Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path, and Lightning in a Bottle is one of them. Many of its 20,000+ participants would agree that the aftermath of this year’s storm has left everyone inspired and transformed.
The experience is a reminder that even after two years of pandemic silence, The Do Lab will never cease to out-do previous years.
The question is, “How does the Do LaB, well…do it? How do they keep making each year better than the next?”
The answer lies in their ability to diversify their programs to fit artists, intellectuals, music lovers, activists, and other forms of community builders and leaders. There is something for everyone at LIB. Yes, including you.
Enthusiastic festival goers and rare music chasers found themselves in luck this year. When LSDream got announced with the lineup release, fans had to pinch themselves to make sure they’re not dreaming.
Here are 3 reasons why LSDream’s had the most emotionally striking performance at Lightning in a Bottle 2022:
1. Engaged the crowd like no other Performer
In addition to spreading his signature experimental/future bass in combination with a blissful display of visuals, LSDream facilitated the space for emotional expulsions and a massive amount of love to be shared with everyone present.
With a melodic music pause he shared:
“Man, listen, if you’re waiting for someone to show up and magically make your life better, that person is always going to be you. And so as a collective right now I want to take this moment, I want you to take a deep breath and let’s listen to these words, and my intention is that you feel the true light and the true love that you can give yourself. That self love is so pure.”
The words he played lasted a couple of minutes, and originated from a gentle, motherly voice. She spoke of love, for two whole minutes, and I couldn’t manage to write it all legibly. You have to understand how powerful it felt in the moment. As if a thousand hearts became one, beating together, propelling massive amounts of love towards the world. Healing old wounds. Resolving deep pain.
LSDream also told the crowd to look at someone they didn’t know and say “what’s up” to that person.
“You can say I see you. I love you, and we’re all family tonight.” Imagine the energy of several thousand strangers embracing each other, and speaking the universal language of love. Everyone felt it, the absolute electric connectivity.
2. Made Us Feel Powerful The Nostalgia
With his wubby electronic renditions of nostalgic, retro sounds, LSDream lived up to his name. The combination of these sounds come out light hearted, psychedelic, blissful, and dare we say, dreamy.
The crowd experienced an array of emotions and nostalgia when he played psychedelic remixes of ‘Drop it like it’s Hot’, ‘Six Flags Theme Song’, ‘Lean on Me”, ‘Mr. Sandman’, and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. LSDream wittily decided to play ‘Mr. Sandman’ by The Chordettes during an intense and fearsome dust storm that brewed up in front of the stage. Pashminas and masks covered the faces of the crowd against the sandy winds. That didn’t stop the true bass lovers in the crowd who instead chose to see this as a sign from Mother Nature that they are in the right place, at the right time.
3. Shared Love With Countless Other Artists
LSDream also displayed unique collaborative sounds with Ganja White Night and Of The Trees to further electrify the crowd, coupled with lasers, drops, and playful dream-like transitions. In a flash we see LSDream run off stage, only to come back with another person to jam with him – Griz, who was watching from the sidelines. The Griz fans in the crowd screamed with excitement. They hugged, danced, and melted our brains with excitement.
Another dreamy moment that he fostered was when LSDream shared screenshots from his Twitter feed on the big screen. This was in response to the growing psychological hardships that everyone has had to deal with since the start of the pandemic. He had asked: “What’s a piece of advice you wish you could go back and tell yourself?” Lucky fans were able to see their inspiring, emotionally-empowering replies in a special connection to their favorite artist, while the rest of us universally felt the heart-warming power of each word on the screen.
Lucky enough, LSDream announced the debut of a brand new music video, “BADMAN” in collaboration with Ganja White Night and EBO, an illustrator and designer based in Belgium. The essence of the music video was of two super psychedelic-inspired creatures breakdance fighting. Their powers? To propel sacred geometry beams, which was a perfect unison to LSDream’s sounds. You can see the full music video here, but get ready, it’s mind blowing.
Other Incredible Artists & Experiences At LIB22
Dirtwire was brought back for yet another year, this time at the Lightning Stage. They featured a beautiful sunset performance that started off the night for LIB-ers. Dirtwire mixed a plethora of instruments from different cultures, including banjo, electric and acoustic guitars, violin, contrabass, cello, and more. Their music, featuring different speeds from low 70s to high 120s bpm, included elements of tribal bass, western sounds, funk, blues, jazz, and more. Certainly an immeasurably fun experience that brought together fans of various music genres.
Some other great acts that are absolutely worth noting include Yotto, Four Tet, Monolink, Glass Animals, and The Librarian. CloZee and Griz both had killer closing sets for Saturday and Sunday nights – and the three-way b2b2b with Patricio, Marques Wyatt, and Monolink to finish out the Junkyard on Sunday evening was magical. The energy was palpable to the far reaches of the campgrounds.
In Conclusion
Okay, we admit, it’s impossible to attend every musical set, and we’re rather biased on the ones we saw, but that’s what makes this festival so special! The array of musical talent, workshops, and art and movement classes fostered the unforgettable experience that is Lightning In A Bottle 2022. We were grateful to have experienced LSDream’s first ever set at LIB, and we feel quite excited for the 20th anniversary of Lightning in a Bottle in 2023.
Purchase early bird tickets here.
