FYF
Exposition Park
7/21-23/2017
Friday, July 21
4:30 p.m. Waiting in line to get into FYF and the guy next to me says, “I’m just here for the lobster mac-n-cheese and more vibes.” I wonder if he’s here for all three days. (Cynthia Rebolledo)
5:20 I walk up to the FYF entrance gate with Ziplocks of vodka stashed in my bosom. Made it through the security line and only minimal leakage occurs. Success! (Heidi Darby)
6:08 FYF being moved more directly into the middle of summertime means that partial nudity is no longer an optional outfit choice, but borderline required (or at least recommended). (Josh Chesler)
6:05 Just saw a fangirl rocking Bjork’s iconic white swan dress. In 80 degree heat that’s commitment to some pretty crazy tan lines. (CR)
6:10 Pay some lame parking attendant $20 to pretend to watch my car for a few hours or offer a kind homeless person in a tent on 39th and Hill some leftover Ritz Bitz to stand guard like Homeland Security until I return at 1:30 a.m. Which do you think I chose? (Nate Jackson)
6:19 Some dude is explaining his girlfriend’s EpiPen to the security guard trying to confiscate it. “It’s so she doesn’t die, man!” (JC)
6:20 Those jumbo FYF letters are like crack to anxious Insta-whores. The line to get through security butts up against the line of people waiting to take selfies with them. Damn, can’t you guys just get into the festival first? (NJ)
6:22 The saxophone player cranking out some sexy squeals over karaoke style beats from his travel-sized amp. I ask him to play some Missy…he declines and throws down on some Larry Graham instead. How is this dude not part of the official lineup already? (NJ)
6:30 Dustin from Beach Fossils created his own festival fashion wear — sporting a DeWalt button up, a hellraiser t-shirt, and a cowboy hat. On the other hand, Tommy Davidson, the guitarist of Beach Fossils looks like a 90’s dead head. (CR)
6:35 The amount of interesting costumes this early on a Friday tells me some of these fools musta shown up to their jobs looking pretty interesting today. (NJ)
6:40 FYF claims its first victim in my sightline as a dude drops in front from me after raging a bit too hard. Oddly enough it was during Beach Fossils, but hey, who says you can’t overexert yourself to lo-fi indie rock? (HD)
7:00 Walking past the Trees stage on the way to BADBADNOTGOOD I see the giant Ghetto Blaster installation off to the left. Man even FYF’s lawn art is better than Coachella’s this year (all apologies to the Dr. Suess Dildo Garden). (NJ)
7:33 Based on the number of people here to see BADBADNOTGOOD, it’s pretty clear that Ryan Gosling and La La Land did actually bring back jazz. (JC)
7:50 Running up to BADBADNOTGOOD just in time to catch Denzel Curry unleashing “Ultimate.” The festival feels like it’s officially underway. (HD)
8:15 p.m. I’m getting all the feels watching Karen O on the side of the stage, watching Angel Olsen, two of my favorite female vocalists! (CR)
8:20 Angel Olsen is front and center at the Lawn with guitar in hand, drenched in dreamy blue lights as her pitch perfect vocals spread through the air like a warm summer breeze. The track “Sister” piques and she cries out “all my life I thought I’d change” – a fitting sunset set that wraps you in the voice of…. an angel. (HD)
8:35 The doors have only been open for like 3.5 hours and I’m already seeing a ton of relationship casualties on the curbs tonight. (JC)
8:45 Eating a $16 hotdog to clean out my wallet. And a free Kombucha at the press tent to clean out my gut. Life is all about balance, you see… (NJ)
8:50 Damn! Bjork came to FYF dressed as a psychedelic Skittle! (NJ)
8:55 Bjork takes the stage wrapped in tri-colored, paper-like honeycomb adorned by a neon green head piece that’s reminiscent of a praying mantis. With video that rivals any of the digital rock gods of our time, she cries out to the crowd and perpetuates her position as the global goddess of other-worldly sound and trippy visuals. (HD)
9:00 Bjork’s hypnotic set keeps drawing the crowd in closer and closer – it’s less of a choice and more of a reflex to her magnetic prowess. By the time she begins “Mouth’s Cradle” the crowd is packed as close to her as possible. (HD)
9:05 The background visuals for Bjork are stunning. Between exotic birds preening on branches in lush jungles , 3D plate tectonic animation and the cavernous echo of her vocals on “Isobel,” this set feels like the most emotionally intense hour of Nat Geo I’ve ever watched. (NJ)
9:10 p.m. For $8 a slice, Spicy Pie should hand out free Pepcid with their pizza. (CR)
9:13 I’m leaving Bjork early to go catch Hannibal Buress and then Anderson .Paak. My lady would kill me for doing this, but a guy’s gotta have priorities. (JC)
9:24 Shout out to the Jamaican jerk chicken place. I can’t afford to eat more than once a day here, but your tent smells amazing. (JC)
9:30 Girl watching Hannibal Buress to her friend: “Why does he keep saying FYF fest? FYF stands for Fuck Yeah Fest, so it doesn’t make sense when he says FYF Fest, that’s like saying Fuck Yeah Fest Fest.” Y tho? (CR)
9:36 Hannibal Buress is cracking cocaine and boner jokes while Bjork probably does something equally artistic on the other side of the festival. What a time to be alive. (JC)
9:50 Many people wondered what Hannibal Buress was going to be doing at a music festival…the answer, showing a video of himself fu#*%ing a Keurig coffee maker. (CR)
10:00 If no glass or metal water containers are allowed into FYF, how the hell did this guy smuggle in a handle of whiskey. Ahhh, plastic. (CR)
10:15 Nothing like going from the artful brilliance of Bjork to watching a wasted college chick puking into a trashcan. (NJ)
10:20 All the shoegaze nerds are waiting to see Slowdive while all the cool kids go watch Anderson Paak….guilty shoegazer. (CR)
10:30 Slowdive’s blanket of shoegaze unfolds from the Trees stage. In between songs someone from the crowd yells, “More reverb!” Rachel Goswell responds, “More reverb? Is there ever really enough?” (HD)
10:35 Firmly planted toward the front of the crowd waiting for Missy Elliot. Two guys pass a vape pen back and forth clouding up the air with the smell of saccharine unicorn farts. I’m so excited for this set that it doesn’t even bother me. (NJ)
10:52 I just stepped on some girl’s toes on my way from .Paak to Missy Elliott. I’m basically the reason why you don’t wear sandals to a festival no matter how cute your toes look. (JC)
10:53 Anderson Paak slides from the drums to the front of the stage proving he can command a crowd from behind a kit or with a mic in hand. No matter where he is, he brings the party. (HD)
11:15 The Queen has arrived wearing a hat that says “Queen.” A sea of hands and cheers fill the air above my head during Elliot’s opening salvo of “She’s a Bitch.” “One Minute Man,” “I’m Really Hot,” and “We Run This” feels like a blur, am I on drugs? Cuz this feels like some pure ‘90s ecstasy. (NJ)
11:30 After a decade between performances in the States, Missy is still the queen of rap. But her dancers are the real MVPs here tonight. (JC)
11:34 Missy gets emotional and acknowledges that this is the first stateside gig she’s played in a decade. (HD)
11:46 Listening to several thousand people mumble along while trying to sing the chorus of “Work It” is almost enough to balance out how over the top Missy’s hype man and DJ are tonight. (JC)
12:13 a.m. So far in this set, Missy Elliott’s given shoutouts to Tyler, the Creator, Katy Perry, Solange, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, and Bjork. They’re all in attendance for her tonight, and she’s (obviously) most excited by Queen Bey. (JC)
12:15 Even with all the constant stops, interludes and stalling, Missy Elliot’s set has the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand, feeding us a steady diet of the hits we grew up with. And she ended it all by climbing into a mirror-filled box and turning into a puppet. Timeless hip-hop swag meets Vegas-style showmanship. Seriously, what more could you ask for? (NJ)
12:40 At some point in the evening, the sidewalk curbs turn into a drunk tank. (CR)
12:45 Plopped down at Flying Lotus just behind the ADA seating and trying to figure out if my 3D glasses are broken or if I’m broken. Moving closer to the stage the visuals come out and I realize it was indeed me who was broken. (HD)
Saturday, July 22
5:15 Day two lines are far more ridiculous than day one. Note to self: Arrive way before 5 p.m. on Sunday and bring coconut water for the line. (HD)
5:16 Shoutout to the old people handing out “Impeach Trump & Pence” flyers on the way in. We’re pretty much all with you, but none of us want to carry that extra paper around a festival all day. (JC)
5:30 “You guys look like you smell funny”-Thundercat. (CR)
5:35 Thundercat’s band is giving me those Miles Davis “Bitches Brew” feels right now, it’s fire! (CR)
5:43 Watching all these white kids try to dance to Thundercat is a perfect microcosm of gentrification in Southern California. (JC)
5:45 Thundercat tells the crowd how much he loves his cat and then goes into “A Fans Mail” —making me miss my cat. (CR)
6:00 Most creative use of glitter goes to the guy with a gold glitter beard. (CR)
6:07 Just saw a guy wearing a “Boycott Beyoncé” shirt & I can’t think of any easier way to get punched in the face at a music festival. (JC)
6:15 Finally made it out of the entrance line and narrowly escaped vertigo from the zig-zagging (yet fast moving) barricades. Running to the Lawn stage and sweet Jesus Thundercat is laying down the funk. (HD)
6:32 It wasn’t that long ago that MGMT looked like they’d be the biggest band in the world soon, and now the crowd looks totally lost as they open their set with “Pieces of What.” Apparently everyone is just waiting for “Kids.” Never mind. Every camera phone just went up for “Time to Pretend.” (JC)
6:45 Settling in for the floetic stylings of Noname, aka Fatimah Warner. Warner calls out from the Trees stage to “come dance with me.” The crowd rises to their feet, the set picks up in energy, and the bassist is on point. (HD)
6:56 It’s impossible to know for sure, but I feel like the vast majority of the space-y/poppy synth-heavy rock bands we’ve seen hipsters fawn over for the last handful of years only exist because MGMT proved you could do it well and be successful. (JC)
6:58 The amount of red and white Frank Ocean headbands floating around on people in the crowd make me wonder if some of these fans have been hanging onto them since his cancellation in 2015. (NJ)
7:00 MGMT played a great set which included two new songs however you can tell the only reason the boring crowd stood there was to watch them play “Kids.” (CR)
7:05 MGMT closes their set with “Electric Feel” and suddenly it’s summer ‘07 all over again. (NJ)
7:38 The little DJ club stages in the walkways between the bigger stages mean that you don’t hear the act you’re walking to see until you’re basically in the crowd for them. (JC)
7:40 Walking down the pathway to the Lawn and blustery notes from a saxophone roll through the air. The gravelly baritone of King Krule rumbles across the Lawn and I’m in love. (HD)
7:45 King Kruel’s red glasses match his red hair and red hot growl backed by a five-piece band that rips through “A Lizard State” with the electro-shocking intensity that merges hardcore and hard bop into one big bitches brew. (NJ)
7:50 King Krule’s set moves to “Easy, Easy” and an unexpected dance party ensues. There’s no denying the amount of gritty emotion pouring out of this English ginger. (HD)
8:07 The 12 people or so who stuck around to see Built to Spill are really stoked to see Built to Spill. (JC)
8:34 It’s kind of sad how many of these Odd Future fanboys only know A Tribe Called Quest for their album cover art. (JC)
8:35 Right before Tribe is about to hit the stage, a girl behind me chirps excitedly to her friend “This is history.” (NJ)
8:40 Leaving a mic up on the stage for Phife Dawg was one of the most subtly powerful tributes I’ve ever seen. (NJ)
9:20 Q-Tip just announced that this was Tribe’s last show. All I can say is thank you, it was an honor being able to see them. (CR)
9:25 pm While ATCQ performs “We The People,” I can’t help but wonder if any of the people in the audience voted for Trump. (CR)
9:27 Well into an epic set that pulls from all corners of Tribe’s discography, Raphael Saddiq come out with a standup bass for “Buggin Out.” (HD)
9:40 Could ATCQ really end their last show without playing “Can I Kick it?” (NJ)
9:41 No, they can’t! (NJ)
9:49 There’s a toddler in the crowd getting down to the end of this ATCQ set & it’s the most appropriate tribute to Phife you’ll ever see. (JC)
10:15 Still waiting on Erykah. (HD)
10:31 After running about half an hour late, Erykah Badu just busted out the instrumental for “Shook Ones, Part II” as a tribute to Prodigy. Everybody is getting remembered this weekend. (JC)
10:40 Sleep is the loudest band I have ever heard. Warning, they will make your ears bleed. Sleep’s shirtless Matt Pike rocks the metal gut while he blows out the crowd’s ear drums. (CR)
11: 00 Before Frank Ocean starts, fog machine in the sound speakers blanket the crowd to the point where we can barely see 10 feet in front of us. The hot box vibe seems pretty fitting when you consider Ocean’s live studio set up on the catwalk on center stage. (NJ)
11:08 Quirky and charismatic as ever, Erykah calls out the millennials who were breastfeeding when their mom was rocking out to Baduizm 20 years ago. Two decades later the album is still resonating. (HD)
11:11 The queen of tripped-out neo soul preaches to the crowd singing, “believe in yourself as I do, Badu.” (HD)
11:17 Frank’s headphones, casual outfit and keyboard resting on the floor of the stage suggest that we’re definitely in his world we’re all just flies on the wall. (NJ)
11:25 Every time Frank walks up and down the catwalk, the fans in front of him scream. He doesn’t look like he’s having as much fun with it as Q-Tip was though. No one has as much fun as Q-Tip. (JC)
11:38 Not sure what’s happening but people around me are dropping like actual flies. Either too drunk, too many drugs or too much walking—or all of the above. One girl is on the ground near us with dilated pupils that look like saucers. Several people run to go get a medic. It takes about 20 minutes for one to arrive, meanwhile they’ve got their work cut out for them as another guy is passed out a few feet away has just pissed himself. Keep in mind this is all happening to a chillest set of the entire weekend. (NJ)
11:40 The vending area near The Club is nearly vacant. Spicy pork quesadillas from Kogi pair strangely well with metal act Sleep. Who knew? (HD)
11:44 Fought back tears during Frank Ocean’s emotional and beautiful set. Oh, hello there…Brad Pitt. (CR)
11:52 I just realized that there are probably Frank Ocean diehard fans who have been standing here for like 10 hours to get a front row spot only to have him perform pretty much exclusively on the catwalk. I’m sure they’re happy, but that’s a rough break. (JC)
11:56 I think everyone can agree that Frank Ocean was worth the hype. (CR)
11:58 Seriously though, who is Brad Pitt talking to? (NJ)
12:00 a.m. Brad Pitt is putting his method acting skills to the test with that phone during “Never Can Say Goodbye.” (CR)
12:09 The wave of falsetto happening right now during “Thinking About You” is the an epic display of R&B karaoke. (NJ)
12:15 Two girls run off into the night, their twin pairs Nike low tops cutting through the darkness as Frank Ocean’s “Nikes” booms in the growing distance behind them. Till tomorrow… (NJ)
Sunday, July 23
3:50 Walking into FYF a guy being escorted out says, “So I definitely hit a guy?” Bruh. (CR)
4:00 You have to weigh your options with so many great shows happening at once and the Lawn tage was where it was at on Sunday. With Chicano Batman, Ty Segall and Iggy Pop playing back to back, it’s a gonna be a good time. (CR)
4:15 One last time parking by the homeless encampment on Hill. This weekend I’ve saved at least $60 on parking. This time a friend in the car gives a woman in the tent next to our car a can of Miller Lite. Pretty sure she’s down to protect our car until the Apocalypse. (NJ)
4:20 That moment when you see everyone bust out their cumbia moves for Chicano Batman’s “La Manzanita.” (CR)
4:51 Crowd at Chicano Batman raise their hands toward the sun as the chorus like for “Freedom is Free” travels like a wave over the Lawn. Freedom is much cheaper than a ticket to FYF. (NJ)
5:19 The wood dance floor of the Outer Space stage is rattling with groups of guys and girls dancing in safety circles to Honey Sound System. (NJ)
5:30 It’s become an FYF tradition to watch Ty Segall shred. (CR)
5:33 Day 3 of FYF feels like that last week of school where everyone just wants to have a good time with their friends and then go home. (JC)
5:35 Somehow Mikal Cronin manages to look calm and collected as he shreds on the bass. (CR)
5:40 People watching during British psych-pop act Temples and spotted the third man sarong of the day. Trend watchers take note! (HD)
6:04 Angry Orchard has a skeeball game set up, and I don’t even like hard cider but I can’t turn down a classic arcade game. (JC)
6:15 Standing in the beer garden at the Trees stage. A cute hippie chick walks up to an unsuspecting bro and asks him to do a handstand in the grass so she can mark off a square on festival bingo card. Bro hands his beer to a friend and obliges. Mac Demarco kicks off his set with “On the Level” and I’m still laughing in the best way possible. (HD)
6:36 The fact that 6lack sells merch telling people how to pronounce his name might be a sign that he should’ve picked a different name. (JC)
6:58 Based on the crowd size for Little Dragon compared to the people waiting for Iggy Pop, I think there might be an actual small fire-breather on the stage. Since Game of Thrones is on at this very moment, is it baby Drogon? (JC)
7:11 The sun starts to set at the main stage during Little Dragon. It’s a welcome break from the heat as “Klapp K
lapp” comes on and a surge of dancing spreads throughout crowd. (HD)
7:20 Iggy Pop just came into the stage. I’ve never been so happy to have someone flip me off. (CR)
7:24 Wanted to take some sweet pics of Iggy Pop, but I got to close to him and my phone melted. Sorry, Instagram. (NJ)
7:26 Henry Rollins is back on the side of the stage rocking out to Iggy Pop harder than almost anyone else. (JC)
8:00 When did bathroom selfies become a thing? There’s far better photo ops than the hallway of the pisser. (HD)
8:30 Main stage is soaked in red light as Solange strolls out before over-sized, geometric props. The set eases in with “Rise” and you already get the feeling something special is about to happen. (HD)
8:43 The Coachella-fication of FYF is becoming more apparent by the hour. (JC)
8:46 Effortless and distinct choreography are matched by a swagger that’s sweet yet irrevocably on fire. You feel as if Solange is singing directly to whoever once wronged her, retelling her experiences and letting the crowd know that “Some Things Never Seem to Fucking Work.” (HD)
9:19 After leaving the stage Solange comes back out for “Don’t Touch My Hair.” The song takes over, a full brass section joins her once again. It’s clear that in this moment of power, liberated dance and searing vocals, Solange is the only Knowles sister of relevance. (HD)
9:30 The orbit of disco balls at The Club stage illuminates the crowd with fractals of shimmering light as pulsing bass makes the floor shake. It appears to be much bigger than last year. In a few years, I could definitely see this becoming LA’s version of the Sahara Tent. (NJ)
9:12 Aside from her excellent singing and dancing, Solange’s glorious headbanging makes for one of the most glamorous shampoo commercials of all
time. (JC)
9:47 Run the Jewels has now played so many festivals in LA that Killer Mike just has an artist wristband permanently embedded in his arm. (JC)
10:19 I was hoping for this to be one of the Zach de la Rocha sets for Run the Jewels, but we got Gangster Boo instead. The cross
faded bro next to me is having the time of his life regardless. (JC)
10:45 Nine Inch Nails unleashes “Wish” and the main stage transforms into pulsating waves of fury – and it’s a good thing. (HD)
10:54 Nine Inch Nails sees Frank Ocean’s extraordinary use of fog machines and raises it by about 80,000. (JC)
11:00 Three days of FYF calls for physical therapy. (CR)
11:05 Can’t hear Nine Inch Nails without thinking of our dearly departed Weekling Andrew Youssef. I know somewhere in the universe he’s looking down on this show rocking out. Biggest NIN fan I ever knew. (NJ)
11:15 “Closer” is probably the greatest industrial singalong song in history. (JC)
11:29 Trent Reznor gets emotional and speaks of his late friend David Bowie. He covers “I Can’t Give Everything Away” from Blackstar, channeling a faraway yet palpable energy that settles atop the crowd. (HD)
11:40 I’ve never been much of a NIN fan and have never seen them live but after this performance I want to know when they’re playing next. (CR)
11:45 We arrive back to my car and the homeless woman my friend gave the beer to was out front waiting for us asking if we had a good time. Fuck yeah! (NJ)
