that rose to prominence on the Sunset Strip and was being honored at the festival. While the goal was to save Manson’s performance, it further emphasized his lack of connection with the audience.
The Sunset Strip Music Festival was once regarded as an event made for head-bangers in studs and chains, but today the festival is somewhat more mainstream and has attracted a wider audience range.
While the festival seeks to honor rock gods of the past, it also welcomes new styles of music. Steve Aoki’s DJ set at the East Stage conjured some of the most enthusiastic reactions of the night with people jumping up and down and fist-pumping to his intricate light show and enigmatic beats. Aoki began creating rock music before transitioning to the electronic dance music scene, so the festival was a natural fit. The biggest surprise of the night was seeing Lil Jon join Aoki on stage before dousing the crowd in Champagne.
Despite some minor shortcomings, the Sunset Strip Music Festival accomplished its mission of giving local and up-and-coming bands a stage on which to follow in the footsteps of music legends.