FYF Fest 2016 By The Minute

FYF Fest
Exposition Park

Saturday, August 27

3:02 p.m. Due to a slight train delay, it took almost two hours to get here from Long Beach. Still faster than getting in or out of the Day N Night parking lot. (Josh Chesler)

3:18 Just saw a girl get separated from her friends in the stampede of people leading up to the entrance. It was like the scene in Lion King when Mufasa died. (JC)

3:49 Is Urban Outfitters the official sponsor of FYF or is everyone here just a walking billboard for them? (JC)

4:35 So far, despite some modifications to the festival’s sprawling layout this year (the Club stage replacing the indoor Expo Center and more food vendors spread throughout), looks like the true meaning of FYF nowadays is Fuck Your Feet. (Nate Jackson)

4:42 There are designated drinking areas, and you’re not allowed to walk around with booze outside of them. That seems like it’ll go well for at least an hour. (JC)

5:14 Shoutout to the Yakisoba noodle place. That was the best $10 festival meal I’ve had in as long as I can remember. (JC)

5:42 Vince Staples is showing signs of festival fatigue early on despite having a massive crowd turn out for his sweltering (way too early) mid-day set. Seriously though, this guy needs a break from the festival circuit for a while, his once-vibrant energy is way too low. Maybe he’s just too hot up there. Take that sweater off, bruh! (NJ)

5:55 Staples asks the crowd to put two fingers in the air as a memorial: “This one goes out to all the men and women of the police departments around the country,” he deadpans. “You guys are doing a stellar job.” The ominous bass bumps and sirens wail as he jumps into “Hands Up.” Gangsta rappers may have guns, but Staples’ sarcasm is his weapon of choice. (NJ)

6:21 Just saw the first racist headdress of the day. We must be at a festival now. (JC)

6:40 Watching Shellac while sipping a margarita at the Don Julio trailer in the beer garden near the Trees Stage. It’s like I’m chilling on the white sands of Cabo with Steve Albini screaming in my face. (NJ)

7:15 In addition to losing his mind on stage, Albini just apologized to the audience for KROQ, and Rodney Bingenheimer.  (NJ)

7:16 Grimes is like if you listened to an anime soundtrack while on acid. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s not for the faint of heart. (JC)

8:00 If I'm walking while I eat this greasy, brisket-filled grilled cheese sandwich that I bought near the press tent, I'm working the calories off while I chew. So it’s like I didn't even eat it…festival food logic. (NJ)

8:09 The official mascot of FYF should be a girl with her makeup smeared all over her face sitting on a curb while eating a giant slice of pizza. (JC)

8:20 Ty Segall is lighting the Trees Stage on fire like an arsonist in his white suit. Even his guitar player burnt out his own amp mid set which briefly paused the show. I don’t feel like I’m overstating when I say this South OC native has just combined Iggy Pop’s energy with David Bowie’s wardrobe. (NJ)

9:19 The crowd gathered by the left side of the stage are spilling out into the pathway for vendors. People start jumping the barricades into the VIP section in an effort to get closer to the stage, security guards don't notice a thing. (Denise De La Cruz)

9:25 As Tame Impala dive into the song “The Moment,” in the back of the crowd everyone is dancing like extras in Saturday Night Fever. Two girls in the back grab each other and start rubbing up against each other. They are not being very tame right now. (NJ)

9:33 Tame Impala's transition from “Elephant” to “The Less I Know the Better” just made my soul cry.  (DDLC)

9:40 With a head full of multi-colored hair ties dressed in white, Kelela is a breath of fresh R&B air at the Trees Stage. In the middle of her set, she tells us she's moving from LA back to her native DC. “But this is the best send off I could ask for,” she says. Please Kelela, you have so many new LA fans who just learned to say your name properly (me)…Don't go!!! (NJ)

10:10 Lady Gaga just hugged the dude from Tame Impala and got a bigger applause than Tame Impala has ever gotten for doing anything. (JC)

10:18 I’m holding my spot in the crowd for an hour to see Kendrick because I didn’t just stand through Tame Impala for nothing. (JC)

10:52 Couldn’t FYF just move everything like two hours earlier and have everything end by midnight? If Kendrick goes until his scheduled end time, there’s a very real possibility of people missing their last train home for the night (after FYF encouraged everyone to take the train). (JC)

11:21 With Kendrick due to come on stage at any moment, people are trying to push their way to the front of the VIP section while security attempts to kick out anyone who doesn’t have a wristband. It’s become a cat and mouse game, but there’s no longer room for anyone to move comfortably. (JC)

11:36 Though FYF will never have the pleasure of seeing Prince perform live (Rest in Purple), whoever came up with the decision to use one of his old, taped interviews with Japanese subtitles as a backdrop during Kendrick’s song “Swimming Pools” deserves a raise. (NJ)

11:45 Kendrick proves yet again why he's the best rapper in the game right now as he performs the incredibly fast-paced “For Free?” without missing a single rhyme or breath. (DDLC)

11:54 There's no doubt that we’re watching one of Kendrick's most legendary performances. He’s still on the rise while Kanye, Em, and Jay Z are all on the back nine. (JC)

12:00 Don't crucify me for saying this but I'd prefer to hear Kendrick's set through a DJ rather than this live band he's got on stage right now. The band's sound kind of waters down the production of his more beat-centric songs in my opinion. (DDLC)


12:15 Oh my gatos, is the crowd around me really dispersing early during Kendrick Lamar's set? Yup. (DDLC)

12:45 a.m. Nobody who saw it is ever going to forget that Kendrick show. He’s the anti-Drake in all of the best ways possible. He doesn’t have to say much or bring out huge stars because everything he does on stage is just raw artistic perfection. He may never outsell Drake or make headlines like Kanye, but I’ve seen both of them multiple times and Kendrick just put on a far more powerful show than either. (JC)

1:16 I was skeptical of the whole train situation, but there are Metro officials keeping it remarkably well organized. Looks like the only people who should miss their trains are the ones who stayed for Moby or a nonexistent second encore from Kendrick. (JC)


Sunday, August 28

2:31 p.m. I’m still not sure why there’s a second day to FYF after Kendrick shut it down last night. It’s not going to get better than that. (JC)

2:57 Can every major festival be right next to some convenient public transit? This Metro thing is great. (JC)

4:11 A lot of dudes wearing glitter today and a lot of gay pride attire going on, although I don’t think those two things are necessarily related. (JC)

4:47 Next year, I’m coming prepared with a Bingo card of LA stereotypes. They’re all here in full force. (JC)

5:19 More festivals need an arts and crafts station. (JC)

5:20 Walking in for Day 2 as one of the greeters with a megaphone yells Day 2 woohoo! In my ear. Thanks for that extra dose of festival spirit. My feet are screaming too, but not in such a positive fashion. (NJ)

5:37 I don’t think I’ve ever said this before at a festival, but FYF actually has some really good mixed drinks. The beer selection is alright, but the cocktails are solid. (JC)

5:44 It looks like just about every person in the crowd at Saves the Day went to Warped Tour in the early 2000s. (JC)

5:58 Every 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 something walking around this fest with the I'm-too-old-for-this-shit blues just needs to take a look at Charles Bradley right now. At 67 years old, the Screaming Eagle of Soul made his entrance to the Lawn Stage like a boss, dressed in black with sparkling gold trim unleashing buckets of love and pain to a sunset crowd.  We even saw punk legend (and recently published author) Keith Morris walking briskly to get to the front of the audience. (NJ)

6:05 The entire crowd just sang the chorus of “Freakish” back to Saves the Day and sounded damn good doing it. (JC)

6:48 Halfway through the second day and I’m still having trouble finding every stage. I can hear Charles Bradley, but I cannot see Charles Bradley. (JC)

7:01 I’ve seen Father John Misty a few times over the course of the last year. A few more and I’ll finally be able to figure out what he’s saying. I guess I don’t speak Hipster well enough. (JC)

7:14 There’s a couple making out HARD near the ATMs at the Club stage as FKA Spooky Black’s moody R&B rumbles like distant thunder in the background. Seriously, they look like they're about to tear each other's skinny jeans off. (NJ)

8:15 I am fully tripping out on this Anohni set right now. One of the simplest, yet most beautiful ideas for a show. The singer—formerly known as Antony Hegarty—stands on stage post-sex change totally covered in a black cloak while a different videos of women mouthing the singer's words are projected behind her. Stunning! (NJ)

8:14 The entire hipster population of Los Angeles has gone from the main stage for Father John Misty to the Trees stage for Mac Demarco. (JC)

8:26 Saw a dude in a Saves the Day shirt passed out during Saves the Day’s set, and just saw the same dude telling his friends how awesome the set was. It must’ve looked good from the inside of your eyelids, bruh. (JC)


8:31 Girl 1: “Do you wanna go see Grace Jones?” Girl 2: “Who?” Girl 1: “Grace Jones?” I only wish she’d asked “Who?” again. (JC)

8:44 Mac Demarco is currently introducing a whole new generation of hipster kids to Steely Dan. He should’ve done this before they played Coachella. (JC)

8:52 Honest question: Do you tip at food trucks at festivals? I do, but I feel like I never see anyone else do it.

9:01 Best use of body paint at FYF goes to Grace Jones. Hands down. (NJ)

9:06 The line to get into the beer garden at the Trees stage is currently longer than any other line I’ve seen all weekend. It looks like only allowing booze in certain spaces is causing some unexpected crowding. (JC)

9:14 The Middle Feast may be both the tastiest and best named food truck here. (JC)

9:27 A lot of people were really excited for Grace Jones but still have no idea who Grace Jones is. (JC)

9:40 Grace Jones just took her role as a sex symbol to a very interesting (and literal) level when she breaks out a pair of cymbals during “Warm Leatherette,” one of the many constant reminders to the confused millennials in the audience that this woman can do whatever the fuck she wants. (NJ)

9:48 Grace Jones is putting on one of the most interesting sets of the night, and hundreds of kids are running to see Young Thug instead. (JC)

10:15 LCD Soundsystem isn’t my thing and Rae Sremmurd isn’t worth staying another two hours for, so beating the crowd to the train station seems like the move. (JC)

12:04 a.m. In a particularly interesting display of parenting, a mom is busy trying to tuck her kids into a makeshift bed made out of a wagon in the crowd during the height of LCD Sound System’s set. At this point in the festival, I pity and envy these kids at the same time. (NJ)

12:35 Watching a few friends discover LCD for the first time after they decided to stick around for the end of the festival as the disco ball on stage sparkles and and epileptic light show turns the remainder of FYF into an open air disco. To answer James Murphy’s question “Where Are Your Friends Tonight?” they’re right here, and they’re having a blast. (NJ)

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