Review by: Josh Chesler, Eran Ryan, Niyaz Pirani and Nate Jackson
Camp Flog Gnaw
Dodger Stadium
Saturday, Nov. 10
2:11 p.m. Honestly, I’m sure Dodger Stadium is going to be great, but I miss being able to get to Expo Park with just one transfer from the Blue Line. This is all George Lucas’s fault for building a museum where the main stage used to be. (Josh Chesler)
2:48 Just saw three white girls almost get hit by a car while sprinting across about a dozen lanes of traffic trying to get to the path leading to the entrance. We could’ve had our first fatality of the weekend while the sun was still up. (JC)
3:07 Shout out to the girls having a full-blown selfie photo shoot in the impossibly long line to get wristbands. Y’all didn’t get all dressed up for nothing. (Eran Ryan)
3:51 Raphael Saadiq pointed out that “it never rains in Southern California,” but I’m pretty sure we all got drizzled with ash just waiting to get into the festival. (ER)
4:03 It’s taken well over an hour just to get from where the Union Station shuttle dropped us off to the actual entrance, and the box office somehow ran out of General Admission wristbands. It’s not quite a Soulquarius level of shitshow, but I’ve come to expect better from Goldenvoice. I’m guessing they’re just not used to the new venue yet. (JC)
4:33 Made it over to the main stage just in time to see Rex Orange County, who is just as funky and soulful as he is not from Orange County. (JC)
4:46 The decorations here look so much more at home here than they ever did at the Coliseum. It’s sometimes hard to tell what’s permanent and what’s just for the festival. (ER)
5:14 There are already an impressive amount of people in the medical tent. It’s still early, kids! Pace yourselves. (JC)
5:47 In like 10 or 20 years, we’re all going to be talking about how The Internet was the best band to come out of LA in the 2010s. Consider this an official prediction. (JC)
6:21 I skipped Iggy Azalea’s boyfriend’s set to go check out all of the merch and decorations. I regret nothing, and I think we all miss Swaggy P. (JC)
6:46 Maybe these bros photographing themselves rolling a joint in the press tent are with a weed publication, or maybe they’re just doing it for Instagram. Weird flex but OK. (ER)
7:03 The number of people who still can’t pronounce “Kali Uchis” amazes me. (ER)
7:16 A$AP Rocky keeps bringing out special guests so he mercifully doesn’t have to rap too much. He may not be a great live performer, but I give him credit for using hip-hop to become a successful male model. (JC)
7:53 It’s sad how huge of a police presence is needed for festivals these days. We all understand why they need to be here, but it’s impossible not to notice. (ER)
7:58 Majid Jordan drew the unfortunate card of performing on the stage opposite of Tyler, the Creator right before he goes on. At least they’ll know who their true fans are in about 15 minutes. (JC)
8:42 I’m honestly impressed by all these young girls wearing next to nothing in this cold weather. Don’t mind me, I’m just busting out my coat and emergency scarf. (ER)
8:56 Another year of Camp Flog Gnaw, another year that Tyler doesn’t bring Frank Ocean out to perform “She.” (JC)
9:02 This is a more toned-down version of Tyler than I’ve ever seen before. He’s almost mellow (at least on his standards). (ER)
9:44 Pusha T might be downplaying the whole Drake beef now, but he’s gotten a nice little bump from it. This is a much bigger crowd than he’s had in the past. (JC)
10:23 I always wonder why Camp Flog puts someone on after Tyler. SZA’s great and all, but the whole weekend kind of starts and ends with Odd Future for a lot of the crowd. (ER)
Sunday, Nov. 11
3:25 p.m. Parked around the corner from Union Station and caught the free Flog Gnaw shuttle just in time as it was boarding. I’m sitting next to a guy and girl passing a vape pen back and forth as they take turns pitching clouds that smell like lime Fruit Loops. We are definitely on the right bus. (Nate Jackson)
4:20 Why so many hills to get to this music festival? #CampWalkFar (NP)
4:31 People are lined up at the merch booths longer and farther than I’ve ever seen at any concert before. Tyler, the Creator’s line for FLOG GNAW merch is over 500 people long. On the other side of the shopping area is a Foot Locker pop-up and an equally-packed Kids See Ghosts pop-up where sweatshirts are going for $150-$175. I get the hype, but damn. #CampHellNaw (NP)
4:35 Props to the guy in the white Aaliyah basketball jersey. Still miss her. (NP)
4:37 A blond girl sporting long, string pigtails is sitting with a group of friends as she proudly proclaims that she’s on a mission tonight to post up for Post Malone. “I’m going in the middle of the crowd now for Posty, I don’t care I’m tryna get hype and I’ll just meet you guys later.” Considering his set is still almost 4 hours from now, I’m pretty sure they’re not gonna meet later. (NJ)
4:43 Watching Taco in line for tacos … though we go for burritos, from the Kogi BBQ truck. The Odd Future associate runs through a fairly standard DJ set including bangers from Drake, Travis Scott and, I think, Scarlxrd … a trap-metal dude you should check out if you’re into that sort of thing. Also, singer JUICE WRLD joined Taco for a few songs … personally, the burrito held my interest longer. (NP)
5:33 Flatbush Zombies parting advice: “Open Your Minds.” Followed by, “I’m going to drink this fifth of Hennessy and take a shit in a Porta-Potty.” When “whack” negates “woke.” (NP)
5:35 FACT: Wearing Champion overalls and nothing underneath them will make you look like the Hypebeast-version of Hillbilly Jim. (NP)
5:57 Jaden Smith bursts onto the stage like a ball of peroxide blond energy, bringing his A-game emotion to the song “B” though he’s shouting a bit too much, to the point where his lyrics are barely intelligible. However, his branding game is on point as he jumps around sporting a “Golf” t-shirt and a collar of thick gold chains. (NJ)
6:07 “Tyler the Creator is my fucking boyfriend!” Smith yells. “He’s been my boyfriend my whole life!” The camera on the video monitors pan to Tyler who does not seem to agree. (NJ)
6:10 I’m so-so on Jaden Smith’s catalog but his energy is undeniable and “ICON” slaps as hard live as it does on record. He has to ask the crowd to take it easier so the set isn’t shut down as people are getting crushed up front. (NP)
6:28 Predicting now that the fire marshall may shut down the set when BROCKHAMPTON plays. (NP)
6:37 Also, props to the guy in the “Fuck Racism” t-shirt. (NP)
6:47 Lauryn’s DJ is killing it right now–so much so that there’s definitely some people in this crowd who think its her on the turntables. But let’s not let that take away from the fact that DJ Reborn is entrancing this crowd with ’90s hip-hop nostalgia that proves that however far removed we seem to between hip-hop’s former and current Golden Eras, the two will always find a way to meet in the middle. It’s such a beautiful sight I’m not even mad that Lauryn is undoubtedly gonna be late as fuck. (NJ)
7:03 Lauryn Hill’s DJ’s warm-up set includes Camp Lo, Biz Markie, Outkast, Queen and Bel Biv Devoe among others. Even though a few others I spoke to enjoyed Lauryn HIll’s set too, with the way she altered the delivery on some of her classics I would have preferred her DJ kept it going instead. (NP)
720 After sitting through Lauryn Hill’s alternate version of “Lost Ones” I make a decision to walk away, barely 7 minutes in. I know it’s crazy. But honestly the constant revamping of her songs to hide the fact that she can’t sing them the way she used to, or at least has no desire to, just doesn’t appeal to me. I love Miseducation enough to allow it to maintain its place in my mind as one of the best albums of all time. I don’t need that to be denigrated by the vision of Hill in a oversized ski jacket and diamond encrusted headwear croaking out the chorus behind the back up singers. You might win some, but you really lost one. (NJ)
7:30 Billie Eilish was incendiary when she stopped by the Observatory earlier this year, and at FLOG GNAW she proved she can handle festival stages all the same. She was hype; she was emotional; but most of all she clearly connected with a large group of people who hung onto every word the 16-year-old sang. It would be a shock to see her left off the Coachella lineup in 2019 with the year she’s having. (NP)
7:41 Literally every fifth dude I count at this festival is wearing a murse. WTF happened to pockets? (NJ)
7:51 Eilish’s set wraps up with “The Office,” theme song, prompting one of the better sing-alongs of the day. (NP)
8:46 Pretty sure if you isolate Post Malone’s vocals he sounds like Oscar the Grouch. (NJ)
8:49 As stylish as she looks, I feel bad for the woman who walks by in giant heels. How’d you make it the whole day on this pavement? Damn. (NP)
9:00 BROCKHAMPTON is the best thing to happen all day so far. The greatest boy band in the world right now is jumping from new cuts to old ones and back again … until … as predicted … the fire marshall shuts them down because it’s too dangerous for everyone up front. FLOG GNAW would benefit from additional barriers in the crowd to ease the force and BROCKHAMPTON would benefit from a Main Stage slot at Coachella to make up for this. Is it too early to say their time is now? (NP)
10:25 “I can still feel the love!” Kid Cudi’s chorus refrain echoes from his mic behind the levitating glass display case that will be home to he and Kanye West for the next hour or so. It’s a calm before the storm of “Grrrat-gat-gat-gat-gat” gun chants ring through the crowd.” It’s one of those songs that, while great, is super weird to hear in light of yet another mass shooting in Thousand Oaks that literally just occurred the day before. (NJ)
10:20 Suspended in a clear box over the stage (best described by someone online as “a glass box of emotions”) Kanye and Kid Cudi rip into their debut album as the dynamic duo of Kids See Ghosts. Cudi is the anchor to Kanye’s frenzy; Ye’s flubbing words, skipping lines and going absolutely wild in the box. It’s the most energetic I’ve ever seen him on stage and the crowd is throwing it right back. I can’t think of another time a group’s debut saw them headlining a music festival, but when it comes to Cudi and Ye, you can count on them to bring the heat. (NP)
10:34 Kids See Heroes: While watching Kids See Ghosts in awe, Tyler the Creator and Jaden Smith stand right in front of the crowd barriers with huge smiles as they look up to watch two of their OG’s bringing fire (figuratively and literally thanks to the hellish pyro dispay) to close out the festival. It’s one of those moments where you see the wheels turning as these kings of millennial rap begin to imagine the heights they might reach one day.(NJ)
