TVD Live Shots: BeachLife Festival, Redondo Beach, 9/10

Simply put, 2021’s BeachLife Festival was quite possibly one of the finest multi-day musical events I have ever been to. Allen Sanford and his amazing partners put on a clinic on HOW to run a festival: an amazing lineup, incredible culinary options, and most importantly a noticeable care and concern for all festival attendees. This three-day event didn’t disappoint and will go down as one of the most incredible live music festivals in the US this year, bar-none.

It’s been a while since I’ve attended a multi-day music festival and wasn’t sure walking in that I was ready for such an event. I’d already hit a few small shows (both indoor and out) since many of the Covid restrictions were lifted, but this one was obviously different—3 days, 4 stages, and over 50 bands performing in front of sellout crowds each day. As I grabbed my media credentials on day one, it was instantly obvious that BeachLife was going to be special. I knew it because everyone I encountered on the their staff was friendly, smiling, and eager to make my stay a special one. And it wasn’t because I was a media representative, they were like that with EVERY guest that walked through the turnstile.

The next thing I noticed was that the BeachLife grounds were laid out in a way that made it EASY for concert-goers to bounce between stages. There were no mile long hikes, but simple walks that allowed everyone to take in any or all of the musical acts slated for the day. In addition, there was plenty of room for guests to spread out, feel safe, and enjoy their family and friends while jamming to the incredible lineup across four stages: Hightide, Lowtide, Speakeasy, and the Riptide. And if breaks from the warm Redondo Beach sun were warranted, guests could easily find a wide range of tasty food and beverages along with shaded areas to cool off before the next set.

As for musical acts, I initially felt the 2021 lineup might be a bit tame for my liking. However, as the shows began to unfold across the 3-day festival, I began to see the magic in the acts themselves along with how they were paired together. Festival headliners included Jane’s Addiction, Cage the Elephant, Counting Crows, along with Ziggy & Stephen Marley, and all (as one would imagine) were unbelievable. Each headlining set was approximately an hour and a half, chock full of new songs along with classics spanning each band’s massive catalog (or in the case of the Ziggy & Stephen, Bob Marley’s legendary catalog.

However, I dug a little deeper into BeachLife’s bag of tricks and walked away with my own list of festival favorites including Larkin Poe, Fortunate Youth, Men at Work, Sugar Ray, and Gary Clark, Jr. However, my absolute favorite across the 3-day festival was Thievery Corporation—a genre-defying electronic music band originating from Washington, DC. The dynamic duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, along with their incredible ensemble, captured the hearts and minds of the BeachLife faithful in a one hour set that was nothing short of spectacular. Special shout out to Racquel Jones, who’se vocals (and wardrobe) were straight fire—she is one unbelievable artist!

Overall, BeachLife Festival 2021 will go down as one of the country’s best music festivals. This one had it all—amazing bands, a perfect location, awesome staff, great food and drinks, and an incredible layout. And from my vantage point, all signs indicate BeachLife’ s trajectory is going nowhere but up (and fast). With a thousand different festivals popping up around the globe almost daily, this one looks to have staying power and then some.

BEACHLIFE FESTIVAL, 9/10
CAGE THE ELEPHANT