Cali Vibes: An Energetic Escape to Long Beach
On President’s Day Weekend, Marina Green Park experienced a transformative remodeling into Goldenvoice’s Cali Vibes Festival. Upon entrance to Cali Vibes, festival-goers were met with the echoes of performances from The Greens stage. The open lawn space stretching out from this stage embraced fans as they were met with the energetic sounds emerging from The Greens. Although each stage featured a variety of music genres, The Greens more consistently featured hip-hop artists with high-engagement performances and lively stage presences.
Adjacent to The Greens was The Vibes stage, which offered the largest viewing area in the festival and often featured artists whose music aligns more closely with reggae or rock. During the sunset each evening, silhouettes of palm trees against an orange coastline stretched out opposite The Vibes Stage: from every direction, a memorable view was on display.
Situated directly on the waterfront of Long Beach, the festival made efforts to promote non-profits with ocean-related initiatives. These organizations, including Surfrider, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Algalita, Upstream, and 5 Gyres all have objectives to promote sustainability, particularly in waste-prone events such as music festivals. The beautiful landscape of the venue and water-front views were a direct reminder of the importance of preserving these landscapes and the urgency of the initiatives of these organizations.
Each night, the final show at The Greens ended about an hour before the final performance at The Vibes, allowing all festival-goers to come together to view the culminating act of the night. This experience emphasized community – a theme frequently referenced and felt during the festival. Cali Vibes offered a scenic escape for festival-goers to enjoy a weekend of music and relaxation and served as a reminder of the importance of shared experience.
Eli-Mac
Eli-Mac’s music blends the styles of R&B, reggae, and hip-hop influenced by her Hawaiian upbringing to create energetic beats with smooth rhythm and flow. A former contestant on American Idol, Eli-Mac’s performances aired in 2004 to audiences on a global scale. More recently, Eli-Mac has performed in Las Vegas, Seattle, and Portland, as well as international performances in New Zealand and Australia.
Eli-Mac lit up The Vibes stage on Friday, offering a dynamic performance that was heartwarming and allowed the audience to better understand her music. Whether shouting out a bandmate’s birthday, throwing up peace signs to the crowd, or recognizing enthusiastic audience members, Eli-Mac could perfectly balance an engaged audience with a relaxed viewing atmosphere. Her performance featured “Roots Girl,” a song with consistent beats layered with lyrics that provided rhythmic flow. Her performance also featured instrumental portions, such as saxophone solos during “Roots Girl.” During other instrumental portions of the set, Eli-Mac brought out two dancers from her home island of Maui, Hawaii to perform alongside the lyric-less melodies. A cover of “That Thing” was a crowd favorite that blended familiar lyrics and audience participation with Eli-Mac’s personal style. The set emphasized collaboration and inspiration from other creatives and demonstrated Eli-Mac’s selfless, audience-first approach to performance.
Shaggy
Shaggy blends dancehall and reggae music to create some of the most successful reggae music of all time. As a two-time Grammy award-winning artist and eight-time Grammy nominee, Shaggy has undisputedly carved the trajectory of dancehall music. Raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Shaggy continues to provide for the community through his Shaggy & Friends Foundation, which benefits the Bustamante Children’s Hospital in Kingston.
Shaggy moved from Jamaica to New York City in his teens, where his musical career took off and he quickly signed a record deal. Shaggy discussed earlier days of his musical career in New York, and how “people like El Heredero used to be at Erasmus Hall with me on one bench, spitting lyrics right in Spanish, and I was on the other one spitting lyrics in dancehall.”
Dancehall and reggaeton music are fundamental elements of Shaggy’s music, and in conversation with Shaggy on Saturday I was able to learn more about the development of these genres as they relate to his music. Shaggy discussed the connection between dancehall music and reggaeton and how dancehall influenced the creation of reggaeton, noting, “That’s how reggaeton started, it really got birthed out of Dancehall.” His music continues to reflect the continuous development of dancehall music as it blends modern elements with classic components of the genre. In conversation with Shaggy, he discussed his approach to trends and the virality of many of his songs. His approach to music creation is to create solely with his music in mind, avoiding what is trending and focusing on his sound independent from outside influence.
Shaggy also discussed his approach to curating his SiriusXM channel and how his goal for the channel is to “represent dancehall.” Shaggy primarily focuses on two decades of dancehall when selecting songs for SiriusXM. “My channel really, the main body of the music is 90s and 2000s music, with a splash of new music and some Afrobeats.”
Saturday night’s performance on The Greens stage reflected the elements of dancehall and reggaeton music that are fundamental to Shaggy’s artistic style while blending newer components that provided a fresh perspective to his music. The set was upbeat, engaging, and interactive with the audience. The landscape of The Greens stage allowed audience members to pack closely to Shaggy at the front of the crowd or, towards the back of the crowd, enjoy open space where they could dance to the music. Songs like “When She’s Around” were reflective of the new elements in Shaggy’s music and demonstrated his ability to continue to progress his music forward without losing the stylistic elements of his music that make it distinct and loved.
Wiz Khalifa
From the start of Wiz Khalifa’s career with his debut single with Atlantic Records “Black and Yellow” to his 2011 major label debut “Rolling Papers,” the ten-time Grammy-nominated artist has created sounds with catchy lyrics and impressive production. Wiz Khalifa has seen success through a variety of sounds and across collaborations with other artists, such as his 2015 song “See You Again” with Charlie Puth. Wiz’s sound elevates the energy of listeners and creates an atmosphere that is nothing short of enjoyable for audience members. His easygoing attitude when performing eases a crowd, while his recognizable lyrics bring noticeable excitement to an audience.
Wiz Khalifa’s Saturday set was fitting to the title of The Vibes stage. The set opened with the fast-paced “Black and Yellow,” and continued to match this energy as the performance continued. As the sun set over Cali Vibes, Wiz performed fan favorites including “Work Hard, Play Hard,” “The Thrill,” “We Dem Boyz,” “See You Again,” and “Young, Wild & Free.” Wiz brought a carefree atmosphere to The Vibes stage that could be felt throughout the audience. Whether at the barricades at the front of the stage or hundreds of feet back in the crowd, the set’s sounds reverberated through the entire landscape of Marina Green Park. Many of the songs in the performance featured verses by other artists. While this could have taken away from the performance, Wiz was able to utilize these moments to elevate the crowd’s energy by dancing, laughing, and engaging with the audience. This blend of Wiz performing and interacting with the crowd allowed for an intimate experience despite the built-out nature of The Vibes stage and the expansive size of the venue.
Sublime with Rome
The Vibes Stage Saturday night featured a vibrant performance by Sublime with Rome that incorporated complex guitar solos with impressive vocals. The band is a ska alternative rock group that was formed in 1988 in Long Beach and was joined by Rome in 2010. The set’s energy and emotion served as a tribute to the band’s Long Beach origins and the growth they have undergone to now perform at a major festival in their hometown. The performance was full circle, as one of the last performances featuring Sublime and Rome together, and this set reflected the gratitude and appreciation felt by Rome for over a decade of collaboration with Sublime.
The set opened with “Waiting for My Ruca” and featured several classic Sublime songs including “Right Back,” “Badfish,” and “What Happened.” Rome blended his unique voice with the classic sound of these songs to create a sound reflecting the original qualities of the music as well as his own style. Throughout the performance, Rome poured nostalgia into a discussion of his gratitude for being a part of Sublime with Rome. The band featured several covers of other classic songs, such as Bad Religion’s “We’re Only Gonna Die,” Toots & The Maytals’ “‘54-46’ – That’s My Number,” and the Grateful Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias”. The set blended the perfect balance of crowd engagement with instrumental solos to keep spirits high while maintaining the lighthearted atmosphere of the festival. Marking one of the group’s final performances together, the band was able to provide a performance that was conclusive and paid tribute to the time spent collaborating with one another.
Gwen Stefani
Three-time Grammy Award winner Gwen Stefani did not disappoint with her headlining performance on Saturday. An original member of No Doubt, Stefani has pioneered the blend between pop and punk-rock to create edgy and catchy music whose lyrics stick with listeners. Gwen Stefani closed out Saturday’s performances on the Vibes Stage with impressive production and recognizable favorites that left the crowd on a high note.
Stefani opened her set with “The Sweet Escape,” entering the stage with a fan favorite that invited the crowd’s engagement. She paid tribute to her southern Californian origins and how meaningful it was for her to perform in Long Beach, so close to where she was raised. The production quality of her performance was unmatched: dance routines throughout the show were choreographed to match the content of her lyrics, and her encore featured human-sized banana props that left the crowd on a light note.
Stefani’s set featured several No Doubt songs, including “Sunday Morning,” “It’s My Life,” and “Underneath It All.” About a third of the way into her set, Gwen Stefani brought out her husband Blake Shelton for a performance of their collaborative single. “Purple Irises.” The song offered a slower pace and heartfelt blend of the two artists’ styles that felt true to both of their musical narratives, despite each of their music being unique from the other. Later in her set, Stefani brought out Sean Paul to perform “Light My Fire.” The set’s inclusion of other artists reflected Stefani’s intention of providing the best experience possible for her fans and paying tribute to the broad scope of her music career. Stefani played fan favorites like “Used to Love You,” “Rich Girl,” and closed on “Just a Girl” before returning for an encore of “Hollaback Girl.”
The Roots
The Roots’ performance Sunday night at The Vibes stage provided a strong lyrical rhythm with impressive instrumental solos that served as a great culmination to the festival. Created in Philadelphia in 1987 by original members Black Thought and Questlove, The Roots have gone on to become a three-time Grammy award-winning band that has collaborated with other major musicians including John Legend, Betty Wright, and Elvis Costello. This performance reflected the variety of instruments featured in the band and the unique nature of the music produced by The Roots’ blend of sounds.
The Roots took the stage with powerful lyrics that could be heard throughout the venue. In their performance of “Web,” The Roots blended passionate lyrics with strong drum instrumentals and bass chords. A wide variety of instruments were featured in the set, as is typical in the Roots’ music: the sousaphone was played by Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr.” Bryson, percussion was featured by Frank Knuckles, electric bass was performed by Mark Kelley, the drums were played by Questlove, and guitar was covered by Cap’n Kirk. Black Thought’s vocals over these instruments challenged the consistent rhythms brought by the instrumentals with new beats and tempos. Listeners were constantly engaged by the interaction of the many elements present in The Roots’ music – a feature in their work that distinguishes it from other artists. The songs in the set progressed quickly from one to the next, offering rhythm not only within each song but throughout the set as a whole. This continuation throughout the set provided a strong finish to the final evening of Cali Vibes, leaving listeners on a note of rhythmic groove as their time in Long Beach came to an end.
