Beachlife Festival Is Coming, and the Lineup Just Gets Better and Better

“We had more time this year to fine-tune and gear the lineup,” says Allen Sanford, founder and managing partner of the famed independent festival. “The recipe was thoughtful, as we have gotten to a different level of curation now and the bands together really make sense.”

Kicking off the festival is the one and only Sting, who does not typically take residency on festival tours. Concert promoters such as Live Nation and AEG Presents dominate the world of music festivals and are known for their exclusivity radius clauses that restrict a band’s ability to play other shows in the same vicinity for a specified time frame.

“We don’t get the looks [from bands] that Live Nation gets, and they buy out artists—making it next to impossible to book certain bands,” shares Allen. “When it came to Sting, I was persistent until finally someone on Sting’s team agreed that it would be a good fit. He is transcendental.” The amazing Seal will join Sting for the Friday night lineup.

Also playing on Friday, Dirty Heads, the SoCal band of “Life’s Been Good,” will certainly draw a new demographic to the first-day crowd. With lead vocalists Dirty J and Duddy B, the band formed in 1996 influenced by the Orange County reggae and ska culture.

Above Incubus, ZZ Top, and City and Colour

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“Drive” singer Brandon Boyd of Incubus is sure to bring down the house on Saturday with hit after hit—not to mention his great abs and good looks. “It took a while to get Incubus, and they are symbolic of the BeachLife lifestyle,” says Allen. “It’s a nice juxtaposition to have DEVO play with Incubus.” DEVO’s signature smash hit “Whip It” has been a mainstay since the early 1980s.

Steel Pulse, a band universally known for reggae hits such as “Your House,” “Roller Skates” and “Handsworth Revolution,” will also shake the sands on Saturday.

Any Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Queen or Rolling Stones fan will love the ’70s dirt rock cover band Chevy Metal. With a strictly Van Halen set, the band was the breakout hit of the 2019 BeachLife Festival. Their follow-up performance was slated to be all Queen covers, but after the tragic and untimely death of lead singer Taylor Hawkins—also the drummer of Foo Fighters—the performance never transpired. The band now features Taylor’s son, Shane Hawkins, on drums.

Hey, Sugar Ray fans. The “Every Morning” band moved to late morning on Sunday, so order a mimosa and don’t miss this set.

Above Fleet Foxes, Santigold, and G. Love and Donavon Frankenreiter

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Two mainstays on my Spotify playlist for at least a decade, My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes will represent the alt indie band scene. My Morning Jacket, complete with the quintessential long hair and beards, is known for “One Big Holiday,” a catchy, upbeat rock song—but the band can also duo as a rock arena jam band.

Speaking of beards, ZZ Top will rock the other stage. Another must-see, Atlas Genius is a band accustomed to a much larger font size on KROQ festival flyers. They should be inked into your personal BeachLife schedule.

And let’s not forget the SpeakEasy Stage! Set to host are rock icons performing stripped-down versions of their sets including the infamous Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys and Warren Fitzgerald of The Vandals.

Another bonus this year: General Admission Plus tickets now come with in-out access, so you can hit Naja’s if you are craving a hamburger or just want a break from the crowd. “Plus” access comes without limitations, so you could even ride your bike home for a power nap before seeing your favorite headliners. See you there!