Kevin Bronson on July 20th, 2013

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By Joseph Giuliano

Boasting a new location – Lake Skinner Park near Temecula – but its same emphasis on community, connectivity, art and music, the Lightning in a Bottle Festival again proved a novel experience last weekend.

Each uniquely designed stage had a particular theme: The Lightning Stage has tall LED pillars that lit up their surroundings in tune with the music; the Bamboo Stage offerd a giant throne of bamboo jutting out in all directions; and the Woogie Stage evolved this year into a literal tree house rising above the crowd.

• ||| Photos by Zimo Huang

Unlike other music fests that tend to serve as a temporary escape from reality, LIB seeks to build a better reality that you carry with you even after the festival is over. With multi-genre and eclectic music, worldly guest speakers, educational workshops, yoga sessions, and a campground completely built around psychedelic and interactive art, LIB certainly proved unlike any other festival out there.

Music highlights:

A compelling juxtaposition was the neon futuristic hip-hop/electro mash-up of the Polish Ambassador rocking the almost medieval feel of the Bamboo Stage. Adorned in his normal blue and yellow jumpsuit and glasses combo, he set the stage for the rest of the weekend, igniting the ground beneath thousands of dancing feet.

Purity Ring was also a refreshing reminder that indie music had its place amongst a predominantly EDM lineup. Their set at the Lightning Stage looked like something taken from Alice in Wonderland, with Megan James’ angelic voice emanating from deep within it.

The Earth Harp: The largest string instrument on the planet is something that needs to be experienced in person to truly understand the magnitude of the instrument. I watched the crowd brought to tears as William Close and his “band” mates played this oddity, intricately coaxing beautiful sounds out of an unbelievable invention. We stood stunned, mid-day, reminded that there are still unique experiences to be had.

The ambient electro of Tycho was even better than the last time I saw him; this time Scott Hansen was accompanied by a full band. In a live setting, there is just something extraordinary about seeing all of the parts played out on stage. Tycho’s current configuration is proof that this model is something that should be adopted by far more EDM acts.

The last night was particularly memorable, standing under the glowing trees at the Bamboo Stage while Phutureprimitive’s face-melting glitch-hop put the crowd into a trance that, for me, still hasn’t subsided days after the fest has ended.

Festival highlights:

New Location at Lake Skinner in Temecula: The campground was stunningly beautiful, far more walkable than previous years, and perfectly suited for the massive art pieces, interactive exhibits, and live painting nestled in between the trees and throughout the grounds.

The art: You are literally walking within a living, breathing community art project. The Do Lab’s installations never disappoint; vendors sell a vast array of exotic clothing, accessories and art pieces; and the people themselves freely dress up for the event. Even the lineup manages to fit in multiple performance art troupes, belly dancers and exotic performers. Highlights were the acrobatics and theatrics of Lucent Dossier Experience and Quixotic.

The Woogie Stage: While the Lightning Stage and Bamboo Stage are works of art in their own right, the Woogie Stage has always been a personal favorite. Smaller crowds, more underground artists and chiller vibes. This year’s Woogie Stage was literally a tree fort, the DJ looking down over the crowd like a child-king. The addition of a constant spray of water into the crowd made the hot daytime dance parties in front of the tree fort all the more necessary. Thugfucker on Saturday and Tim Green and Lee Burridge on Sunday were definitely Woogie favorites.

The Community: From the impressive guest speakers like Alex Grey [pictured below] and Daniel Pinchbeck to the eclectic lineup, from the active participants to the casual spectators … every one is a part of the community. The communal vibe isn’t just an ideal, it’s truly felt.