When you go to Vegas, you need at least a week to recover which is what we definitely needed. We attended Saturday of the 3-day music festival Life is Beautiful in Las Vegas, and needless to say, it was a jampacked schedule and us running like chickens with our heads cut off from stage to stage. But don’t worry, in case you are feeling a case of FOMO, we got you.
With many festivals, it’s almost somewhat customary for the show to start around noon. Being that it is Vegas and everyone is literally out until the break of dawn (most of the time), organizers most likely took this into consideration and had the event kick off at 3pm each day. A little late in the day but it gives everyone time to refuel from the previous night no matter what you decided to do.
However, to kick off OUR day, we made the long trek on the other side of the venue to hit Broods’ set. We aren’t lying when we say trek. Collectively, there are four stages within the venue and while three of them are relatively close to one another, you have the the Ambassador Stage located far on the other side which (we kid you not) is about a 8-10 minute-ish walk depending on how fast you walk and how many people are in front of you. Other than Broods, we decided to skip out entirely on this stage for the rest of the night. Sorry, not really sorry? We had people to see and places to go, LIB!
From Broods set, we headed on over to check out Huntridge Stage featuring Sigrid. Not super well-known but we were familiar with a few of her songs. Love supporting artists who are still getting their footing and remain simply down to earth. It was one of the most intimate sets of the night which started the day off at a good vibe.
It was only after Sigrid’s we had a few moments to really check out the art installations and few of the food trucks. If you aren’t familiar with LIB, you aren’t alone. It took us a while to find our footing but basically, Downtown Las Vegas closes off streets for this festival. And it’s not just a random area like a park or anything of that sort (ex: Outside Lands at Golden Gate Park), you can literally see people living inside these buildings on the streets of Vegas who sometimes interacted with festival goers and was given the chance to watch free shows from the comfort of their own room. Heck, there was even a “cool down” station in a parking structure! It was one of the most bizarre locations we’ve seen a venue to be in but unique at the same time.
All around, there were different sections dedicated to food/art. Building walls were decked out with large art murals, a whole hotel was transformed to an art installation, there was fire breathing animatronics, and more. So needless to say, we did not see everything in one day. We missed quite a lot and we do recommend going all three days if you have a chance to get the full experience.
A few highlights of the festival include:
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Cage The Elephant
For someone who has never, ever seen Cage The Elephant live, we are so glad we caught them this time around. They did perform at Outside Lands and despite missing that set, we heard nothing but amazing things. We see why and are now a huge fan. We were confused at first when we had to sign a release form for photos but after getting the experience first hand and right in your face, it’s obvious. Matt Shultz is a badass and the definition of a damn rockstar. Even people behind me who have never heard of the band had nothing but praise for the guy. He just knows how to kill it on stage and give the best experience ever.
Goldroom
Performing in what we liked to call the “EDM tent,” Goldroom performed their live set where Nikki Segal became our hunt to find out who she is. At first she was playing behind the keyboards until she busted out the mic on the second song where she owned the stage. Sorry Goldroom.
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Muse
You can’t really expect Muse to have a horrible set. A few minutes late to the show but even still, it was something that couldn’t be missed. Their stage was insane full of graphics galore.
Kalliope
Also known as the other outdoor mini-EDM stage. We never actually spent time in this area but every single moment we did pass by to go to another area, this place was popping. Huge crowds would be just dancing their hearts out.
We were also so surprised at how spot on Life is Beautiful was. Meaning, everything was on time and on the dot (with the exception of Muse). It’s almost unreal to see that happen but we noticed it right away (maybe because we were on such a time crunch?) so props to the festival organizers for that one.
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Sure people head to Coachella for good ~vibes~ but nah. As someone who has been to Coachella this year, hands down we are putting on the record that Life is Beautiful is the place to be to get the best ~vibes~. Everyone is so down to earth, always having a smile on their face, good energy is put out and given back. And there aren’t unnecessary flower crowns at every corner. At the end of the day, as corny as it sounds, you start to realize life is beautiful after seeing all the art, music, people, and more. This is the type of festival you don’t want to punch anyone (hey, we’re not the only ones that feel that way!) which is kind of odd since you’d think when in Vegas… You’d be raging your ass off. I mean, you can but this isn’t the place to do it.
Until next year, Life is Beautiful.
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