“It Was a Good Day” – Hip Hop Superstars Closed Out Cali Vibes Music Festival
Sunday was part two of my Cali Vibes Festival coverage after a very full day prior. Anticipating a slower paced but possibly even more exciting day, the crowd seemed mostly equal to Saturday’s. The day’s slated acts of Too Short, The Roots, and Ice Cube especially had brought out crowds in droves, many repping signature LA Dodgers and other regional type gear.
The final day of a festival is nice in that you’re completely oriented with the grounds and finally know your way around. Ever the city-speed walker, this helped me a great bit with rushing from stage to stage to catch all the back to back performances. Even though I arrived a bit later than the day before, there was so much music packed into the rest of the weekend, it was over before I knew it.
Too Short – The Greens Stage
As a lifelong resident of the Bay Area, it was an understatement to say I was looking forward to seeing Too Short. One of many West Coast rappers I grew up listening to, I had yet to catch him live up until that very weekend in Long Beach. Arriving mid-day, I hurled myself through the main gate metal detectors with enough time to be approaching the stage during his first song, “Shake That Monkey.” He had cruised into a mash up of “Blow the Whistle” by the time I situated myself within the dense crowd of his supporters.
Watching Too Short live is almost akin to attending a stand up comedy show. Taking a pause in between nearly every track to wax poetic about the origins of the lyrics or tell a short story leading into the next track, it’s not a stretch to say that this man is hilarious. His banter and humor are just as good as the music is itself. The epic backdrop of the sun slowly shifting towards the golden hour made the experience all the more epic.
Despite the festival being kid-friendly, Too Short’s set definitely was not. His candor about smoking blunts, hanging out with hoes, and other, well … details about adult activities had the crowd equally roaring with laughter and nervously touching the back of their necks. I honestly did not expect him to be that funny and comfortable speaking so openly about his hedonistic adventures, but I digress, because it is Too Short after all.
My only real gripe with the experience is that almost all his songs were cut short. Remixed into medleys and vignettes of the original version to fit more into the allotted set list time, it seemed like just as you were really getting into a track, they’d fade it out or transition into another one. I never heard a full song the entire 50 or so minutes he was onstage, but I’m not mad about it because it still all flowed together well in a premeditated sort of way.
The crowd were all behind him and didn’t seem to notice any difference as the weed smoke permeated the air so thickly it created a smoke screen effect in front of the stage. Mixed in with the golden hour lighting it made for some great pictures, and despite my personal preferences Too Short was actually very smart to offer an abbreviated version of a festival set.
If you want to see a full set live, you’ve got to catch him on one of his solo dates but otherwise he’s going to give you as many songs, and as much comedy as possible in the meantime. A veteran move from one of hip hop’s most notoriously swaggy artists. He looked great that day, younger than his age and in great health and wealth of spirit.
Kolohe Kai – The Vibes Stage
I took a moment after Too Short to hunt for a plate of Hawaiian food which I successfully located on the outer perimeter of the grounds. The sun had gone down, and the vibes were excellent. Everyone seemed to collectively be in a good mood as we all communed on various curbs to sit and eat our food as folks strolled by getting their various noodle bowls, chicken wings, and donuts.
My photographer had gone to meet some friends, so I took to wandering around a bit for the first time that weekend but didn’t get far. As soon as I was back in the vicinity of the main “Vibes” stage, I heard the all-too-familiar first notes of KC & JoJo’s early 2000’s R&B hit “All My Life” and was nearly reduced to screaming. Hawaiian act Kolohe Kai was onstage doing a cover version of the track in their own signature brand of island style.
I looked around, and it seemed like everyone was singing along with me. Festival staff, security, food booth attendants, and ticket holders alike were holding their cell phone flashlights in the air, hands swaying back and forth. For us old-schooligans, it was one of the best moments of the entire weekend.
With old-fashioned Hollywood actor sort of good looks, Kolohe Kai’s vocalist Roman DePeralta has incredible stage presence on top of his obvious vocal talent. Mixing classic Hawaiian and Polynesian influences with their own style of roots-y reggae, the hour-long performance was equal parts uplifting and transcendent.
Bringing an entire troupe of no less than ten hula dancers onstage for several different songs, there was never a dull moment as they combined their own original songs with a couple of well selected covers, including Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely?”
By the time they left the stage, I was equal parts impressed and fascinated by their natural ability to draw everyone into the performance. Reggae bands are not uncommon, but I can think of very few enhanced with the vocal abilities as impressive as De Peralta’s throwback range. The band’s unique ability to bring the island of Hawaii to Southern California left a big impression on all who witnessed that night.
The Roots – The Vibes Stage
The anticipation had been building around the main stage for the festival’s next artists, The Roots. The pioneering Philadelphia hip hop collective stepped out onto a nearly pitch black stage, with just a spotlight or two shining down upon the instruments. The stage remained that way for the first two tracks, partially illuminated by the towering video monitors on either side, creating a low key yet moody atmosphere in the misty evening.
The Roots were high energy but all business in a sense, getting straight downto it with a connective sort of electricity circulating among them throughout the entire 50 minutes they performed. Known for their diverse song catalog and all-star collaborations, their live shows are second to none, gaining them an international following since originally forming in 1987.
Fast forward nearly 40 years later, and the critically acclaimed band tightly woven into the history of rap were as tight, clean, and entertaining as ever that Sunday night in Long Beach.With synchronized moves similar to that of a marching band, the guitar, bass, tuba, and saxophone players skipped, two-stepped, and glided their way through some of their most popular songs, including “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” a tribute to the Wu Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
Leave it to The Roots to know how to really entertain a crowd. Questlove held his own in the back with his signature afro bopping and flopping to his beat. Up in the very front, guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas stationed himself with his signature Les Paul, grinding away at the occasional solo with one foot propped high on the monitor.
Their layered sound and New Orleans Jazz-style mini processionals kept the crowd, who were all quite tired at that point moving and swaying up until the very end of the show. I quite like the fact that the performance gave each member a moment to shine, with vocalist Black Thought leading the way with his complex rhyme schemes, and politically aware lyrics.
Ice Cube – The Greens Stage
The weather had shifted by the time Ice Cube took the stage before an overflowing crowd, most of whom arrived extra early to secure their spots. Rain had been forecasted for the entire weekend but hadn’t made an appearance until the temperature dropped abruptly, and everyone could instinctively feel it’s onset. Up towards the front, the crowd grew semi-surly as they waited for the rappor-actor to take the stage.
“Come on, Craig!” someone shouted from the crowd, causing roaring laughter in his immediate vicinity. Referencing Ice Cube’s infamous role in the Friday franchise of movies, he spoke on behalf of the collective energy of all the fans, who were standing heel-to-toe by then. They quite literally wanted to get this show rolling; it was cold, about to rain, and the tail end of the festival.
It was worth the wait. The rapper strolled onto stage moments after the first few beats of “I Rep That West” came on and immediately rolled into “Check Yo’ Self” for a magnificent entrance. Shouting out various SoCal neighborhoods, area codes, and other California cities in-between songs, Ice Cube had a strong start with tracks like “Bow Down,” “Natural Born Killers,” and “Friday.”
The weather had gone from a mere misting to full blown raining at that point. Then rather magically, it seemed the moment the rain really started to come down, the song pivoted into “Let it Reign.” Well played, Craig.
Ice Cube displayed an enormous amount of swagger, energy, and vivacity, and the crowd couldn’t get enough of him. The LA rapper seemed young for his years and worked the stage with a sort of veteran’s precision obtained after countless of performances.
Despite the turn in weather, Ice Cube was a definite highlight of the weekend as he’s a bucket list live artist whose devout following precedes itself, particularly in the LA area. To me, his show is just as much if not even more fun to catch than any of the younger hip hop artists out there, and absolutely worth the wait. Both at the festival, and after all these years.
Rebelution – The Vibes Stage
By the time Ice Cube had wrapped up, the final performer of the night had already started their first few songs on the main stage. Rebelution, the reggae-rock band originally from Santa Barbara County were playing to a very enthusiastic—and wet home town crowd.
It was easy to see why this group is so beloved in a live setting with their enormous psychedelic-inspired background video graphics taking you everywhere from the jungle to the pyramids of Egypt to outer space in bright and mesmerizing colors.
Each band member has that sort of cartoon character-type appeal to them, and I mean that in a good way as they all stood out equally with quirky facial expressions, flamboyant musicianship, and a youthful energy radiating from each member.
They peeled through their set of very easily digestible, roots-reggae inspired set of folky, downtempo rock music with immaculate vibes, leaving the last standing-crowd beneath them mesmerized by their overall performance.
Conclusion
It’s interesting to say that you went to a music festival in a downtown office building parking lot, but that’s exactly how it went down at Cali Vibes Fest. With a high-rise garage serving as both a backdrop for the main stage and a housing area for all the artist tour busses and trailers, most of the GA area was wide and sprawling, helping with foot traffic. It almost reminded me of going to The Warped Tour in the early ’00s when it was held on a pier at the edge of San Francisco.
It was also nice to be at a SoCal music festival and not in the pummeling heat, with the mild February temperature being just right for walking around during the day, and the downtown location preventing mud the one time it actually did rain. It was a treat to see so many different stars from reggae, reggaeton, ska, hip hop, and rap all together. The lineups were well curated and appealed to a wide varieties of demographics.
Despite it being kid friendly, there weren’t many around, and the few that were there were either in strollers or a bit older in age. Considering all the weed smoke floating around, it seemed like most of the parents opted to leave their little kids at home, but the stoner-friendly vibe did create a harmonious environment throughout the weekend. The festival had very chill and laid back, well … vibes. Cali Vibes is the festival for veteran music lovers of reggae and beyond who are both down for the culture and keeping the faith.
All images courtesy of Rose Eden
