Identity Fest
Aug. 17; Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View
Anyone who went to Bassnectar’s show at the Event Center got a big taste of what an EDM show is like. It had the neon, glitter, and almost clothing optional vibe—everything but the body paint, which Identity Fest will supply in bulk. The ID Fest is known to get ridiculously crazy, especially the later it gets. This year it has to vie with the I Love This City Festival moving down from San Franciso, but maybe it’ll actually help Identity in the end to have a double barrel of electronic dance music festivals in the South Bay this summer; certainly its organizers have stacked the deck with an impressive lineup. Headlining is Swedish-born Brit Eric Prydz, who was a big part of making the ’80s cool again with his 2004 song “Call on Me,” an electro re-working of Steve Winwood’s “Valerie.” What most people remember, of course, is the video, with perhaps the most sexually suggestive scenes ever shot in a gym—and that’s saying something. Then there’s Deadmau5 and Skrillex collaborator Wolfgang Gartner, who comes from my own native backwoods in San Luis Obispo, and first made his name as a deep house DJ. His rock-influenced single from last year, “Illmerica,” shows how far he’s come, while still paying tribute to his house roots. Excision, Showtek, Datsik, Doctor P, Le Castle Vania, Noisia, Arty and many more will also perform.
Rock The Bells
Aug. 25-26, Shoreline Amphiteatre, Mountain View
When Bone Thugs-N-Harmony first got signed by Eazy-E, Kid Cudi was an actual kid. But this year, Cudi and the reunited Bone will both headline Rock the Bells. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony all but fell apart in 2000, after Flesh-N-Bone was sentenced to prison and the rest of the group feuded with Bizzy Bone. But after an up-and-down reunion, all five members will perform at the festival with a tribute to Easy-E. Eazy’s former NWA partner Ice Cube will also perform along with Nas, Mac Miller, Big Daddy Kane, Redman and Method Man (performing their Blackout album in its entirety), Atmosphere, Murs, ASAP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Slick Rick and more. A Hit Squad reunion will feature Redman, EPMD, K-Solo, Das EFX and Keith Murray performing together.
