BeachLife is more than just a music festival

Every May it happens.

The Redondo Beach waterfront fills up, the music kicks in, and at some point you look around and realize you're surrounded by people you know. Familiar faces. People you haven't seen since last summer.

BeachLife is a music festival. One of the best on the West Coast. Headliners, four stages, and a crowd that actually wants to be there. But if you've been before you know there's more to it than that. You come for the music and you end up vibing with strangers who love the same artist. You explore, you eat, you wander between sets and somehow the whole day just flows.

That's what makes BeachLife different. Great music and the South Bay together at the same time. Year after year. And this year was no different.

Friday eased in and went all night

Doors opened at 2pm. BØRNS kicked things off on LoTide Cove. Dreamy, warm, that hazy afternoon energy that makes you forget you just came from work. The perfect band to start a weekend like this.

Fun fact: BØRNS was the background music on one of my first Instagram videos. If you want to see what I'm talking about, here's the link. [link]

Fitz and the Tantrums followed on HighTide and got things moving. A polished, high energy set that warmed the crowd up perfectly heading into the evening.

Triple Bueno hit the Speakeasy stage Friday afternoon and honestly one of the best sets of the weekend. Kat Hall (@kat_hall_music) joined them and it was one of those collaborations that just clicks. These guys are local (@triplebueno) they just dropped a new single called "The Only Way" and they held that crowd. Go check them out.

Flipturn took the LoTide stage with good indie rock energy, exactly the right band for that point in the day. Then Grouplove rolled into HighTide. These guys have a catalog that just works at a festival. The crowd was jumping from the start, singing along to every song, and when Tongue Tied hit it was one of those moments where everyone around you just loses it at the same time.

Let's talk about The Chainsmokers for a second. The whole night came alive when they came on at LoTide. These guys know how to put on a show. People dancing, everyone vibing, and every time they dropped the beat the crowd went with it. You couldn't help it. The music hits your body and you move. Thousands of people locked in together. Pure energy.

Duran Duran closed out Friday on HighTide and that crowd was not going anywhere. Hit after hit, Hungry Like the Wolf had everyone singing, and they kept it going from start to finish. The legends showed up and reminded you why.

Saturday was a full day and nobody complained about it

Day two. Feet already a little sore from Friday but nobody was staying home. That's just BeachLife.

Sugar Ray opened things up and you couldn't ask for a better Saturday afternoon band. Classic songs, good vibes, sunshine on the water. They just fit.

Switchfoot was something else. Jon Foreman jumped off the stage and walked straight into the crowd, mic in the air, hands reaching for him from every direction. The whole place sang every word. They closed with Meant to Live and the crowd carried it. You don't always get that kind of connection at a festival.

Joan Jett took LoTide to a packed house. She ran through the classics and the crowd gave it right back to her the whole time. That catalog doesn't miss.

Slightly Stoopid took the HighTide stage next. Good vibes, reggae rock as the sun went down. Halfway through the set, Jim Lindberg walked out. Pennywise frontman. BeachLife co-founder. The guy who built this thing. They ripped into a Pennywise cover and the place went off. Punk rock in the middle of a beach festival. That's BeachLife.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals followed. Soulful, dialed in, exactly the kind of set you want as Saturday night settles in. Good music, good people around you.

The Offspring closed it out. Set of the day. From the first song the crowd was gone. Crowd surfing, packed in shoulder to shoulder, hit after hit after hit. Loud, fast, locked in from start to finish. Long day in the best way.

Sunday felt like the exhale

A little slower. Families out. Kids on shoulders. People soaking up the last day before the weekend was over.

The Spinouts took the Speakeasy stage and the place was packed. If you've ever been inside the Speakeasy tent you know how it feels when a band is really on. Intimate, loud, nowhere to go but in.

Buena Vista Orchestra opened the afternoon and set the tone for what Sunday at BeachLife feels like. Easy, smooth, the right energy for a last day.

Peach Pit followed with their indie rock sound. Catchy, laid back, exactly what you want on a Sunday by the water.

Poolside took HighTide and the whole place leaned into it. The kind of music that just makes you feel good no matter what. Chill, sunny, the crowd locked in from start to finish.

Sheryl Crow reminded everyone why she's still headlining festivals. You forget sometimes how many hits this woman has. All I Wanna Do, My Favorite Mistake, If It Makes You Happy. The crowd sang every word. She still has it.

My Morning Jacket on LoTide was something else. The kind of set that starts slow and builds until it just takes over. By the end the crowd was completely in it. One of the most talked about performances of the weekend.

Winyah closed the Riptide stage under string lights. A quieter corner of the festival but worth finding if you wandered over. Good music, good people, a nice way to wind down before James Taylor closed everything out.

James Taylor brought it home with his All-Star Band. The man knows how to own a Sunday night. He worked through his catalog, shared some personal stories between songs, and made a crowd of thousands feel like they were sitting in someone's living room. Warm, classic, and the perfect way to end the weekend.

The stuff between the sets

This is the part that doesn't show up on the highlight reel but it's half the reason people keep coming back.

You run into people you haven't seen in a while. You reconnect over a drink, catch up between sets, and realize that everyone around you is basically your neighbor. Familiar faces, people from the community, someone you met at a barbecue two summers ago. That's just how BeachLife is.

You explore. There's always something happening around the next corner. The Skechers Bungalow had its own scene going on with people up on the rooftop soaking it all in. The California Surf Club was a nice break from the sun if you had VIP access. Worth it.

If you were between sets there was plenty to keep you busy. STōK Cold Brew Coffee was handing out free samples. Waterloo was sampling. DAOU Wine was pouring. Dakine Luggage, Aboard RV, and Bart Bridge Clothing were all out there. Oh, and John Stamos was just hanging around like a regular person. That's BeachLife.

Food wise the vendors came correct. Chicken wraps, BBQ, Habit Burger, and an Asian spot running noodle bulgogi bowls that were genuinely one of the better things eaten all weekend. LoZio Osteria, a local Redondo Beach favorite, was also there serving up fresh brick oven pizza. If you know LoZio you already know.

Surfrider Foundation and the South Bay Parkland Conservancy both had booths on the grounds. If you're a local and you don't know what they're doing for the community, worth looking into. Surfrider does beach cleanups, water quality testing, and ocean protection right here in the South Bay. The Parkland Conservancy is restoring native habitats, planting trees, and protecting open space all around us. Good people doing good work. Check them out.

Still the South Bay's best weekend

Three days. Four stages. Thousands of people. And somehow it still feels like a neighborhood event.

That's the thing about BeachLife. You show up for the music and you leave having reconnected with people you forgot you missed, discovered a band you didn't know you needed, and eaten something unexpectedly good between sets. Every year it delivers and every year people come back.

If you were there last weekend you already know what I'm talking about. If you weren't, this is your sign. Next year, don't miss it.

Catch you on the strand,
Jaime
@MySouthBay

P.S. Special shoutout to Nick Shattuck (@alittlewarmlight) for the amazing photos throughout this piece. Nick is also a South Bay local and musician. One of our favorite songs is “The Tide”. Go check out his music if you haven't already.