Lightning in a Bottle 2015 – A Dream Festival

June 3, 2015Babak HaghighiMusic Festival NewsNo Comments

Wow. What just happened? Was that real? Or was it all a dream? It certainly felt like a dream, that’s for sure. And I think that’s exactly the point. There’s really no need to beat around the bush. Lightning in a Bottle 2015 was one of the best festivals I’ve ever been to. In terms of music, stage design, interactive art and areas, landscape, creativity, organization, vibes, and sheer options of music and activities, The Do LaB is undoubtedly doing something right. There’s no denying that what was once the coolest party you never knew about is now heading into mainstream territory, evidenced by its first-ever sell-out crowd and a hefty influx of newcomers to the transformational festival scene (Bros included), but what they managed to pull off with such a large and new crowd is beyond impressive.

It seems like everything The Do LaB has been working on since its conception has been leading to this specific point in time. Everything they’ve done right in the past was in full force, and anything they’ve done wrong was nowhere to be found. This is how you do a festival. Remarkably well-organized. Aesthetically arousing to all senses. Perfectly polished. Lightning in a Bottle celebrated it’s 10th outing with a bang. The Do LaB came into this one with a mission: to throw the best festival possible. As far as I’m concerned, they couldn’t have done much of a better job. From a production standpoint, festivals just don’t get much better than this.

This was Lightning in a Bottle’s second outing at its new home at Lake San Antonio Recreation Area in Bradley, CA, smack dab in the center of California, and with year 2 at this venue, they really seemed to have learned the lay of the land and used it to build an incredible festival environment. Sprawling peninsulas, rugged terrain, and big hills overlook a dried up lakebed. The land is dry, dusty, and freaking huge. It definitely has some desert vibes, especially with all of the creative chaos that ensued.

This year’s music lineup was one of the festival’s best in history, with some mega-headliners to please the masses, but accompanied by a hefty helping of up-and-comers, underground all-stars, psychedelic favorites, and LIB household names. Three main stages, each stunning and unique in visual design, sound systems, and production value, blasted an eclectic mix of fantastic music all day and night until 2am. The Lightning Stage, the main stage, attracted large crowds for headlining sets such as Flume, Odesza, Tycho, and the incredible Lucent Dossier Experience, essentially the face of The Do LaB. The Thunder Stage, replacing last year’s Bamboo Stage, is where bassheads would go to get their low-end medicine, featuring epic sets by the likes of RL Grime, Griz, Phutureprimitive, G Jones, and one of the best sets of the weekend, The Opiuo Band. And over in its own corner, and seemingly its own world, was The Woogie, a beautiful stage built into a tree with an epic dancefloor and ecstatic energy. The Woogie is a house and techno paradise, and home to the overall best vibes at Lightning in a Bottle. You can’t have a bad time at The Woogie. You just can’t. Some notable Woogie sets included Shiba San, John Digweed, and Mikey Lion, to name a few. The Do LaB is even throwing the inaugural Woogie Weekend festival this July at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado, CA, one of Lightning in a Bottle’s former venues. As if the three epic main stages of music weren’t enough, the Pagoda Bar and Favela Bar kept the party going all day and were also the primary afterhours hubs. Pagoda brought the bass music while Favela tickled us with tech house. Local music crews, including Headtron, Desert Hearts, Street Ritual, and more, took over the Pagoda and Favela bars each day and night, providing plenty of worthy alternatives to the main stage music and kept it going until the crack of dawn. HUSHconcerts (formerly Silent Frisco) also offered a killer 3-channel silent disco that ran until 7am each night. The Grand Artique and Amori’s Casino provided plenty of after-hours fun as well with live music, electro-swing, burlesque, and more. This is just some of the official scheduled programming too. I’m not even mentioning the countless renegade camps and sound stages that scattered the festival grounds. The music was non-stop. It all sounded new. And damn, it was all so good.

The Thunder Stage

Odesza

Mikey Lion at The Woogie

What makes Lightning in a Bottle so special is how many choices each attendee has in how they want to spend their time throughout the weekend. There is a ridiculous amount of stuff going on at any given hour of the day. There’s a lot to see, a lot to do, and you really can’t even come close to seeing/doing it all. Night owls can pick their poison between dancing the night away at a late-night music stage, or perhaps join in on the whiskey-infused live folk and acoustic shenanigans at The Grand Artique, or catch a burlesque show at Amori’s Casino & Burlesque, all wonderful options for afterhours entertainment. Early birds, on the other hand, can bring the day in with a stunning lineup of Yogis. All day there are workshops, speakers, etc. at The Lucent Temple of Consciousness and its surrounding areas, such as the Pineal Playground, The Learning Kitchen, or the Healing Sanctuary, to name a few, and sustainability, permaculture, and spiritual workshops and learning areas were in no short supply throughout The Village. The crazy thing is that this is just barely scratching the surface. There is just so much to do at Lightning in a Bottle. It really is overwhelming. Yoga, speakers, and workshops are nothing new to festivals, but their level of polish and their importance to the festival experience at Lightning in a Bottle is remarkable.

The art at this year’s festival was also some of the best I’ve ever seen. Some Burning Man favorites, such as Lost Tea Party, Portals, and the beautifully laser-cut HYBYCOZO, joined the likes of the awesome Big Horn Palace and other epic, big art installations that scattered the site. Almost all of these installations were interactive as well, whether they included hammocks, cuddle puddles, an explorable interior, a controller, motion sensors, or something else. These weren’t just awesome things to look at, but awesome experiences to share. The Lightning in a Paintcan program also invited a selection of artists to live paint, a welcome contribution to any festival environment. Oh, and freaking Android Jones was there, projecting on the exterior of the huge MOVA dome, which also housed an art gallery featuring the work of Android Jones and other like-minded visual artists. On the central interior of the dome, Android Jones was also projecting some truly stunning 3D visuals, constantly moving, morphing, and changing. Some of the best visuals I’ve ever seen, hands down. It is Android Jones, after all. The MOVA dome was also home to a surprise sunrise set from Random Rab on Monday morning. Because you just can’t have Lightning in a Bottle without a Random Rab sunrise set. It simply cannot be done. Boy was that a nice surprise to wander in on.

Android Jones MOVA dome

All of this amazing stuff densely populated the huge landscape in a masterful layout, and it all came together to create a stunningly beautiful and truly magical, dream-like festival environment and atmosphere. Again, this place is huge. There is so much to learn about this chunk of land, and so many unique areas, interactive environments, big art installations, camping areas, beautiful sprawls of nature, music stages, various food choices, all of the best vendors on the festival circuit, and more to immerse yourself in as you explore the festival grounds. There’s a lot to see, and this year’s incredible addition of bridges made a huge impact in making the festival more connected and easier to traverse. These bridges also became an instant classic highlight in the form of unlimited high-fives between festival-goers throughout the weekend. The festival, like its attendees, seemed to constantly change and transform throughout the weekend. The place seemed to keep getting bigger and bigger, and new stuff just seemed to appear out of thin air each day and night. By Sunday, everything seemed to click. Everything made sense. The vibes were truly on point. Attendees were more connected than ever. The sell-out crowd and the rugged terrain were no longer overhwelming and physically draining, but instead a comfortable environment that we could freely glide around. Everybody’s transformation was complete, and this magical place became our home. There are no limitations to the imagination at Lightning in a Bottle. No costume too silly, no behavior too strange. Pure acceptance everywhere. This is a place of truly unlimited creativity and personal expression. It shares that in ethos with Burning Man– of radical self expression, and the Playa’s influence on the festival is undeniable, and obviously welcome. I’ve heard Lightning in a Bottle described as a cross between Burning Man and Coachella, and that’s probably a pretty good way to put it. No need to dive further into what that means exactly, but it’s definitely a compliment. Lightning in a Bottle is also a “Leave No Trace” event, winning the “Outstanding Greener Festival Award” for the past five years. Everything is pretty damn clean and green for a festival of this size. But as this event continues to grow, I hope the festival and its attendees can continue to hold themselves to that standard. When a party gets this popular, not everybody is going to respect the rules. It’s up to the people throwing the party to take responsibility and make sure to clean up after those select people that they invited who don’t understand the importance of leaving no trace in a beautiful, natural habitat. Regardless, Lightning in a Bottle has an incredible atmosphere and vibe. Everybody is so happy and so grateful to be able to gather in this beautiful place and create, dance, and love together. Everything is so grandiose, so epic. Intimate vibes in a truly huge festival. Awesome.

The people that populate a festival play a huge role in making the festival what it is. I’ve never felt such a strong connection and community vibe from this large of a group of people. I’m really impressed with how such a huge crowd, a lot of which is totally new to this scene, connected, shared space, and enjoyed each other’s company. That really speaks to how great this festival is. There’s little reason for anyone to be mad, upset, or angry with anyone else. Everybody is having such a great time, and everybody acts like best friends with one another. Again, high-fives on the bridges were pure magic. Of course, there’s always going to be some assholes at any festival or gathering, no matter how big or small. You can’t limit the rights of assholes, and those rights include purchasing festival tickets. The assholes here were few and far between, but not invisible. You know who you are. Yeah, you. That guy who grabbed a PodPoi from the Flowtoys booth on Saturday and tossed it 50 feet behind his head. That wasn’t a glow stick, you prick, and it didn’t belong to you. Take your talents elsewhere. Aside from that, I didn’t notice much other prick-ish behavior. Lightning in a Bottle’s population generally consists of a fantastic group of people. People working their asses off to build this place up and tear it down when its inhabitants leave. People bringing art, theme camps, and their own intensely creative personalities. This is a place where Burners and Bros alike can bond and grow through transformative experiences and incredible music. The “Leave it Better, Leave it Beautiful” ethos of Lightning in a Bottle doesn’t just apply to the venue, but even more-so to its inhabitants. Every single person that attended Lightning in a Bottle left it as a better, more beautiful person. That’s a fact.

On that note, as this festival continues to grow and reach new heights, The Do LaB must be careful not to get too big for its own good. There is a fine line between wanting everyone to enjoy this amazing experience and welcoming a horde of assholes. This year, Lightning in a Bottle walked that line perfectly, and the diverse crowd, whether they be seasoned Burners, LIB veterans, Coachella transplants, music lovers, or festival virgins, merged together to create and experience this beautiful place together. That said, there was no shortage of people that treated this land like an ashtray, who don’t know what “pack-it-in, pack-it-out” means, and quite frankly don’t care to learn. On the flip side, there are also the people who– instead of complaining about the horrendous traffic to get out of the venue on Monday– see the stationary line of cars as an opportunity to step out of their vehicles and help clean up the surrounding land and campgrounds. It’s refreshing to still see that latter type of person still leaving their mark (by leaving no trace) on the festival circuit, so let’s hope that their actions can influence some of the newcomers that don’t care to pick up after themselves.

Lightning in a Bottle is the epitome of the West Coast festival scene. We get the great connections, intimate vibes, spiritual experiences. etc. from the transformative festival / gathering scene, but we also get the big art, the crazy party, the killer lineup, and the tireless, round-the-clock infrastructure and organization that makes everything flow nicely, a common feature of big-name festivals. The Do LaB went big for Lightning in a Bottle this year, and the payoff was even bigger. I can only dream of LIB’s more intimate days, but I can only hope that as it continues to get bigger, it continues to get better as well. If you had to pick one California festival to go to each year, this should probably be the one. Is it my personal favorite? Not necessarily. But it might just be the best.