Kevin Bronson on July 20th, 2017

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Oh, this lineup. Do we have this straight? Nine Inch Nails, Iggy Pop, Björk, Missy Elliot, Erykah Badu, Anderson .Paak, Nicolas Jaar, A Tribe Called Quest, Run the Jewels and Flying Lotus — all playing FYF Fest this weekend? Be still our 808 hearts. That’s just from the first two lines of the flyer.

The bigger (three days for the first time), broader (more even than in recent years) and bolder FYF starts Friday, and having witnessed the ups and downs of the festival over the years, we have these burning questions:

1) Whither Frank Ocean? The poor guy looks so distraught on the cover of “Blond.” But it’s hard being famous and famously reclusive while making albums that despite their opacity are regarded as grand statements. Ocean hasn’t performed in the U.S. since 2014 and notoriously canceled his appearance at FYF 2015 at the 11th hour. But will the Vogue photographer actually appear in the picture for his Saturday night headlining set? According to a trusted source, it’s all anyone is talking about.

2) Are we ready for Flying Lotus’ Kraftwerk moment? Steven Ellison debuts his hotly anticipated 3D show on Friday night. We like the glasses. Will the show have anything to do with his gnarly movie “Kuso?” We’d like to think not.

3) What does freedom taste like? And will anybody care that FYF vendor GT’s Kombucha has a special limited-edition flavor called “Liberty” that benefits the ACLU?

4) Will anybody care that Blonde Redhead and Built to Spill are doing “full album” sets? Fourteen years in, FYF audiences care deeply about artists like Solange and Perfume Genius. It’s hard to imagine that music getting a sniff back in the slap-a-Xeroxed-flyer-on-a-telephone-pole-in-Echo-Park days. In 2017, there’s still decent fare for rockist appetites, with NIN and Iggy Pop and Slowdive’s return to FYF, this time behind a new album.  But few delicacies on the menu look tastier than the (attention span-testing) sets by Built to Spill and Blonde Redhead. The former (who replaced Grandaddy on the lineup after the Modesto band’s bassist Kevin Garcia died) will play 1999’s “Keep It Like a Secret” in its entirety. The latter will perform 2000’s “A Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons” at 8:35 Sunday. Bring your bottle of Kombucha.

5) Will the crowds be as difficult to negotiate as they were at Coachella? There are precious few agonizing conflicts in the FYF Fest set times, with the staggered starts on the festival’s two biggest stages. It was that way this year at Coachella, too — which was good and bad. Yes, fans didn’t miss any of the big stuff. However, the conclusion of the big sets made for a mass migration (at times, a stampede) between the major stages. A modest proposal: Migrate politely. 

6) Will virtually being there be like being there? Couldn’t afford a ticket? For six hours (6 p.m. to midnight) on Saturday and Sunday, FYF will be live-streamed at this Twitter address. The promo says that besides performances, FYF Fest Live will feature “interviews, mini documentaries, fun animations, in-the-crowd interactions shot with a few different hosts and more … with the goal of creating a ‘day-in-the-life of FYF’ feel.” “A Day in the Life” is our favorite song ever. If you’re watching, let us know how it goes.

7) Who will choose Anderson .Paak over Slowdive on Friday night, and vice versa? And which fashion publication will have the in-depth analysis based demographic and dress?

8) Are there any reasons to show up early? Of course. First, it gives ample time to explore The Woods and Outer Space stages. Or stop by Fingerprints record store and get an autograph or two. Or stop by Stories bookstore (which promises “live heckling by Keith Morris and Pete Weiss”). On Saturday, Seun Kuti, scion of the legendary Fela Kuti, leads his late father’s band Egypt 80 for a 3:30 p.m. set. And local luminaries Cherry Glazerr and Chicano Batman play pre-5 p.m. sets on Sunday. Oh, and see 10).

9) Why are we seeing Mac DeMarco again? Because every generation needs its Jimmy Buffet.

10) And will our wildest of wild cards be typically wild? Sixty-six-year-old Jonathan Richman, bless him. And we mean that with all our modern love. He’s playing at 3:30 Saturday.

||| Also: See our FYF 2017 playlist.

||| Also: See the set times here. And the FYF map, below. (Note: Single-day passes for Friday and Sunday are still available; everything else is sold out.)