May 13-15, 2022 – Redondo Beach, California
Located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, California lies the beautiful coastal city of Redondo Beach. For three straight days, May 13-15, 2022, this was the site of the BeachLife Music Festival.
This was my first year covering the festival, and to say that I was impressed, inspired, and entertained, would be an understatement. The amount of effort put on by the promoters of this event is simply unbelievable. The food, the vendors, the lights, the tents, the games, the crowd, and the outstanding musical talent was simply amazing! From the moment I stepped foot on the festival grounds, it felt like I, along with the thousands of other festival attendees, had been transported to a private city that catered to all of our senses.
Friday’s musical lineup was amazing, and I was able to catch performances by Velvet Starlings, Hoist the Colors, The Aggrolites, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Jim Lindberg, Atlas Genius, Cannons, Milky Chance, Cold War Kids, Black Pumas, 311, and Weezer!
I could write all day long about how amazing the headliners, 311 and Weezer were, but that was to be expected. Those two bands definitely lived up to every expectation, and more! They played all of their hits, and had the thousands in attendance, dancing and singing along.
What I was really amazed at were some of the supporting bands throughout the day.
Velvet Starlings, a local band from the Los Angeles area, was founded by the lead singer, Christian Gisborne. This guy can sing, and his stage presence is amazing! He was joined onstage with Foster Polling and Hudson Polling, and together, the trio put on an amazing show, which set the tone for the entire weekend. The band had a very retro feeling, but at the same time, was very relevant. They were the perfect choice to kick off, what turned out to be an absolutely amazing music festival.
The other band that really impressed me was, Hoist the Colors. Being half Irish, I really appreciated their Celtic/Rock sound, and their music had the crowd rocking from the very first note! The band members have great chemistry, and their music is just great. At one point, I forgot that I was supposed to be taking photos, because I was jamming out to one of their more punk rock songs! Being from Omaha, Nebraska, I had never heard of Hoist the Colors before, but this set made me a fan. I’m looking forward to hearing more of their music when their new album is released later this year.
As if that wasn’t enough, I still had two days of BeachLife left to experience!
Saturday’s lineup was off the charts, and I was able to catch performances from The Charities, Jeremy Buck, Rita Wilson, Phantom Planet, Magic!, Donavon Frankenreiter, The Record Company, Sugar Ray, Matisyahu, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Capital Cities, Stone Temple Pilots, Vance Joy, and the Smashing Pumpkins!
Let me first start with the headliners. Seeing the Smashing Pumpkins in person was absolutely amazing! Billy Corgan, frontman for the band, still puts on an amazing show. He was joined on stage with James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlin, and Jeff Schroeder, and they played all of their hits. Originally from Chicago, the Smashing Pumpkins have been rocking crowds across the world since 1988, and from the sounds of it, they aren’t slowing down anytime soon. They were the perfect way to end a spectacular day!
Vance Joy was unbelievable. I was a fan of his before this, but after seeing him live, I’m all-in! In 2013, his song, “Riptide”, took the world by storm, and seeing him perform it live was magical. He’s incredibly talented, and played the guitar, piano, and ukulele. He played all of his hits, and treated fans to a few new songs as well. Joy is the kind of performer the ladies swoon over, and the guys are jealous of. It’s easy to see why he has over 17 million monthly listeners on Spotify!
I was excited, but didn’t know what to expect from the Stone Temple Pilots, because it wasn’t long ago, (2017) that the band announced a new lead singer. Current members, Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz, and lead singer, Jeff Gutt, put on an amazing show. Gutt sounded great, and even ventured off the stage and into the crowd at one point! They were so good! The band originated in San Diego, California, and has been making music since 1989. They have over 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and have won numerous Billboard, American, and Grammy Awards. The sea of fans at BeachLife absolutely loved them!
Other notable performances throughout the day were from Magic!, Sugar Ray, who always has great energy and interacts with the crowd, and Capital Cities.
The third, and final day of the festival had unforgettable performances from Wall of Sound, Cubensis, Landon McNamara, ALO, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Ozomatli, The Devon Allman Project, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, UB40 ft. Ali Campbell, Lord Huron, Sheryl Crow, and Steve Miller Band!
Landon McNamara, a pro surfer, model, and reggae singer, was definitely someone who stood out. His performance was laid-back, but had great energy. Originally from Hawaii, this kid has talent! His debut album was released in 2016, and since then, he’s amassed over 296 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify. I’d describe his music style as acoustic reggae, with subtle hits of light rock. He was fantastic.
Seeing UB40 with Ali Campbell was also a big highlight of the day for me. They sang all of their hit songs, including, “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You”, “I Got You Babe”, “The Way You Do The Things You Do”, and of course, “Red Red Wine.” The band sounded great, and Campbell looked like he was having a great time!
Closing out the festival was Sheryl Crow, and Steve Miller Band.
This was my second time seeing Sheryl Crow in concert, and she was just awesome. She looked and sounded great, and you could tell she was genuinely happy to perform for the BeachLife crowd. Crow was joined on stage with her band, and they performed all of her hits, including, “Soak Up The Sun”, “If It Makes You Happy”, “Strong Enough”, and “All I Wanna Do”. She posed for the photographers, interacted with the fans, and put on a great show. She’s one of the world’s greatest female rock stars of the 90’s, currently has almost 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and has produced 11 studio albums since 1993. She was a perfect choice for the BeachLife Festival, and the fans in attendance danced, sang, and showed her love throughout her set.
Steve Miller Band sounded great, and put on a great show. They were the perfect choice to wrap up an awesome weekend of music. The band played all of their hits, and treated fans to a few newer songs as well! The highlight of their set for me was hearing a “new take” on the classic song, “Fly Like An Eagle”. The guitar riffs and vocals were on point, and even after 5 decades of producing music, they still know how to entertain a crowd!
The 2022 BeachLife Festival was definitely one for the record books. Thousands and thousands of fans turned out to party along the coast and enjoy the food, the music, and the spectacle that is BeachLife. I’d like to personally thank the media team and promoters for allowing me to cover the festival. It was an experience I’ll never forget, and I only hope I can come back next year. No matter what, I’ll always recommend the BeachLife Festival for anyone that has the opportunity to attend. You will not be disappointed. The whole crew at BeachLife deserves major kudos for transforming the space into a magical atmosphere that created lasting memories for everyone that attended!
For full photo galleries of BeachLife Festival performances, please The Review Junkie Facebook page.
