Come September, Del Mar is going to be the music mecca of the West Coast.
The first-ever Kaaboo arts and entertainment festival just announced its three-day, seven-stage lineup, and it's going to put our sweet coastal community on the music map. Headliners No Doubt and the Killers hardly even scratch the surface. Some 60 bands are coming in for this one from all genres (Zac Brown Band? Check. Snoop Dogg? Yoyeah), including San Diego's own Slightly Stoopid and the Silent Comedy.
Ahem, sorry -- it's not a music "festival," according to the un-festival's web site, but rather the antithesis: "Kaaboo is everything a typical music festival is not. ... We're a new kind of arts and entertainment 'mix-perience' designed around comfort, quality and good times." OK, call it what you will, but it. sounds. awesome. Going along with the un-fest theme, Kaaboo also boasts claims of cleanliness, fewer lines and maturity ordained by its "unwritten codes of conduct." You can get a hot shave or a massage. You can get your hair cut or your nails done. Oh, and it's San Diego, so there will be plenty of art and craft beer.
The mix-perience is picking up the mantle of Street Scene, the last incarnation of which we saw in 2009. At its peak, Street Scene packed San Diego with crowds of 100,000 to the tune of such acts as Beck, Black Eyed Peas and Kanye West. But when attendance dwindled and the homespun festival met financial difficulties, the 25-year-old fest turned off its amps. Just a few years later, Kaaboo has picked up those amps, dusted 'em off, tuned 'em up and put them to work again, so to speak.
The Killers -- who played the Fairgrounds for Street Scene eight years ago -- haven't been to SD since headlining the 2012 91X Wrex the Halls showcase. Hell, they haven't even played a show stateside since last August, and, according to Rolling Stone, this will be their first performance since then.
No Doubt is even less visible on the music scene. While frontwoman Gwen Stefani recently took a turn in the judges' chair on NBC's hit show "The Voice," the on-and-off-again rock-ska band (whose 1995 album, "Tragic Kingdom," defined this reporter's youth) has been quiet, booking just five shows for the year.
It's all happening September 18-20 at the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, and passes start around $290 (fees included) for the Hang Loose weekend pass. But if you want that VIP experience, it's there. You can Hang Five for just shy of $750 to get access to a VIP-only kickoff party (with live performances by Sheryl Crow and Ed Kowalcyzk), exclusive lounges, a sit-down restaurant and various perks including better parking and sight lines. For a little less than $2,600, the super swanky can Hang Ten with all the above benefits plus free food and bevies, access to the artist and in-field track lounges, complimentary valet parking and more.
Check the full lineup below and the Kaaboo web site for more details:
Bands:
- No Doubt
- The Killers
- Zac Brown Band
- Snoop Dogg
- Foster the People
- Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
- Slightly Stoopid
- Counting Crows
- The Roots
- Spoon
- Sheryl Crow
- Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
- Dirty Heads
- O.A.R.
- Awolnation
- Rodrigo y Gabriela
- Michael Franti & Spearhead
- Brandi Carlile
- Girl Talk
- Big Gigantic
- Griz
- Tribal Seeds
- Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
- OK Go
- Cherub
- Donavon Frankenreiter
- Dawes
- Los Lobos
- X
- Lucero
- Lettuce
- Ozomatli
- Allen Stone
- JJ Grey & Mofro
- Old 97’s
- J Roddy Walston & the Business
- Justin Townes Earle
- Delta Rae
- Nahko & Medicine for the People
- Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers
- Minnie Driver
- The White Panda
- The Floozies
- Goldfish
- Thenewno2
- Stick Figure
- The Revivalists
- MarchFourth!
- Dirty Dozen Brass Band
- Fortunate Youth
- Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers
- Natural Vibrations
- The Silent Comedy
- Knox Hamilton
- Orgone
- The Wheeland Brothers
- The Apache Relay
- Peter Matthew Bauer
- Ed Kowalcyzk
Comedians:
- Joel McHale
- Lewis Black
- Chris D’Elia
- Anthony jeselnik
- Jeff Garlin
- Tig Notaro
- Tim Meadows
- Iliza Schlesinger
- Ron Funches
- Hasan Minhaj
It's all happening September 18-20 at the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, and passes start around $290 (fees included) for the Hang Loose weekend pass. But if you want that VIP experience, it's there. You can Hang Five for just shy of $750 to get access to a VIP-only kickoff party, exclusive lounges, a sit-down restaurant and various perks including better parking and sight lines. For a little less than $2,600, the super swanky can Hang Ten with all the above benefits plus free food and bevies, access to the artist and in-field track lounges, complimentary valet parking and more. Passes are on sale now at kaaboodelmar.com.
Hannah Lott-Schwartz, a San Diego native, moved back to the area after working the magazine-publishing scene in Boston. Now she’s straight trolling SD for all the music she missed while away. Want to help? Hit her up with just about anything at all over on Twitter, where -- though not always work-appropriate -- she means well.
