This Memorial Day weekend marked 21 years of Lightning in a Bottle, the eclectic and colorful electronic dance music festival that has hosted an array of artists since its debut in 2004. Attendees could engage in festival activities starting Wednesday, with a headlining set from Honey Dijon on Thursday. Still, many chose to begin their Lightning in a Bottle journey on Friday with James Blake and Lane 8 taking the Lightning stage.
The secluded yet freeing festival atmosphere and the Buena Vista Lake backdrop allowed festival-goers to act unapologetically genuine, a tenet the fest is known for. Attendees were spotted in unique dress and undress, while also receiving the opportunity to purchase EDM festival garb from exclusively curated vendors.
Each day offered mindful meditation and yoga, inviting festival-goers to start a hectic day of partying on the right foot or simply explore human wellness in the Yoga Luna and Yoga Sol all weekend long.
The sprawling area around Buena Vista Lake presented endless possibilities for relaxing and energetic activities. The energy greatly shifted as the sun would begin to set every night and big-name performers would arrive to party until the sun came up.
Friday night wonders
Unlike most festivals, Lightning in a Bottle included several activities unrelated to music to entertain attendees waiting at the main stage. In addition to yoga, Friday morning offered alternative education workshops such as Bee Magic and Medicine with Benjamin Pixie at 11 a.m. or Shibari: Freedom Through Rope Bondage with Kemo Burns at 1 p.m.
Fast forward to 8 p.m. as the Friday evening spirit began to increase, Floating Points took on the Woogie Stage for a showcase of his critically acclaimed album “Promises,” along with older hits like “Ratio.” The Woogie Stage was home to many exciting DJ sets throughout the weekend, sporting a new makeover of various art installations that were also seen at Coachella’s Do LaB in April.
By 9:15 p.m., Grammy Award-winning Mura Masa took on the Lightning main stage for an electrifying performance that left the entire audience on the tips of their toes and the ground vibrating. The performance included a new song he produced for PinkPantheress called “Turn it up.”
No decrease in energy was in sight as James Blake arrived for his headlining set at the Lightning stage, while ISOxo delivered a rage-relieving set on the other side of the festival.
James Blake’s set contributed to a notable change in sound and stage presence, featuring a full band onstage as he sat at his keyboard. They played classic hits like “Retrograde” and a never-before-played song called “Thrown Around.” Blake shyly expressed it was his first time presenting the music to an audience and that he was glad the audience enjoyed it.
Several performers like IAMNOBODI and Tonic Tribe partied with festivalgoers until 4 a.m., but the final official headliner of the evening was Lane 8 at the Lightning Stage.
A Saturday to remember
While many attendees went to sleep around 5 a.m., some chose to get up for activities like Meditation for Planetary Peace and Transformational Breathwork on Saturday morning.
By 4 p.m., a decent-sized crowd of men and women gathered at the Oracle Cauldron tent to hear from Simone Farschi about Feminine Power and Pleasure. Her guided practice involved participants touching various parts of their bodies as she encouraged everyone to let go of any shame they might be holding onto. Many participants stayed after to chat with Farschi about their personal shame and pleasure journeys.
Many attendees opted to take a swim in the Buena Vista Lake in the middle of the day to escape the heat, some even bringing floating devices with beverages before the sun went down.
At nearly 1 a.m., Labrinth put on a massive production including hits from HBO’s Euphoria and other solo work at the Lightning Stage. The performance consisted of a light show that followed the pulse of the tempo and several background performers alongside him.
Labrinth’s consistent callbacks to the choir created a unique, unreplicable performance. He also performed his hit “Never Felt So Alone,” a 2023 collaboration with Billie Eilish.
Those who stayed up past Labrinth received a delightful surprise, with Skrillex spontaneously arriving a day early at the Stacks stage to perform a nighttime set at 2 a.m. The smaller set and his impending headlining performance for Sunday quickly became the talk of the festival as attendees woke up for the final day of Lightning in a Bottle.
Sunday farewells
Sunday quickly became the busiest day at Lightning in a Bottle with Sunday Funday single-day pass holders being added to the crowd. Sunday also became the hottest day of the festival at nearly 90 degrees, motivating many to jump in the lake at sunrise and throughout the day.
Sexual and relationship well-being remained a theme throughout Sunday’s varying activity areas, with presentations like Compassionate Communication with Alexandra Lovinit and SEXPLAINED: Sex Meets Science with Dr. Rainey Horwitz.
Horowitz, a urological surgeon, brought a unique voice amid varying gurus and inspirational speakers. The Lightning in a Bottle alum shared an abundance of knowledge with attendees about taking care of their reproductive organs.
While a wedding was happening at the same structure where Shibari was taking place earlier, RUFUS DU SOL made a surprise appearance at one of the smaller stages. The trio arrived on a boat to the Junkyard stage, which quickly became flooded with a massive crowd. This was likely one of the hardest sets to enter all weekend, with attendees pouring out of the area and into walkways to try and get a glimpse at the performance.
By 8:15 p.m., Bob Moses took on the Woogie stage for one of their biggest U.S. performances since opening for Odezsa during their 2023 North American tour. The electronic duo played an extended set that included hits like “Inner Light” and “Tearing Me Up.”
Nia Archives arrived soon after at the Thunder stage, sporting a polo and plaid skirt to give her first West Coast performance since her well-received and coveted performance with Boiler Room in April. The crowd was enthusiastic about her remix of “You’ve Got The Love” by Florence Welch and were bouncing by the time she reached her new single “Crowded Roomz.”
Groups emerged from Nia’s crowd, rushing over to the Lightning stage to avoid missing any of M.I.A.’s 11 p.m. set. M.I.A brought one of the most intense stage presences of the weekend, with her powerful voice and the control she exuded over the stage.
Iconic anthems like “Bad Girls” left the entire audience screaming her lyrics word for word. She took a moment on stage to tease about her fear of radiation and showcased the radiation-resistant outfit she had on underneath.
She ended her set by playing Imagine Dragons, Lorde and Taylor Swift hits that sound similar to her biggest single of all time, “Paper Planes.” The finale connected “Paper Planes” lyrics about wanting to take the money of others with her desire to take these artists’ money for stealing from her.
The crowd at Lightning stage only began to increase as M.I.A. left, as it was time for Skrillex to arrive. The Sunday Funday crowd was especially evident before the set, considering it was the biggest seen all weekend.
Skrillex walked on stage with lights covering him in a deep red color, making it hard to see the entire stage. It became clear that this was likely a stylistic choice for the focus to be centered around the music and the different effects occurring throughout the set.
Pyrotechnics would appear to engulf the front of the stage with flames, furthering the excitement of fans while they danced away to his music. The two-hour set was a mash-up of his hits over the last decade, including his newer singles “Rumble” and “RATATA.”
By 2:30 a.m., Skrillex’s set had ended and the last 2024 Lightning in a Bottle headlining act was complete. Attendees were faced with making the same choice they were left with every night, ‘Do I watch acts until 5 a.m. or is it time to go to bed?’
