The first day of I Love This City launched on Friday to a small, but enthusiastic crowd. Expectations and potential were high, but promoters Live Nation and Skills dropped the bass, err, ball.
The two-day electronic music festival brought out heavy hitters like Afrojack, Steve Aoki, and Duck Sauce supported by a solid wall of supporters like Datsik, James Murphy, and AraabMuzik with sister events taking place in San Diego.
It was moved from the parking lot of AT&T Park to Shoreline Amphitheater because of “production challenges.” As a result, the 18+ age limit was dropped to 16+, and the noise curfew was supposedly extended, but it goes without saying that the grassy hills of Mountain View aren’t as exciting as the throbbing skyline we were promised.
The people that did show up were prepared to party. However, the energy and size of the thousands deep crowd seemed to be swallowed by the massive, tiered outdoor theater. A half-empty venue filled with seats and fences isn’t conducive to a giant dance party, so most of the real insanity was confined to the parking lot.
Pastel colored wigs and dudes in banana suits were just as common as thumping bass and overpriced beer at the three stages. The Bass and Park stages were located in the parking lot, each small, but decked out with an impressive arsenal of sound and light.
However, inside the amphitheater was an over-the-top power-display of streamers, lasers, and smoke machines. Every bass-drop brought another cannon-load of confetti into the air and another militia of fists right along with it. I Love This City did its job in bringing out a strong group of artists, but on Friday the overall effect left us missing San Francisco.
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