Dave Jolicoeur of De La Soul
With Twin Peaks, Dr. Dog, Warpaint, Gallant, Squeeze, and hip-hop legends De La Soul, Music Tastes Good. Real Good.
MTG took place in downtown Long Beach taking over four intersecting streets. The festival had a similar set-up as the dearly-departed San Diego Street Scene. The stores and restaurants on the streets were open to concert-goers during the festival, which was both convenient and comfortable, bringing a connection to the city and its daily life. There were pop-up food tents and merch tents along with local artist pieces, and, importantly, the best beer and alcohol pricing of any festival around.
So, who tasted good and who ended up bitter?
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks are your favorite high school band, 15 years later having matured and become more talented. They play loud music perfect for both dancing and enjoyment. This band rocked on stage and gained the attention of everyone in the crowd along with passerbys.
P.O.S
This musician played an intimate yet lively show. The MC decided to ditch the stage to be part of the crowd, rapping song after song surrounded by fans dancing and jumping around him. We got to hear some of his greatest songs as well as a new song titled “Fuck”, which was super! Nothing short of an outstanding performance.
Dr. Dog
The sun went down and the dogs came out. This headlining band delivered a marvelous performance as they had all eyes on them. It is impossible to stand still once these guys start playing. Everyone was excited to see them play their top hit “Heart it Races” and some deeper cuts like “Oh No.” This performance was one not to be missed!
Warpaint
No two songs of theirs really sound the same. They do what they want, when they want… like a three year old, but way more rad. They also do an excellent job of connecting with their crowd, engaging them with funny stories and conversations in between songs. They seem to all be having the time of their life on stage, which is always contagious. Plus, they all dress super fucking well.
Iron & Wine
Might as well be called Emotional & Real.
Squeeze
These Brit Pop rockers have songs so catchy you don’t even need to know them to chime in during the chorus.
On Sunday, the setup changed quite a bit. They condensed all the acts to one stage (Long Beach Blvd. Stage) and had it running from 12 p.m. to around 9 p.m. Sunday’s final shows went a little something like:
Gallant
De La Soul
Sylvan Esso
- Reasonable prices (Food & Booze!!!)
- $10 Parking
- Plenty of Restrooms
- Perfect Sized Venue (Not TOO big, not TOO small)
- Organized
- Friendly Staff and attendees
- There were hardly any flower crowns
Cons:
- We have to wait a whole year until the next MTG
