Despite some sour crowd moments, this year’s edition of Portola Festival brought an incredible experience for music lovers of all kinds in San Francisco.
Returning to the Bay Area for the third year in a row, Portola Festival had some high expectations to meet for this year’s edition. Donning an unbelievable lineup with internationally renowned artists like Justice, Disclosure, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Four Tet, Sara Landry, Honey Dijon, and plenty more, there was no question why so many flocked to San Francisco’s Pier 80 for the festival weekend.
The good vibes were immediately contagious on day one, as many attendees chose to arrive on public transportation, making it easier to recognize fellow festival-goers in their cozy and unique outfits and share in the excitement. While getting inside was quick and efficient, we were surprised to see no pat downs, hardly any bags being searched, and security simply waving people in. Once inside, attendees continued in high spirits, taking in the atmosphere, the food vendors, the VIP sections, the photo ops, and making their way over to the merch booth for some festival gear.
The first day started with the talented Nala, who set the tone beautifully with her newest release, “Spiritual Psychosis,” sparking an explosion of dance across the Warehouse. The rest of the day consisted of plenty of hopping from stage to stage. As a diverse listener, I found myself wanting to see every set possible but decided to see where the music took me, as this is my new favorite way to experience a festival.
From Jamie xx to RÜFÜS DU SOL and Gesaffelstein, day one was filled with many firsts, nonstop dancing, and unforgettable memories.
Love was in the air as we continued the day with Nia Archives in the Ship Tent. Seeing her take the stage to so many loyal junglists was inspiring, especially after seeing her growth in the last year alone. Heading over to the Pier stage for Jamie xx was a must, as the crowd filled in quickly, all in time to hear tracks from the In Waves album and get the first news of the forthcoming In Waves tour. This was also the moment we became painfully aware of the sound stage structure at the Pier stage, which blocked half the crowd from seeing the stage and visuals.
Before heading over to the Warehouse for Bicep Present CHROMA, we took the chance to explore what was last year’s hidden speakeasy, but this year was a Daft Punk-inspired robot bar. While we loved the concept, the bar was, unfortunately, quite small, and the decor was very minimal. We would love to see this tradition continued next year, hopefully with more decor and a bigger space to create a fully immersive experience.
The first night ended with split sets between RÜFÜS DU SOL and Gesaffelstein.
Our nostalgic 2016 hearts were filled when hearing “Innerbloom” live once again, and the trio also played tracks off the new Inhale / Exhale album. Meanwhile, Gesaffelstein’s set brought an entirely different vibe, with utter darkness surrounding the stage and his crystal fixture setup. I was immediately enamored by his presence, captivated by his laser-red eyes and the overall intensity of his set, which sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before. After my first time seeing Gesaffelstein, I immediately knew I would never pass up the chance to see him again.
The second day brought bigger crowds with variations in concert etiquette and a clash of the generations.
Similarly to day one, day two was filled with split sets and bouncing from stage to stage, trying to experience all of the music that Portola had to offer. Kicking the day off with DJ Heartstring in the Warehouse got our dancing shoes warmed up. This was an absolute necessity for the hardcore dance session we’d have with Boys Noize b2b VTSS later that day. Following that, we pranced at the Ship Tent with our favorite horsegiirL, then had a dance party with ShyGirl for Club Shy.
For the main event, we headed to the Pier Stage to find a good spot for Justice. While we knew it would be crowded, we were unprepared for just how nasty people would be about moving through the crowd. Justice was everything we could have hoped for and more, but the crowd did not pass the vibe check.
From pushing and shoving to not letting people through and name-calling, it may have been one of the worst crowd experiences of my festival-going years. Interestingly, it appeared to be the older attendees displaying such behavior, almost as if their age gave them more entitlement to the Justice experience.
Exiting the festival felt like a disaster that night. Some streets had been blocked off, and attendees were instead corralled towards the train, where they would have to wait for two or three to be filled before they could board. Rideshare did not help the situation, as the dreaded self-driving Waymo cars stopped working right down the street, stalling all traffic for half an hour.
Despite the horrendous crowd experience for Justice and the poor exit strategy, Portola remains highly regarded in my mind.
From the strategic entryway to the Warehouse stage to the addition of art fixtures and photo ops and the use of ASL interpreters, it’s clear that Goldenvoice hears our concerns and continues to improve the festival experience. With any new venture, there come growing pains, and Portola’s musical experience still outweighs the cons. We can only hope that this pattern of improvement continues next year and that the attendees also hear our concerns.
