The 31st annual Fiesta Del Sol's theme -- Moving off the Grid, Eco-Powered -- recognizes a trend toward green-friendly events.
Going green was a great addition, but festivalgoers were lured to Fletcher Cove over the weekend to hear an impressive music lineup. The Belly Up Tavern booked the talent, pulling strongly from the reggae and world-music genres and also featuring hyperlocal artists.
The World Anthem Band, Orange County reggae artists, played a 45-minute set, belting out roots, dub and soul music, with a pinch of rock and a dash of dancehall reggae. The band's performance included a horn section featuring Harold Todd, a member of Lenny Kravitz's band, on the flute and saxophone. Tommy Dubs, a last minute fill-in, thinned out the crowd within a few minutes after appearing onstage. In theory, his music is classified as dub, hip-hop and reggae; in reality it sounded like synthesized rock fused with Latin tempos, with Dubs rapping to a reggae drum beat.
Closing the first night of the festival were the world-renowned Aggrolites, with lead singer, Jesse Wagner, screaming, "We are the Aggrolites!" into the microphone. Wagner told the crowd, "Solana Beach, you're our favorite place in the world," then went straight into the funky, bluesy "Funky Fire." Die-hard fans knew the lyrics to most of songs performed by the "Dirty Reggae" group. Having toured internationally, including in Japan and Europe, it's no wonder why the Aggrolites were the headliners.
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Lukas Nelson, son of Willie Nelson, performed with his band, Promise of the Real. Hoi Polloi, Sol E Mar, Tower 7 and tribute band Rolling the Stones also performed on the first day of the fiesta. The B*Side Players were the crowd draw for Sunday's line-up; click here for complete list of artists that performed.
Not visible to the naked eye, most of the energy used at the festival came from solar energy panels and trucks, but some vendors used biodegradable supplies, while others sold products to encourage an eco-friendly life-style.
Another new addition to the festival was the heavily requested wine garden, offering moderate priced wine and high quality cheese. Returning attendees enjoyed the beer gardens and an international food court, offering Mexican, Thai and American dishes. The festival continues to be an all-ages event, and the kids scored with big with the fair-like rides, llama rides and an astro jump slide.
