Under sunny skies and with the sea as the backdrop, the third installment of the Beachlife Festival returns to Redondo Beach as the first day of weekend concerts drew thousands of music fans to Seaside Lagoon on Friday, May 13.
“It’s like a perfect day. Beach, sun, music,” said 42-year-old Jackson Miller, who had moved from San Diego and was among the first to enter the festival grounds when the gates opened at 1 p.m. Friday. were one.
The three-day festival features more than four dozen bands covering the musical gamut from modern rock, nostalgic ’90s bands, chill reggae and cool musical acts.
The opening day was composed of over a dozen bands performing on four stages with Weezer headlining and other bands such as 311, Black Pumas, Cold War Kids and Long Beach Dub All Stars, mostly an old-fashioned crowd. were performing in front of
Chill vibes ruled the day, with people playing lawn games such as ping-pong alongside cornhole and, as has become tradition, trash-can-sized red cups near the sand in front of the Lotide stage. Wala was a competitive game of beer pong. ,
People cheered through the line at the main entrance all day long and the crowd varied from families with children to elderly couples to punk music fans tattooed on blankets on the green field in front of the hightide stage. Was a punk legend who arrived here early to see.
“Pennywise, I’m a big fan of Pennywise and I’m here for Jim,” Richard Villanueva, 42, a resident of Orange County, said, referring to Pennywise front man Jim Lindbergh. On the lotide stage of the festival.
Lindbergh performed songs from her 2021 solo album, “Songs from the Elkhorn Trail,” which includes “Hello Again,” “Blood on Your Hands” and “Long Way to Go.”
He also shared a warm tip with those who arrived early: Everyone age 21 and older will be treated to a free ice cold Ticket beer and other swag for devoted music fans.
Other early performers included the Los Angeles rock band Velvet Starlings on the small Riptide stage and Australian rockers Atlas Geniuses on the Hightide stage, plus Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, which delivered an intimate acoustic set that included covers by artists such as Bob Marley and Chris Stapleton. .
Other weekend headliners on the bill are Smashing Pumpkins on Saturday May 14 and the Steve Miller Band closing it out on Sunday May 15, with Vance Joy, Sheryl Crow, Capital Cities, Ozomatly, Sugar Ray and UB40 playing throughout the weekend. .
In addition to taking the crowds back in time, the festival also filled its bells with the return of the nearly 100-seat sidestage pop-up restaurant, which featured a $90-$250 per person prix fixe menu prepared by a different chef each night. facility is available. The band performs as the main stage.
On Friday afternoon, Chef Ray Hayashi of Hermosa Beach’s trendy Asian restaurant RYLA, while on Saturday Michelin-starred Chef Kevin Meehan of Kali’s in Los Angeles, took over the kitchen and on Sundays the festival’s executive chef Jacob Ramos. Serves the last meal of the weekend.
Staff writer Kelly Skye Fadroski contributed to this report.