Review: Lightning In A Bottle
Photo Credit: Carolyn Craft
It’s pretty much a well-known fact that live music fans live for long weekends. It provides a natural opportunity to pause the daily stresses and escape for a bit for the love of music with a bonus day of rest. Amid the hundreds of festivals taking place, I wanted to get a new experience and stay relatively close to home this time so the choice was clear- Lightning In A Bottle. Located between San Francisco and LA on Memorial Day Weekend, Bradley, CA offered a dusty (sneezed a lot) tent-filled EDM, yoga, meditation and family friendly sold-out wonderland with unforgettable sunsets.
As a city dwelling fan of indoor plumbing, I decided not to camp (camping is a better idea for convenience but get there early) along with the thousands staked out in many parking lots surrounding the fest so I utilized day parking which ended in a miles long trek to the festival gate. I lost all cell reception all days which posed some challenges for connecting with artists at the fest but in the end, I welcomed the freedom to be off the grid for a while. The unintended consequence caused me to crawl out of my introvert shell to chat with fellow participants who traveled from lengthy distances and simply just enjoy the music.
Making my way between the Thunder, Woogie and Lightning Stages, I peeped SOHN, Panda Bear, Pillow Talk, Govinda, Griz, SBTRKT, Goldroom and Haze-Daft and Peter Blick in the Silent Disco with glow in the dark headphones. Amid the packed crowds of hula hoops, “Dope” sign and hand-made cardboard totem poles, one couldn’t help but become immersed in the misfit community. I will forever salute jellyfish chimes, automatic bubble machines, teapot hiding places and cooler furnished Limearitas.
Although I wasn’t able to connect with them at the fest, I chatted with Random Rab and Stylus Beats to get their thoughts post fest so watch for those interviews soon!
28 May 2015 CARLITA Breaking Bits Reviews Shows
