The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Portola Festival in San Francisco

in Billboard interviewThe event’s chief organizer, Danny Bell, stated that he wanted this to feel more adult than other electronic music festivals – a “challenging shift from Neon Candy Rover style” to events like the Electric Daisy Carnival. They have succeeded at this level – despite my 38 years of age, I honestly felt in the target audience here. As a DJ and Electronic Music Producer, connecting line It’s been more exciting than any San Francisco festival since I arrived in town in 2019.

There were bucket list bands like Avalanches, an Australian duo that reunited and released the base album “Since I Left You” in 2000 before disappearing for 16 years. I’ve listened to Caribou’s album “Our Love” dozens and dozens of times. I’m such a big fan of German DJ Danilo Plessow (Motor City Drum Ensemble) that it took me 15 minutes to gain the courage to say hi when I saw him in El Rio in March. And pop stars like Charli XCX and rising leaders like Fred Again were very famous people who jumped over fences to see them (I didn’t make it to the stage, but did hear a remix of Frank Ocean’s “Chanel” reverberate through warehouse walls at one point).

That doesn’t even mention old works like Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers, which were must-sees based on historical significance alone. But was this festival worth the $200?

DJ Superstar, here we go!

Kelly Lee Owens played an amazing role in the warehouse, proving that drum machines really do have a soul and that in the right hands, even the most mechanical synthesizers can become emotional weapons. DJ Shadow, a 50-year-old Davis legend who is a hometown hero by association, reminded me that scratching can still be cool. Toro y Moi, another Bay Area favourite, proved worthy of a leading position with an infectious but understated major stage performance. And the cool visuals of Chemical Brothers of robots cruising over the purple polygons was a strong end to the weekend.

Goldenvoice has yet to release attendance numbers, but places were packed. Other festival organizers who move DJs to side theaters and are shy about booking any electronics with line sizes smaller than Kygo should take note. There is a huge audience for this music, and if you book it they will come.

Raw cuts

While the music fulfilled its promise, what was lacking was the festival.

Pier 80 must have been a great venue for a music festival. The seemingly endless expanse of concrete was a blank canvas, and compared to Golden Gate Park’s many challenges (muddy walkways, uneven ground, acres of ocean for the police) this should have been a picnic. It seems like more of a softball when you consider that it took six years to plan and was brought up by the organizers of Coachella.

Yes, this is a first-year festival, but it’s not Goldenvoice’s first rodeo. Despite the resources, Portola gave me memories of the DIY parking shows that I helped organize decades ago. Aside from some blue artificial turf, nothing was done in the space. The background could be a playground for site-specific facilities, with projections illuminating the side of a giant tanker ship and high-altitude cranes. Regardless of the file ABBA themed bar, It was like the team in charge of decorating the place called the sick.

The signs were all generic, giving vibes (I got a nice chuckle from a full-hat red flag that read “NATURAL WINE”). Apart from a few picnic benches, there was almost nowhere to sit. No matter what you think about the bands in outside the territoryIt’s magical to wander around Golden Gate Park as the sun sets and the urban forest lights up with purple lights. There was no magic in Portola other than music.

The lack of attention to detail also applies to hiring. Security was incredibly lenient. I entered the festival without anyone looking at my bag, and walked into the VIP area without credentials (they might have noticed the long glow in front of me. Golden Gate Club Card worth $2000). The staff guarding the warehouse stage was overwhelmed and fans climbed the fences to enter a seemingly empty space. The bottleneck at the entrance meant I didn’t bother trying to see Jamie XX.

Toro y Moi and Ross From Friends perform at the Portola Festival. Credit: Charles Russo and Adam Pardy / SFGATE

Thanks to the organizers, free water bottles were distributed to fans in the front rows. But the unbalanced ratio of alcohol to food vendors has resulted in round-the-clock queues for a slice of pizza, making the situation really dangerous (and causing people to miss out on dinner headlines).

There was also no cell phone service, and the Spartan media tent was removed so far from any point where recording stories during the festival was nearly impossible. This basically caused the event to be clouded in both traditional and social media, so noise complaints and Twitter video is misleading and spreads quickly to the masses The jump over the fence came to define the story of the entire festival.

noisy places

As someone who was there for the music instead of pattern (Despite yelling for too many hats), I was surprised at how bothered I was by the lackluster infrastructure. This was supposed to be a festival for me: the middle-aged electronic music lover who still had the guts of brave crowds to watch mid-afternoon shows like Ross From Friends (who played guitar solo on “Talk To Me You Understand” was a real moment) .

Despite all the attention that was given to the bookings, I got the feeling that the organizers didn’t care at all what the attendees felt when they walked away from the stages. When it comes to value, it begs the question of why ticket prices are higher than Outside Lands ($200 vs. $175). Outside Lands majors like Disclosure likely paid twice as much as someone like Bicep, whose immersive live show had an excellent conclusion on Saturday night. So where exactly does that money go if not in the pockets of the massive booking conglomerate?

For an electronic music lover like me, it felt like a once in a lifetime experience and it’s rarely seen outside of Europe or Detroit. Given that Portola has been silent about next year’s sequel, it might be a good one for one, but with all my fists, I’m hoping to be back next year. I’ll be there for the music – I just want more of the experience.