Desert Daze X: A Festival For Fans

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

TENTH ANNIVERSARY SHOWCASED TAME IMPALA, BEACH HOUSE, AND KING GIZZARD

I was in a line of cars waiting to get inside Lake Perris to witness Tame Impala, one of my favorite bands, perform. After almost an hour of no movement, a security guard came up to the car and said to turn around; the event was now canceled. Lightning began to burst, illuminating the darkness that engulfed the state park. Legend has it the band only got three songs into their set before pulling the plug. This was 2018: the last time Tame Impala headlined. In 2022, the band made up for that performance by playing critical and commercial hit Lonerism in its entirety; arguably the biggest draw to the festival. “I’ve thought about that day once a week since then,” shared Kevin Parker before delivering a magical performance for true fans. And that’s when I solidified my thought: Desert Daze is for the people.

The three day event was my first actual experience at the closest thing to Woodstock (not the Limp Bizkit kind) so I was extremely excited. I brought my friend Luis on this journey with me, and we both had interesting experiences right off the bat. Friday afternoon, we took a Lyft to where Will Call was set up for the event. After getting my media wristbands, we figured we could walk into the festival from there, but that was incorrect as the festival grounds were actually 1.5 miles away. This already stumped our plans, but luckily we met a rep for so many big artists who decided to lend a helping hand and take us in. We also scooped up some fellow attendees who were trying to make that hike in 90 degree weather. However, this actually played into the 60s festival vibe as you would have many hitchhikers and campers roaming around looking for rides.

Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

Once inside, we made our way to the media tent which luckily sat in the middle of the VIP area. We had access to both so it was quite easy to get from both main stages in under five minutes. The only issue was the Wifi had been having issues, so for the first few hours of Friday, no one was able to communicate or anything. Again, this played into the Woodstock vibes, but I honestly needed my email to be working. I dropped off figures I made for certain artists playing that day to a rep for the fest then Luis and I jumped into watching LA Witch and Cymande before grabbing a great spot for one of my most anticipated acts, Sky Ferreira.

Although a half hour late which she stated wasn’t intentional, Ferreira delivered a great performance of about five songs which I knew front to back. She kicked things off with “Boys” and “24 Hours” which brought me back to seeing her on the Night Time, My Time tour. New fans were delighted to hear latest single “Don’t Forget,” with Ferreira showcasing greater vocal range and emphasis into her stage presence. Visibly nervous and excited, Ferreira often snickered and let out huge smiles before trying to continue the set that had to be cut to let stagehands prepare the stage for the following artist. Everyone in the crowd was upset about the shorter set, but only because the few songs she did perform were fantastic!

Sky Ferreira performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

Afterwards, we headed to catch eclectic French band Cortex on their first tour of the US. Heavily sampled by rappers like MF DOOM and Rick Ross, the band got the Beach Stage grooving with delectable sax and synths. Singer Alain Mion even took a minute to acknowledge the disappointment of having Iggy Pop cancel due to his band being French and having visa issues. It was a sweet point in the fest that probably fit the Woodstock aesthetic the best. Chicano Batman had the main stage high on reverb, blending indie pop with psychedelic influence. Hits like “Magma” and “Black Lipstick” engaged the audience as well as a perfect rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep.” It was also warming to see some of the band’s family and friends sitting side-stage for the duration of the performance. A few feet away, Canada’s Men I Trust dazed fans until the headlining act.

Chicano Batman performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

What’s great about Desert Daze is that they don’t only take fans into account but the acts as well. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard cannot be described by one genre so I will not even attempt to do so, but they’ve played the festival many times in their lifespan. While probably not being able to headline other festivals, they were indeed treated to the honor here among the likes of Tame Impala and newly welcomed Beach House. This was the craziest point on Friday; the band played an hour and a half set till 1AM where crowds of fans surfed and threw inflatable crocodiles around before singer Stu Mackenzie was taken to the lake himself. The band also debuted “Iron Lung” live! It was a wild night to a kick off the three day showcase.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

Black Country, New Road performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

Saturday had things on the ground running smoother than the previous night: Wifi was up in certain locations, security was very helpful, and the event was more packed than ever for Tame Impala. We started the day with indie-newcomers Black Country, New Road whom despite losing their lead singer and choosing not to play their only two records, the band performed completely new material that sounded equally as interesting as it was polarizing. It’s great to see fans appreciating the full capacity of each member despite this “setback.” Post punk favorites Shame took the main stage and got the crowd amped with a crowd surf from frontman Charlie Steen during the very first song while also claiming Desert Daze was the best festival they’ve ever performed at. The infamous Jello-man made an appearance too, literally surfing on his board throwing out jello shots to fans. This part of the day was actually devoted to punk rock: Shame was sharing the fest with Frankie and the Witch Fingers who delivered an animated cover of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” while Surfbort got the pits going as singer Dani Miller stepped into the audience while flipping off photographers for fun.

Surfbort performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

Desert Daze also offered what many shows don’t, Q+A’s with creators. Such a thing took place after the punk frenzy when psychoactive drug researcher and journalist Hamilton Morris played some clips from his popular Vice series Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia. Having never seen the show during its run, I was intrigued with the subject matter when Morris took a few questions while the sun set just a bit more so it became dark enough to roll the film. The main episode centered around Morris tracking down the man who studied psychedelic toads whose venom produced hallucinogenic side effects. It only added to the theme of psychedelia that Woodstock held so much of which has become the central idea of Desert Daze, plus it was nice to sit for an hour as Morris put it, “you’re all tired of music; wanna learn about organic chemistry”?

JJUUJJUU performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

Towards the end of the night, Viagra Boys took over the Moon Stage to get funky with the crowd, cracking jokes about your mom while one dedicated fan literally shredded cheese with a grater on fans’ heads during the set. Founder of the fest, Phil Pirrone’s band JJUUJJUU played arguably the most psychedelic set of the night, blending shoe gaze “zoning out” qualities with pungent psychedelia, all backed by the Mad Alchemy Liquid Light show. Japan’s Kikagaku Moyo got things warmed up for Tame, delivering their last North American appearance, thanking fans and Desert Daze for all the love they’ve showed them in the last ten years. It was bittersweet to say farewell now that the band would go on an indefinite hiatus. Since Saturday showed a bigger audience, we decided to get in a bit early to secure a decent spot for Tame. Kevin Parker and company came on stage and showed thanks, telling the fans how special it was to be back since the 2018 incident. He shared how he’s thought about the event once a week since it happened, and while happening super fast, the set was amazing. Lonerism had never been played before in its beautiful entirety, and most fans were holding signs of Kevin Parker as Jesus Christ and albums to hopefully get autographed. “Be Above It” kicked it off with an extended outro plus “She Just Won’t Believe Me” was played for the very first time in history; purple and yellow lights flashing in unison. Ten years of the album coincided with ten years of the festival, with around 10 thousand fans in attendance. The cover of the album decked their screens as if everyone who was watching did LSD (some did). For the busiest day, it still felt intimate with the sand between toes and the lake providing cool air.

Tame Impala performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

Inner Wave at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

Sunday brought a similar amount in attendance like Friday; smaller and more relaxed. People were reading books on the beachside while some opted to go for a peaceful swim. There was hardly any overlap during the weekend either, with bands spaced out at least by an hour with other acts in between with stages all close together; it made it difficult to miss anyone you wanted to see. This festival actually took into account breathing room and enabled fans to relax and eat without having to sacrifice a band or two. Artwork decked the dunes for perfect photo ops and Inner Wave got things started. I caught up with the band who I’ve seen grow from playing small clubs in LA to participating at Coachella and Desert Daze. While heading back toward the main stage, a father with his baby who was a few months old stopped the band, telling them it was the baby’s first show and he was showing enthusiasm. The ultimate compliment.

JPEGMAFIA performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

JPEGMAFIA, the only rapper on the bill to my knowledge, offered an intense presence to the rather laid back mood, in all fun though. Alone on the stage with his laptop hooked up, he hit play and would come into the crowd, delivering songs like “BALD!” and “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot.” Fans were delighted to hear Peggy tease an upcoming track with Slowthai, although it was literally just a tease; maybe twenty seconds worth. He did this to ensure fans in his own words that he’s always working on new music and not sitting around getting drunk all the time. Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear couldn't make it to his set so Buck Meek of Big Thief delivered folk tunes in his slot. Jazz maestros BadBadNotGood were happy to be there, bringing out guest Charlotte Day Wilson to perform “In Your Eyes.” We walked around a bit afterwards, eventually meeting up with another friend, Jaycob, who brought me backstage to talk with The Marías who were very genuine and sweet about the figures I made for them. Drummer Josh Conway joked of how his figure was styled in almost the exact clothing he was wearing for his performance (nailed it).

The Marías performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

The Marías were slotted as the band to get everyone warmed up for headliners Beach House. It was honestly a better match as opposed to them followed by Iggy Pop since there’s some overlap between fans. Their visuals were top notch, having singer María front and center with Conway, Jesse Perlman, and Edward James surrounding her. Videos of María peacefully floating among waves, her wearing a red wig in a white void, and the band’s performance played on large screens with fans dancing and smoking their flower. The same visuals were played at their largest headline show at the Greek Theatre the previous night, so I’m glad I didn’t feel too left out. As their set ended, a bright red circle reflected on stage as María waved goodbye. Dream pop icons Beach House came on shortly after but not before Ty Segall-led Fuzz destroyed the Block Stage with the liquid oils and lights dazing the crowd. Beach House delighted their audience with hits off Depression Cherry and Once Twice Melody. Having seen their set twice this very year, it wasn’t anything incredibly unique, but they’re always a great time.

Beach House performing at Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

At this point, Luis and I made our way back, being a bit burnt out. Desert Daze was a smaller behemoth that I had never experienced before. It’s unique in more ways than one; the main idea being offering fans the most laid back psychedelic festival in arguably the entire world. It’s anti-corporate: founder Phil Pirrone is front and center online listening to fans’ wants and needs. He obviously wanted Tame Impala back after 2018 and with covid halting the festival in 2020 and having a small scale event in 2021. That’s what the fans wanted too. You didn’t have to call and sit on hold for an hour to let your thoughts out about the show like most have you do. Pirrone jumps on Instagram Live to ensure his crowd that they have all the answers they need to have a safe and great experience. Many had issues with the Wifi and limited reception; some fans being stranded at 2AM looking for Lyfts. It seems as though Pirrone has heard everyone, and with Desert Daze going strong for ten years, there will undoubtedly be an eleventh iteration that’s improved on its previous counterparts. It was an honor to have my artwork gifted to many bands as part of the fest, and I hope to be invited again. As Pirrone told me, MMC* has become part of the Desert Daze quilt.

Desert Daze 2022 by Jacob Alvarez

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!