The Early Aughts Live On, Just Like Heaven

@feverray 📸 @ginajoyphoto

Now in its third year, Just Like Heaven returned to the Brookside Golf Club at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to bring us another edition of Indie nostalgia. Featuring 21 bands, we were graced with 11 straight hours of live music from some of the heaviest hitters of the early aughts. From the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who formed in 2000, to Azealia Banks, the precursor to Cardi B, the trip down memory lane was a perfect Saturday in the park.

www.instagram.com/justlikeheavenfest
Text written by britt witt www.instagram.com/thebrittwitt

📸 @_richvisuals

The simple festival set up of two stages deemed Stardust and Orion, split up by perfect picnic grass, shady trees and an excellent assortment of local food vendors was the one-stop shop, bang for your buck that gave attendees a comfortable home to revisit the last 20 years. With the schedule perfectly staggered so you never had to miss a set, it really was just like heaven.

“I feel seen here,” Brian Oblivion of Cults exclaimed to the early crowd, acknowledging our shared love for spacey synth-scapes. The Hives, who were covering for The Sounds (held back by a visa issue), brought a firecracker of a performance, setting the bar very high for their peers to follow throughout the rest of the day. Lead singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist brought his iconic hilarious banter while playing hits like “Walk Idiot Walk” and “Hate To Say I Told You So” along with new singles “Bogus Operandi” and “Countdown to Shutdown” off of their “soon to be an award-winning album” The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, due for release August 11. The afternoon continued with disappearing with The Faint, going to space with STRFKR and harmonizing with Metronomy.

She may have been thirty minutes late but that didn’t stop Azealia Banks from showing off her rapid flows and hits like “Fuck Him All Night” and “212.” UK-based Ladytron saved “Destroy Everything You Touch” for last while Fever Ray delivered a stunning performance in ghoulish makeup and outstanding outfits, exactly what I want to be when I grow up. The Bravery emerged from their lonely lustre hiatus for a rockstar break amidst the atmospheric electronica. Despite teasing the audience about new music, they brought an energy that no time had passed since their 2003 debut and 2005 single, “Honest Mistake.” The Walkmen, making a stop in Pasadena on their reunion tour, kept up the high-energy rock block and took us back with hits like “The Rat” and “Donde Esta La Playa.” Back on the Stardust stage, Peaches was pushing the boundaries of well, everything, crawling across the audience, cycling through superlative costumes – vaginas, boobs, baby heads, ‘Drag Saves Lives’ and ‘Trans Rights Now’ leotards, you name it – and bonus guest punk drag queen Christeene. “Men always perform shirtless, more women should be allowed to perform without a shirt on,” a festivalgoer remarked.

Seasons change but the emotionally raw performance that Future Islands brought sure hasn’t. “We Are Future Islands, this is what we fuckin’ do!” lead singer Sam Herring declared as they launched into a tight 12-song set that spanned the beloved years of their career. The sun was setting as Empire of the Sun appeared, entrancing the audience with trippy visuals and officially getting the evening dance party started. Appearing live for the first time in over 3 years, MGMT took nostalgia to the next level performing their 2007 debut album Oracular Spectacular in full. The synth duo included home videos of the making of the album, paper-mache puppets and even a children’s choir to add to the youthful fanfare of the album. Turns out the best way to fire up an audience of elder Millennials is to hit play on “Kids.” M83 closed out the Stardust stage with a career-spanning setlist that oddly left out Saturdays=Youth but still blew the audience away with his iconic sweeping soundscapes and multi-instrumental band. Last but not least, headliner Yeah Yeah Yeahs brought the fiery energy that has cradled them in all of our hearts since they formed in 2000. From “Maps” to “Spitting Off The Edge of the World” to “Zero,” the setlist was pure joy-inducing. Indian singer-songwriter Imaad Wasif joined the band on guitar and of course, lead singer Karen O didn’t miss the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day – and even got the crowd to sing “Happy Birthday” to her “old man” who had joined us in the crowd.

photo by A. Osborn

The sets were exciting, evocative and sentimental, supported by a relaxing, easy-going festival environment. The year is 2023 but the foundation of indie rock still hits the soul.

www.instagram.com/justlikeheavenfest
Text written by britt witt www.instagram.com/thebrittwitt