Another year has come and gone, and Lightning in a Bottle festival has brought yet another wave of music, movement, and art to sunny Southern California. The weather this year made for hot days relaxing by the lake, and perfect temperature nights for dancing and ‘sploring. The food was ample, varied, and delicious: Indonesian noodles, pesto pepperoni pizza, and seared ahi rice bowls were all on the menu. Picnic tables and tents were interspersed in the shade of the trees along the lake shore, and most importantly, the bathrooms were clean.
In a nod to the greater trend of the music industry, for the first time in several years, the festival was completely sold out. And it makes sense, because when you do the math—with all the shows you get to see, the experience of camping in nature, plus the community, learning, fitness, and food—Lightning in a Bottle very quickly becomes well worth the energy. It provides a safe container to try new things, hold and be held, and of course—boogie at the Woogie.
Speaking of, the festival has a little something for everyone under the umbrella of dance music. The Woogie stage creates an ongoing thread of non-stop dance where the focus is on the music and not any stage or visuals. The Thunder and Stacks stages have specialized speakers that can play lower frequencies at very high quality, where bass-heads come frolic. And the main Lightning stage gives a variety of high-caliber acts with production values that brought in the likes of Trixie Mattel’s disco pop, Midnight Generation’s 80s synth space odyssey, and Empire of the Sun’s mystical psychedelic rock. A Club Called Rhonda put on a Saturday night disco at the Crossroads Stage—the Grand Artique had all sorts of variety shows, complete with stringed instruments, bluegrass, and belly dancers—and there is even a Banana Art Car that plays through the night to sunrise, making this a true 24-hour per day place for activities.
Midnight Generation offered a much-appreciated reprieve from the Wednesday and Thursday focus on house music. The group of five hails from Mexico and creates a sound that has a feel of 1980s synth and disco electronica pop. There’s a touch of Daft Punk in there, and a pinch of Chromeo. For many of the attendees, it was the first glimpse at a live band during the five-day festival. The band wears matching track suits and mustaches. They play cinematic space travel imagery in between songs, and coordinate synchronized dance moves during big breakdowns. MG played their big hit, “Don’t Wait Up,” toward the end of their set, bringing dancers through the transition from sunset to twilight.
Trixie Mattel brought a swath of pop, camp, and dramatics with a team of dancers and a slew of elaborate costumes. They’re set a mix of iconic divas from Madonna to Rihanna, along with home-produced tracks like “Let’s have a KiKi”. One festival attendee, Ben, said after her performance, “I’ve never once thrashed my body so hard to a Britney Spears remix.” As for Empire of the Sun, they brought the costumes and the electric guitar, playing 2009 staples, “We are the People Who Rule the World,” “Walking on a Dream,” and ending their set with a rain of fireworks and “Alive.” Keeping up with the 2009 theme, Mau P dropped much beloved music gem with Edward Maya‘s “Stereo Love.”
On the bass side of things, there were many positive reviews about Of The Trees, who attendees mentioned had a “magical set.” Zed’s Dead, who has been popular and around since about the same time as Empire of the Sun, played into their audience of long-standing fans and low frequencies. And speaking of low frequencies, we want to give a shout to Yheti for emitting a frequency so low that the body shook below the frequencies that the ears could even hear. His set was like a bassy sound bath with xylophone tickles: it was a wonderful way to close out the festival as the final official performer at 4AM on Sunday evening.
The general demeanor of a LIB attendee is open, approachable, and kind. You are never really fighting your way through a crowd because people make space. There is a quality of sharing and joy that becomes infectious when amongst such folk. People are dressed to the nines, with playful costumes and glowing rainbow fur boas. You’ll bump into creatives both on the stage and on the dance floor. For example, LiB attendee Kirsten Joranlien has her own line of bespoke clothing, wigs, and accessories. If you ask her about it, she’ll be excited to share her creative process, story, and how to get one. And there are thousands of people just like her wandering around the grounds, sharing their art.
A new thing that the festival implemented this year was free flow at morning stages for people who wanted to stretch and move their bodies without being bound to a class schedule or instructor. There were vibey quiet zones for those who are overstimulated, giant art sculpture and art cars that you can climb right onto, and the festival even works with an organization called DanceSafe that offers free drug testing to minimize incidents and raise awareness about safe practices.
Lightning in a Bottle was founded by the Fleming brothers as an annual birthday party in the woods and later a music and art installation at Coachella, affectionately called the DoLab (which is now one of the most popular stages). Their first “real” Lightning in a Bottle festival was held in 2004 in Angeles National Forest with about 1,000 attendees. The event has moved locations several times, now finding its home on Lake Buena Vista, outside of Bakersfield, and has grown to around 26,000 people. It hosts some of the largest acts in electronic music, this year pulling Mau P, Sarah Landry, and Justin Martin (of Dirtybird fame). It has gained credit with both Coachella and Burning Man crowds, as if the two mega-festivals had a baby, offering many of the positive elements of both.
And with such easy access to Los Angeles (roughly a two-hour drive), it is kind of a no-brainer. If you missed it this year, don’t worry. We always come back around the sun again.
The Indy Review 