Ten Favorite Festival Sets of 2014

In 2014, I had the luxury of attending a solid number of music festivals, almost exclusively in coverage for GrimyGoods.com. I went to Coachella for the first time (life-changing, weekend two), as well as FYF Fest, Made in America Festival, Sunset Strip Music Festival, and made a return to Life is Beautiful in Las Vegas. I decided to put together my list of my ten favorite sets from across all of those festivals, a much tougher task than I initially thought it would be.

Photo courtesy of Monique Hernandez / GrimyGoods.com

1. The Strokes — FYF Fest

I’ve wanted to see The Strokes ever since they first burst onto the scene when I was in middle school. They were easily the main draw to FYF Fest for me and they more than lived up to the expectations. There were few higher moments all year for me personally than when the opening guitar line of “Reptilia” began. I wasn’t sure what to expect given reports of inconsistency in their live shows but they were at their best on this night.

2. Arctic Monkeys — Life is Beautiful

Admittedly, I was later to the Arctic Monkeys bandwagon than most people I know. But seeing them live for the first time at Life is Beautiful instantly made me a huge fan of them. “Do I Wanna Know?” is the ultimate late-night hookup song and people were feeling these guys from the moment they began their set with this jam. Their 17-song set was unbelievable and it was a joy to see them lead into the Foo Fighters. These guys are easily one of the biggest rock bands out there these days and this set served as an easy reminder as to why.

3. Warpaint — Coachella

I had seen Warpaint just a week or so earlier in Las Vegas at the Cosmopolitan — and while the performance was very good, the experience was nearly ruined by an obnoxiously drunk girl who kept yelling “WOOO! DESTINY’S CHILD!” at these rockin’ gals throughout the set. At Coachella, everyone was digging the vibe of their brooding jams and each song just so seamlessly led into the next. The way “Intro” led into “Keep it Healthy” to start things off was just a sign of things to come.

4. HAIM — FYF Fest

I saw HAIM three times in 2014 — but the best experience was at FYF Fest. Seeing these Valley girls open for The Strokes in Los Angeles, where everything started for them, was amazing. You could tell they were feeling this show more than just the usual and that translated into the crowd. I just remember being by myself during this set as I got separated from my friends and it didn’t matter. I ended up in a sing-along with a group of girls who I didn’t even know, which was an unbelievable amount of fun. So many catchy tunes, I’m always blown away by how rock n roll they sound live compared to a more poppy demeanor on their studio albums.

5. John Mayer — Made in America Los Angeles

I used to really be a big John Mayer fan in high school but his douchebaggery turned me off to him over the last half-decade or so. Mayer totally redeemed himself at Made in America with a humble and brilliant performance that also featured his first known cover of “All Along the Watchtower”, which was one of my Ten Best Live Covers of 2014. He mixed the tempo well throughout. There was a group of guys to the right of me that weren’t feeling his slow stuff and then REALLY started digging “Watchtower” and some of the more fast-paced songs. I’d pay to see Mayer in the future.

6. Rise Against — Made in America Los Angeles

Rise Against was another staple of my youth. My best friend Brad, who I used to carpool with growing up and lived with for a short time as well, would ALWAYS play Rise Against in the car. I was only familiar with their older stuff before checking out their set at Made in America Festival and they were so good that I decided to snap up a ticket to their show at The Wiltern a few weeks later. “Savior” has been a song that’s been in constant rotation ever since they closed their set with it that weekend and they are just such high-energy performers. The mosh pit during this set was UNREAL as you can see from the above video, but people were respectful and nobody was out there trying to knock each other out cold.

7. The Naked and Famous — Coachella

If you ever get a chance to see these New Zealanders live — do it. There’s not a single lull in their set and people couldn’t help but jump up and down during their Coachella set despite the hot heat. So many catchy hooks in their songs and their energy was infectious. I love the way they tease the final chorus in “Young Blood” when they play it live, stopping short for lead vocalist Alisa Xayalith pleading with the crowd to sing it one last time with them before jumping right back into it.

8. Fatboy Slim — Coachella

Despite not spinning their most recognizable hits, Fatboy Slim was easily one of the top festival sets of the year in my opinion. It was one of the few places where everybody was completely letting loose, including myself as I danced like a ridiculous nutcase with a big group of friends, while also making some new ones. The sheer shock of seeing that big flying astronaut all of a sudden appear inside the tent was just the icing on the cake. The visuals were unbelievable and I must have shed 10 pounds in sweat in there.

9. Phantogram — Life is Beautiful

Phantogram was the very first set I saw at Las Vegas festival Life is Beautiful, and it set the tone for what would be one of my favorite weekends of the year. I had the chance to see them at the Hollywood Cemetery prior to this, but they were just as good if not better in kicking things off that weekend in Vegas. My friend, who I had been hyping Phantogram to in anticipation, fell in love with vocalist Sarah Barthel off the strength of their performance that day. Who couldn’t “Fall in Love”?

10. Tove Lo — Sunset Strip

I knew absolutely nothing about Tove Lo before catching her set at Sunset Strip and it was easily my favorite of that entire weekend. It was good for a lot of dancing and many of the songs stuck with me the next day. I am not embarrassed to admit I listened to her a ton on Spotify in the ensuing months and would go and see her again. She has a great charisma and can really sing and she’s something a little different from what’s out there.

Mark Ortega is a freelance writer who is a Digital Content Producer for NFL Media in Culver City. His portfolio can be found here and he can be followed on Twitter @MarkEOrtega and reached via e-mail.