The weather was hot in San Diego this weekend reaching up to the 90’s. However, the hottest thing in the area was Kaaboo Del Mar- the inaugural music festival in the San Diego region, which set the bar high for the future. Music festivals have spread like wildfire throughout the United States in the past few years with new ones popping up everywhere. Kaaboo is much more than a simple music festival though, it is an entire experience. The festival strives to appeal to all five of your senses with some of the biggest names in music, dancing everywhere, delicious food, craft libations, hilarious stand-up comedy, beautiful artwork everywhere, and more.
Kaaboo was the whole shebang! FestivalsForLife was privileged to attend this festival….No, this experience! These are some of the highlights of the weekend.
The Music
Kaaboo Del Mar had music for everyone. No matter what your taste may be, you were sure to find something that you loved. The lineup ranged from every side of the spectrum- rap to country, rock to electronic, and everything in between. Let’s start with some of our favorite headliners.
Saturday night was eclectic to say the least. After spending all day in the extreme heat, Counting Crows was the perfect shows to relax and enjoy their fun music. As the sunset and heat died down music lovers were able to take a seat, and rest up their legs for the remainder of the night. The setting was also great for sitting, as you could choose between grass, sand or asphalt (no one chooses asphalt!) to lay back in and relax as Counting Crows performed their set.
After giving your feet a little rest, it was time to get up and start moving as Zac Brown Band took the stage. They had the longest set of the festival, playing for about two hours straight. The crowd fed off their energy and danced along to all their good-vibing radio hits. It was great to see how musically talented the group truly was. Besides playing all their popular songs, we also got to see them jam for a while showing off their skills, while the crowd danced away.
While many headed home, the festival was just beginning for others as the Encore stage finally opened up at 10:00pm. Of our favorites, The electronic music lovers came out to play to see a packed lineup beginning with South African deejays Goldfish playing their funky tunes to get the dance party started. Keeping on the same wavelength as Goldfish, Big Gigantic came out next keeping that love for saxophone going. Snails even came out to perform some songs with them, which gave their music a much heavier look than usual. Girl Talk took the stage next to keep the party going with their popular mashup songs. Despite how hot and tired you got, you just didn’t want to stop dancing, as the music was just too fun!
While there were countless great acts on the main stage, some of our favorite shows played on the smaller Trestles Stage, many of which were even new artists to us! Orgone was one of those. The Los Angeles based band creates “heavy, raw, adrenaline-fueled funk and sweat-dripping soul.” Within a minute of seeing their set, we were fans. The act is so lively and the audience was getting down hard to them at 2:30pm! Another surprise favorite was MarchFourth!, who was one of the most unique acts we have ever scene. MarchFourth! comes from Portland and describes their music as “c-funk.” What is c-funk, you may be asking? Circus funk. Pretty much exactly as it sounds- watching a circus while they play funk music. The band had all the instruments covered including saxophones, trombones, electric bass, drums, guitars, dancers, and even acrobats and guys on stilts! The music was great and you couldn’t take your eyes off them.
Topping it off on the Trestles Stage was JJ Grey & Mofro. We are already looking to see the next time they play again near us! The band comes all the way from Jacksonville and plays blues and southern rock like songs. JJ Grey’s soothing voice on top of all the talented musicians made the perfect storm of sound. One was easily able to close their eyes and get lost in their music within seconds.
Maybe the best show of the weekend was Train. Surprisingly, the set didn’t even take place on the main stage, although it probably should have with the amount of people that showed up for it. The show took place right in front of the horse tracks, but the audience came to bet on a good show instead of horses. No one was disappointed, as everyone talked about how great the performance was the entire rest of the night. Pat Monahan, the lead vocalist, has such an amazing voice that he could put on a show all by himself. It was one of those shows where you don’t realize how many songs you know by the band, until they start playing them. We speak for everyone when we say that we wish the show could have gone on longer.
The Art
Besides hearing great music everywhere you turned, you also saw beautiful pieces of art everywhere you looked. Kaaboo was like a giant art gallery with tons of talented artists coming in to showoff their stuff. Many of Kaaboo’s decorations were made by artists during the festival, while audiences stopped to admire their craft. They even had a whole warehouse set up as an art gallery to showcase many different artists. Attendees were able to stroll through it and maybe even get lucky enough to see one of them painting a new piece.
Additionally, the festival let everyone partake in the artwork. One particularly neat piece was a giant blowup square that Coors Light had placed in the middle of the festival. Everyone was able to grab a spray can and add their own touches to it. There were so many people doing this, that every time you walked by the square it had completely changed to a new design.
Need A Break From The Music?
Whether you wanted a break from the heat or the music, there were amble amounts of other choices to choose from . It seemed like every section that we walked into that we would find something new. One of our favorites was the hot air balloon. Hendrick’s Gin had set up a real hot air balloon behind one of the stages, which attendees could sign up to ride in. Seeing the festival from up high sure does give you a whole new perspective of it! This was a very unique idea, as we had never seen a hot air balloon at a music festival before.
Kaaboo also had the Humor Me Stage where stand-up comedy performed. This wasn’t just a little room with a stage. They had transformed this whole warehouse into a comedy club with seating, tables, and a prominent stage. Additionally, the line up included some of the biggest names in comedy including Lewis Black, Joel McHale, Chris D’Elia, Iliza Shlesinger, Jeff Garlin, and Tig Notaro. This was another great place to escape the heat and have a laugh.
The Setting
Kaaboo took place at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which proved to be the perfect setting for the festival. They were able to fit seven stages into the venue with no problem whatsoever. The Fairgrounds was easy to navigate, and nothing was ever farther than a few minute walk away. There were also many areas one could walk into to take in some air-conditioning if the heat got too much. One of the best parts about the festival, was despite having a large number of attendees, one never felt to crowded. The venue gave everyone the feel of having plenty of space to hang out, dance, or whatever you wanted to do! The grounds were also beautiful, with fountains and a racetrack where they usually hold the horse races.
People were even able to upgrade their tickets to get exclusive access to things like the swimming pool and volleyball court. This may have been the best way to cool off, and even better, you could watch the show on the main stage from the comfort of the refreshing pool.
Overall
Usually first year festivals run into all sorts of cracks and hurdles, however, Kaaboo Del Mars seemed to run as smoothly as could be. The logistics were flawless, as it was simple to enter the festival or even find a bathroom without waiting in ridiculous lines. The music was on point, and was accompanied by so many other elements and artwork than most festivals usually hold. It was a festival that truly did have something for everyone. It’s hard to believe that Kaaboo can only get better from here. We can’t wait to see what they come up with for its second year!
