Pop Break Live: This Ain’t No Picnic Festival at The Brookside at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena,CA — August 27-28, 2022
At the end of a long, hot summer that finally saw a true return to live music for the masses, This Ain’t No Picnic capped off a brilliant festival season for Pasadena and Los Angeles. The two-day festival featured one of the most diverse lineups a music fan could catch anywhere on the West Coast this year, including industry veterans LCD Soundsystem and Le Tigre; indie rock idols The Strokes, Courtney Barnett and Mac DeMarco; ethereal singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers, Jorja Smith, and Caroline Polachek; guitar-driven, mosh pit catalysts Turnstile, Idles, and Circle Jerks; and unmissable indie rappers like Isaiah Rashad, Earl Sweatshirt, and SlowThai. And that doesn’t even cover the half of it.
With temperatures in the high 80s and few trees lining Brookside at the Rose Bowl, fans sought shade under bucket hats while keeping cool with refreshing cocktails and lemonade, staying strong with yummy plant-based burgers from Monty’s or filling cheesesteaks from Phillyfornia. For those looking to stay out of the sun, the Record Safari Store was both a great safe haven from heat and an even better place to grab vinyl of the best acts of the weekend. Lines and lines of people snaked around the infamous Despacio room aka a killer dance space and club in the middle of the festival.
As for the musical acts themselves – rising star Genesis Owuso was the first act of day one with a sizable crowd, and for good reason: his theatrical hip-hop was both funky and cool. For rap fans looking to catch a throw-back act, the Ying Yang Twins took the opposite stage soon after. Playing their classics, “Get Low,” “Salt Shaker,” and “Wait (The Whisper Song),” the Ying Yang Twins quickly reminded everyone why they were a huge act in the late 2000s: not only were their songs memorable and fun, but their joyful set was unmissable on Saturday. Isaiah Rashad and Earl Sweatshirt – both rappers playing on opposite stages – brought a similar energy later in the day.
For the indie fans in the crowd, Courtney Barnett took the main stage in her signature t-shirt and jeans and played tracks from her newest record, Things Take Time, Take Time. Across the festival, Mac DeMarco was making sure to give a shoutout to his now-10-year-old debut album 2 before locking lips with the bass player in his band. After sunset, electro-pop duo Jungle brought gorgeous stage lighting and dancey tunes to the huge crowd as twinkle lights lined the festival grounds and everyone was getting excited for the headlining acts.
Post-punk legends Le Tigre – led by Queen Riotgrrl herself, Kathleen Hanna – played their first live show in over 11 years. A huge neon board flashed lyrics behind the band as they played so the whole crowd could sing along with their hits “TKO” and “Hot Topic.” At one point, Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman reflected how they’d been a band since the late 90s, singing out against fascism, racism, and sexism, and couldn’t believe how relevant all their songs still were. Before playing “My My Metrocard,” Fateman remarked that she couldn’t believe that the villain in the song – former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani – was even still relevant.
Keeping with the New York City vibe, Saturday headliners LCD Soundsystem took the stage beneath a gigantic disco ball and turned the entire festival into a dancefloor for the ages. When James Murphy sang the band’s classic hits “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down,” “Dance Yrself Clean,” and “All My Friends,” it felt like the festival had hit its peak – yet there was still a whole day to go.
Sunday started out sunny and breezy, and only went up from there. The first memorable act of the day was the white-hot indie darlings Wet Leg, performing tracks from their self-titled debut album. By the time they got to their closer “Chaise Longue,” nearly half the festival grounds were taken up by their crowd singing along. Not long after, rapper SlowThai kept the crowd lively at the main stage while pop singer Caroline Polachek danced across her stage with ethereal grace a la Lorde. Quirky art pop legends Sparks – whose popularity was revived after filmmaker Edgar Wright’s documentary on them came out in 2021 – brought a fun, winking vibe to the weekend.
For fans looking for less dancing and something more aggressive, in back-to-back sets on opposite stages, English punk band Idles and American hardcore punk band Turnstile featured some of the biggest and most rowdy mosh pits of the festival. Idles’ guitarist Lee Kiernan crawled into the crowd over several rows of unsuspecting Phoebe Bridgers fans while endless Turnstile fans crowd surfed in and out of their pit. The night decidedly quieted down once dream pop icons Beach House brought their moody, dramatic set to This Ain’t No Picnic, and Pasadena hometown hero Phoebe Bridgers lit up the main stage with her sparkling skeleton-inspired dress and starry stage production. For those close enough to the front of the stage, a dozen or so signs in support of Bridgers lined the barricade, being held by dozens of crying fans.
Finally, capping off the whole weekend of This Ain’t No Picnic, fresh off their run of shows opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes shot a jolt of energy throughout the entire festival. Playing a barrage of their memorable hits including, “Juicebox,” “Someday,” “Reptilia,” and “New York City Cops,” the NYC natives brought the crowd back to the 2000s when The Strokes were responsible for revitalizing the entire post-punk musical landscape. They even had time to play a few tracks from their excellent 2020 record, The New Abnormal including “Bad Decisions.”
It was impossible to walk out of This Ain’t No Picnic and not hear a group of friends singing along with a song they heard earlier in the day, or hear about an amazing set they saw. Goldenvoice brought an incredible weekend of live music to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl, and it seems impossible to have to wait until next year.
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