Tijuana Panthers Getting Wild on Stage!
Dear Observatory,
How did you plan an incredible-emo-kid-fest like this and somehow not announce it till February?
Sincerely,
How long has this been in the works?
Orange County– land of the Churches, malls, and corporate office buildings. If you grew up there, then you spent no less than 150 days a year at the Irvine Spectrum. Because, well, they have an Urban Outfitters.
It is time OC kids will never get back. And it is time OC got something decent like the Observatory Orange County to open up and bring us some good fucking bands.
Your parents will call it The Galaxy, because that is what it was for who knows how many years before it closed around 2008. So in 2012 when The Observatory opened it’s doors; kids, adults, and anyone of Orange County who didn’t get their thrills from an outdoor mall—were absolutely ecstatic.
So now it is 2017 and festivals have taken over the music industry and Observatory is a huge player in that game–with multiple Beach Goths, One Love Cali Reggae Fest, Soulquarius, and more.
But as of last weekend they aren’t just in the game. They won the game.
When We Were Young Fest took place at The Observatory Grounds on April 8th and 9th. The fest opened around noon and went till near midnight. This festival that was truly a dream for anyone fighting teenage angst anytime between 1990 and now.
With a lineup that ranged from Morrissey to Cage The Elephant to FIDLAR to Foxygen to AFI…it is evident that this festival was far more about maintaining integrity to the genre than it was to getting people through the door. And I think that is what makes The Observatory’s fests so special. They wanted to make every Alternative music lover happy. And they did.
The festival took place in the many parking lots/open area that surrounds the venue. It held two stages–Observatory From Mars Stage and Heroes Stage (RIP Starman). The inside of The Observatory was partially used as a stage–No Parents is your new favorite punk band and we were lucky to see them in here. One of the guys was wearing a skirt and we could not be more into it.
Highlights: Morrissey, Cage The Elephant, Foxygen (they remind us of Velvet Underground!), Dr. Dog, Alkaline Trio, Beach Fossils, Moving Units, Tijuana Panthers, and Plague Vendor.
…we’ll be back next year!
REVIEW BY: HANNAH WINOKUR
PHOTOS BY: ALEXANDER DANTÉS