Summers in San Francisco are famously known to be chilly and foggy with the stereotypical summer warm weather taking shape in September. Such was the case over the weekend for the fourth annual Portola Music Festival this year as the warm weather was made hotter with all the dancing and vibing to the stellar performances.
The buzz was overwhelmingly all about Christina Aguilera on Saturday, as the late 90s/early 00s pop star brought her full production stage to the festival. Accompanied by dancers and huge visuals, the set was engaging and full of her most popular songs like “Genie in a Bottle”, “What a Girl Wants” and “Lady Marmalade”. The crowds were just as enthusiastic and lively for Rico Nasty on Sunday, as her brand of punk and rap had people moshing, jumping and dancing. Despacio was an absolute party throughout the weekend, as the space served as the default for many who just wanted the consistent vibes. Legendary electronic artist Moby was accompanied by a live instrumentalists and singers that enhanced the non-stop dance party at the Crane Stage. French artist Dabeull, who was also accompanied by a live band and guest singers, entertained the huge crowds and made many a passerby stop to watch and dance along to his brand of dance funk.
Haute & Freddy made their San Francisco debut at the festival and were incredibly entertaining. Songs like “Scantily Clad”, “Freaks” and “Shy Girl” had the early crowds dancing and vibing to their 80s new-wave inspired music. The theatrical nature of their performance was fun and engaging that fit perfectly with their 18th century-inspired stage fits. On the flip-side, although he’s been making music for almost ten years, Japanese DJ/producer Yousuke Yukimatsu brought his high-intensity vibes to San Francisco for the first time. The Japanese artist is currently on his very first U.S. tour and the crowd ran deep in the Warehouse as fans were dancing and enthralled with his mixes and performance.
Festival staples LCD Soundsystem was perfect for entertaining their core audience while also bringing in new fans. Lead singer James Murphy’s voice was on point and the entire band was energetic that fed into the audience. Same can be said for Magdalena Bay, whose theatrics kept the crowd glued to the stage while dancing along to songs like “Image” and “Chaeri”.
Electronic music fans couldn’t have asked for a better weekend of outstanding performances by a variety of both old-school and new-school artists. As much as there were the familiar artists that got fans to come, the newer discoveries made it just as memorable.
You must be logged in to post a comment.