I'm Falling in Love with LA: FYF Fest
I used to be someone who didn't spend a lot of time in Los Angeles. The traffic and crazy driving often deterred me from experiencing this lovely city. But festivals always caught my eye. I never thought I'd attend one until a few weeks ago. It was one of the best weekends of my life.FYF Fest aka Fuck Yeah Fest is a music festival occurring yearly in LA. Lineups always offer a variety of artists, so it's easy to find someone who fits your interest. The only worries are: set time conflicts, traffic and making it to stages on time. This year, Kendrick Lamar and Tame Impala were some headliners. But artists like Kelela, DIIV, Grimes and Blood Orange snagged spots on the roster.The admission process to the festival could've been better. Golden voice decided to utilize a series of metal barricades, which made it easy for people to cut in line. Stage locations were conveniently pointed out in the air with balloons. Each stage had an overarching theme and vibe: The Woods had more of a dark feel; Main Stage was more flamboyant; Trees focused on a naturesque theme, allowing artists to look down to fans. The Club was one of the smaller more congested stages. However,The Lawn was the most open ended and easiest to exit.
Food and drinks were pretty pricey, as expected with any music festival. Vendors reflected the rich culture of LA with one of a kind meals. This included milky bun (donuts and ice cream) stand Afters, traditional stadium eats, food trucks, Beer Belly's Pizza & Taco Fries, Greek food, Poke, Vegan options and so much more. Attendees were able to fulfill their heart's desires and keep tummies happy.I had never been to a festival so I didn't really plan on arriving early. My laziness forced me to miss a bit of Vince Staples set. However, throughout the night I was able to sift through lines to the front for Kamaiyah and Kelela.Kamaiyah's set was swift and energetic. She has mad respect for fans coming to see her, since some of our semesters just started. Lil' Yaya performed some of A Good Night in the Ghetto and "Why You Always Hatin'? ". [gallery ids="7410,7411,7413,7414,7415,7416,7417,7418" type="slideshow"] It was hard for me to choose between Kelela or Tame Impala. I ended up selecting Kelela because she's pretty slept on. It was also guaranteed that I'd have to see Tame from the Jumbotron anyways. I'm glad that I made that decision, she is breathtakingly gorgeous. The DC native performed a bit of Hallucinogen, Cut 4 Me and more unreleased work. I'd definitely love to see her again. Her set was surreal.[gallery ids="7437,7436,7435,7433,7430,7431,7432,7429,7428,7427,7426,7425,7424,7421,7422,7423" type="slideshow" orderby="rand"]Kendrick's set experienced a bit of delay. But he brought Isaiah Rashad to co-perform "Free Lunch". Lamar's set was more vivid and reflected the importance of political consciousness in visuals. I didn't stay the whole time because exhaustion, but it was dope seeing the man in the flesh.
Day 2 went by more smoothly. I grasped familiarity with locations and ideal times to transition throughout Exposition Park. From the rich lineup, I chose to see Blood Orange, Corbin (FKA Spooky Black) and Young Thug.
Blood Orange was divine and intoxicating. Dev Hynes definitely knows how to work the stage. He made his set more meaningful by bringing out a few friends: Nelly Furtado, Sky Ferreira, Carly Rae Jepsen, Zuri Marley and Empress Of. Hynes definitely gave fans their money's worth with spins, solos and all those special guests. I walked being even a bigger fan of him.[gallery ids="7493,7494,7495,7496,7497,7498,7499,7500,7501,7502,7503,7504,7505,7506,7507,7508,7509,7510,7511,7512,7513,7514,7515,7516,7517,7518,7519,7520,7521,7522,7523,7524,7525,7526,7527,7528,7529,7530,7531,7532,7533,7534,7535,7536,7537" type="slideshow" orderby="rand"]Corbin (FKA Spooky Black) was interesting, to say the least. I went to see him to see what he was about. I thought he'd sound better in person -- that definitely was not the case. Corbin was cool though; this Minnesota native brought his friend Bobby Raps onstage.[gallery ids="7539,7540,7541,7544,7543,7546,7547" type="slideshow"]Young Thug was definitely a great way to end my night. Somehow, I made it to the front, despite arriving about 30 minutes before. We were all hype to see Jeffrey. His shows can get pretty rowdy. So if you ever see him, you're in for a workout. It ended up being a water show; fans were drenched with bottled water to cool off from jumping erratically. Thugger performed a series of projects: Jeffrey, Slime Season and Barter 6. [gallery ids="7549,7550,7551,7552,7553,7554,7555,7556,7557,7558,7559,7560,7561,7562,7563,7564,7565,7566,7567,7568" type="slideshow" orderby="rand"]FYF was a once in a lifetime experience. For my first festival, I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm already excited for next year and other festivals. Are you? 