Photos By: Rachel Frank
By: Dennis Moon & Connor Cox
Day 2: Sunday
Tobias Jesso Jr.’s goofball banter allowed for a lighthearted start to day two, but the shenanigans were vehemently backed up with strong tunes played by a talented, versatile band. Piano ballads, Beatle-esque shuffles and jazz soloing all showed up in the course of Jesso Jr.’s all-too-brief stint on the lawn stage. It’s easy to imagine him having a long and fruitful career as a solo artist, given his obvious gift for performing and deep musical vocabulary. – Dennis
Belle and Sebastian have been touring extensively in support of their ninth studio release Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. But to keep their setlist aligned with the nostalgic influence of Los Angeles, the Scottish indie darlings focused their set to fan favorites of the early days. This included a performance of “The Stars of Track and Field” as footage of the 1984 summer olympics in Los Angeles played on the main screen. The band had previously announced via the FYF app that fans who were uniformed in black and white clothes were invited to participate as backup dancers throughout the entire performance, which is usually the tradition for fans in the front during the performance “The Boy with the Arab Strap”. – Connor
Mac DeMarco’s 2014 FYF set suffered from a subpar mix, but this time around, he and his band were in full control, totally aware of their status as kings of the indie sphere and totally refusing to care. I really enjoyed songs from Another One I hadn’t already incessantly listened to, but Mac’s setlist nowadays pulls from every one of his excellent records and couldn’t possibly be disappointing to any fan, casual or hardcore. I’m frankly confused as to why such placid music creates utter chaos in crowds, but embracing the madness is key to enjoying his live sets. Whether you’re in the middle of a somewhat inexplicable mosh pit or chilling on the outskirts, thought, his tunes are ace. – Dennis
Finally, D’Angleo and the Vanguard. Holy mother of shit. Made up of seasoned, adaptable session musicians and a man who stands as one of the modern era’s soul icons up front, this band put on an absolute funk master class on Sunday night. Fifteen years of absence were forgotten the instant “Ain’t That Easy” kicked off. What followed in the next hour and fifteen minutes was unforgettable; a true reminder of how the best performers can wring every ounce of energy and soul a crowd possesses and even take them to another level entirely. Though the vibe seemed to grow more jubilant with every song, “The Charade” was an outstanding, intense moment, dedicated to the victims of police brutality all around America. It’s hard to even formulate sentences in describing my feelings about this set, but a word that comes to mind is “freedom.” Every member of that crowd felt free of obligation, distinction, and worry, even if just for a little over an hour. It feels cliché to put it this way, but we were all one in our worship of music, enjoying this man’s ability to stir up the joy we all too often forget is inside of us. – Dennis
If anyone was going to cancel at the last minute of show, you would think it would be Morrissey rather than Frank Ocean, but amazingly enough the English rock-god showed up on time with plenty of energy. Morrissey and his gang of sycophant rockers blasted into the Smith’s hard-hitting classic, “The Queen is Dead” with a photoshopped picture of Queen Elizabeth II erecting her two middle fingers in the air, displayed on the back screen. This was nothing but expected from the notoriously controversial singer. He revisited other Smiths’ songs like “Stop me if You’ve Heard This One Before”, “Meat is Murder”, and “What She Said”, but his set remained focused on the politically charged themes of his recent album World Peace is None of Your Business. – Connor
