Joe Giuliano on June 10th, 2016

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Lightning in a Bottle no longer exists in the shadows. Returning for a third year to the San Antonio Recreation Area near Bradley, about a hour north of San Luis Obispo, the Memorial Day Weekend festival reached a sold-out crowd of 20,000 far in advance. And while Coachella’s enlightened little brother stands out as one of the most important major SoCal festivals, it now bears the cross of its ambitious growth and all that comes with it.

Even though the main stages approached what sometimes felt like fire code violation-sized crowds, the beloved Woogie stage and the up-and-coming Favela Bar provided reprieve from the madness and the best DJs you might not yet know about.

The most noteworthy aspect of this year’s LiB was arguably the addition of another day on the front side of the festival with (almost) no music programming. The ability to move in, set up and get acclimated an entire day early cannot be underestimated. The small charge for an entire extra day was worth it to be given free range to the enormous camping grounds. Bonus points for those with the foresight to bring bikes. Once set up, early attendees were granted access to the opening ceremony, an “Action Day” by David Sugalski, aka The Polish Ambassador — a green initiative seminar and demonstration successfully spawned from one of his own tours, chakra balancing, an evening of much-needed live music at the Grand Artique, and, questionably, a late-night cuddle puddle.

While smaller transformative festivals have been springing up left and right, each offering their unique take on the concept, Lightning in a Bottle has shown no interest in slowing down its exponential growth. After only three short years, they’ve more than grown into their current location in Bradley. Although long-timers can’t help but fear that the spark that originally ignited the “lightning” in the bottle is being diluted by major festival ravers and newbies fresh on the scene, the hope that everyone can benefit from this transformation still exists. Many of the freshmen of last year’s festival were clearly the preachers this time around, attempting to teach their first-time friends the ropes on how to consciously fest correctly. Let’s hope that next year these sophomores can help reduce the insane trash pile left over this year — it was worthy of the film “Idiocracy.” “Pack it in, pack it out” clearly hasn’t been adopted by these beginners.

The festival’s astronomical growth has also made the shower situation untenable. Years ago at the Silverado location, the showers tucked just behind the Woogie Stage dancefloor easily accommodated the number of attendees. At times they even transformed into a naked dance party, with no real distinction between the dancers and the bathers. While this bacchanal scenario is not to be expected with 20,000 festival-goers, it was still better than the two to three-hour wait at the few shower locations in Bradley. The Do LaB seriously needs to consider constructing more showers for next year. Even better would be to outsource the work to eager vendors like the one who gave attendees a great experience at Boogaloo Mountain Jam last month.

[Narrative continues after this action-packed photo gallery by Robin Russell]

Yes, Lightning in a Bottle included a Soap Box Derby (Photo by Robin Russell)

One thing that LIB does better than any other festival (outside of Burning Man) is the combination of art installations and immersive environments. From sunsets atop Meditation Lookout to the giant telescope at the Black Rock Observatory, from comedy and improv at the Jive Joint to burlesque and cabaret at Amori’s, from the First Annual Do LaB Soap Box Derby Invitational to a Rube Goldberg Machine-esque Bowling Alley in a ravine, it’s impossible to not be blown away by all that LIB has to offer the eyes. Much like Burning Man, the only real concern is not being able to see everything. Two favorite art installations this year were “Anthropocene” by Marcus Eriksen — a kinetic piece adorned with three working bicycles that powered the lights and water within it — and the twisted driftwood sculptures by Hoodie Salinas.

On the stage front, the once-worshiped Woogie tree house was surprisingly absent this year. In its place was a neon pipe maze straight out of Legoland. Although the Woogie stage has changed a few times over the years, it’s surprising that the Do LaB would get rid of a stage so iconic that it inspired its own spinoff festival. However, a stacked lineup at the Woogie — including the likes of andhim, Justin Jay, Magda, Josh Wink, Lee Burridge, Four Tet, and Guy Gerber, to name a few — made it possible to forgive the change. That, together with more diverse programming at the Thunder Stage, made for a well-rounded weekend musically, a pleasant surprise after last year’s disappointing experience at the Thunder Stage.

It’s important to note that in the absence of the Woogie tree house, the Favela Bar may have solidified its roots as the new place to be. Dancing at the Favela felt like what it was like at the Woogie a few years ago — like you had stumbled upon something not many other people yet knew about.

Lightning in a Bottle 2016 (Photo by Jacob Avanzato)

Music highlights included:

Loboman at the Favela Bar on Thursday: You would never know that it was technically the day before the festival while at Loboman’s set on Thursday. The feel-good set dedicated to Nickolas Alvarado, aka Pumpkin, had everyone’s spirits high, celebrating his life instead of mourning his tragic passing a couple months ago.

Jamie Schwabl at Woogie on Friday: The Wülfpack priestess ignored the fact that the festival wasn’t prepared and soundtracked a solid half hour of good samaritans raking wood chips to prep the dance floor for what proved to be the siren’s call for Friday’s festivities. I watched as workers became dancers and an entire empty wood-chip pile was stomped to the ground as a gift to the following three days of bliss. Props to these festie philanthropists and props to Schwabl for the tunes to draw a crowd. If anyone has the gift of draw, it’s Schwabl.

Enzo Muro at the Favela Bar on Friday: For those familiar with Electronic Groove, Enzo Muro is no stranger to the scene. Nothing was more “Favela” this weekend than Enzo’s evening set, his deep-house-at-dusk sounds hypnotizing a crowd already on a high from nonstop grooves. For those new to Enzo, be sure to check out his L.A. Underground Radio Show.

Anton Tumas at the Favela Bar on Saturday for “Sunset Spanking”: Well-known for his Subtract on the Pier parties, Anton Tumas is a master curator of top-notch talent. His constant exposure to the best DJs and producers around shows in his track selection as well. Just put Tumas in a room with people and a party will instantly erupt. He was one of the only artists we gladly followed all the way across the massive grounds for one of the festival’s fabled renegade afterparties.

Sabo & Goldcap at Woogie on Sunday: Talk about being taken on a journey. The set began with the feel of some sacred Middle Eastern tea ceremony, and ended with ominous religious organ music. If sounds can incite emotions, Sabo and Goldcap know exactly what they’re doing. These guys are like the Wayne Coyne of the electronic world, making you feel simply for the sake of feeling.

HÄANA at the Thunder stage on Sunday: Perhaps the most Buzz Bands-worthy artist I saw at this year’s LiB, was the live-mixing, singing, and violin-playing wonder. The melodic and sometimes haunting Nordic sounds and improvisations of HÄANA were tucked neatly between Sabo & Goldcap and David Starfire. A particular favorite was when she seamlessly blended her own production into one by Massive Attack, a clear influence of hers. True devotees were also given the opportunity to see her again in more collaborative form, playing later with Desert Dwellers and Dimond Saints on the same stage.

Four Tet followed by Guy Gerber at Woogie on Sunday: No two sets better displayed the lighting techs’ expertise at the Woogie than Four Tet and Guy Gerber. The lights from above, behind, and within the psychedelic pipe maze of the new stage played perfectly with these guys’ well-conceived sets. Maybe I was already too deep into the madness, but I never even noticed the transition from one artist to the other. It wasn’t until the music stopped and the crowd applauded Guy Gerber that I was released from my trance.

For those already jonesing for the next Do LaB production, Lightning in a Bottle’s beloved sister festival, Woogie Weekend, returns to Oak Canyon Park in Silverado for the second year in a row next month, July 8-10.