Red Bull Music Academy | la.redbullmusicacademy.com
[Full Gallery with More Photos…]
Amoeba Music | amoeba.com
[Full Gallery with More Photos…]
Featuring: Pusha T, Bootie Brown, Vince Staples, Peven Everett, D.R.A.M., Jamie Principle, Zebra Katz, Kilo Kish, Little Simz, and De La Soul
The Forum | fabulousforum.com
[Full Photo Gallery with More Pics. . .]
It didn’t take long before spotting a Willie Nelson T-shirt—out on the street walking up to the Fonda–middle aged lady, tanned, a bit of an ex-hippie vibe to her. (Later on, having made her way toward to the front of the crowd, she’ll get a little tap from security to ease up on her dance moves that are clearing out people around her– a kind of hunched over bobbing thing with a lot of arms. There’s a lot of dancing on the floor tonight, various styles, various levels of ability and sobriety.)
You might (or I might at least) have feared more of this sort of thing–Willie Nelson fans coming out in droves for his kid’s band, Lukas Nelson and The Promise of the Real, out of allegiance to the elder. Or perhaps Neil Young fans just turning out given the Promise of the Real’s gig as his backing band. Turns out this all this is just in my head. There’s no need for worry about the whole escaping the shadow of legends tonight, it’s Lukas Nelson and POTR’s night through and through.
The crowd, perhaps a little older skewing, is more Stagecoach than Coachella–or split the difference and call it an Arroyo Seco crowd—the festival which they played this past June. There’s a festive, upbeat energy in the room all night. Lots of denim and boots and the odd cowboy hat; being LA, a little dress up isn’t unexpected. There are promising pockets of youngins and alt FYF types here and there for a taste of the real, which is heartening.