A Day of Nostalgia at the Just Like Heaven Festival with Phoenix, The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie

The Just Like Heaven Festival at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was a day soaked in nostalgia that brought to life my high school playlist, and left my Death Cab for Cutie loving parents sour and jealous of me. Just as lead singer Thomas Mars of Phoenix expressed during his set, the festival was like a high school reunion. Here, people living separate lives could come together with a mutual love for the music to embrace their past memories, and welcome new ones.

For this single day event, GoldenVoice curated a lineup that would allow attendees to relive a day in the early 2000’s. My first stop once entering the gates landed me in the year 2010 with alternative pop-rock band Two Door Cinema Club. Though, I have to admit I was just a scrawny little 7 year old at the time of the release of their debut album, for their performance I was ready to channel my 15 year old self who would hop around my bedroom singing their songs to myself in the mirror. With this band, I knew just what to expect: 45 minutes of upbeat tunes, and light hearted fun.

I sacrificed watching Alvvays to see Two Door Cinema Club, a choice I justified since I had already seen them at a different festival. At the conclusion of Two Door Cinema Club’s set, I made my way out of the crowd to wait for indie pop band Passion Pit. As I waited, I could hear Alvvays’ track “Dreams Tonite,” floating over from the stage in the distance. I tried to focus in on the soft sounds and voice being carried over to me, as I hummed the lyrics to my friend, and imagined myself dancing alongside those in the crowd to the song that frequents my “cry in the car” queue.

With Passion Pit’s emergence onto stage came a beaming energy right off the bat. Lead singer Michael Angelakos brought with him a little kid-like glow, as he stomped around the stage, spreading an infectious joy to the crowd as the band led with “The Reeling” straight into  “Take A Walk.” The audience’s excitement to see him was mutual, as they belted his lyrics while he turned his microphone towards them. After a few of their songs I withdrew from the crowd to find a spot in the grass where a tree would offer its shade to me.

Though at most concerts, I typically throw myself into the middle of the crowd where I’m stimulated from every side, and fully immersed in the rhythm of those around me, I decided to observe the rest of this set from the sidelines. I scanned my surroundings getting caught in the pockets of life and community all around me, witnessing moments each person would likely cherish for a lifetime. Couples and friends danced atop their tapestries and blankets scattered across the grass. Little kids, with smiles ear to ear, stumbled around to the beat of the music while holding the hands of their parents who likely brought their children so as not to miss out on this bill of artists that served as a portal to their past. I love watching people lose themselves in a song at a concert when you can see the impact a song has had on them from the outside. From front to back, the crowd roared the lyrics “higher and higher,” along to the band’s track “Little Secrets,” which was followed by their hit, and my personal favorite, “Sleepyhead.”

As the sun rolled behind the hills to be tucked in for the night, a golden film was cast over the members of Death Cab for Cutie as they took over the stage. The band, situated before the soft orange and pink hues of sunset, began their set consisting of the entirety of their 2003 album Transatlanticism from beginning to end. As the band poured their passion and talent onto the stage, I felt lucky to witness the art delivered through playing the album in whole including “The New Year,” “Title and Registration,” and “The Sound of Settling.”

Band Miike Snow came together after a five year absence from performance for the festival. Dressed in matching suits and ties, lead singer Andrew Wyatts along with his bandmates played tracks including “Black and Blue,” “Genghis Khan,” and “Animal.” 

What became the highlight of my day materialized with the performance by French indie rock band Phoenix. With the first note blasted from the speakers, an immediate recognition and excitement took hold of me as the band stood uniformly in line, backlit to reveal only their silhouettes. Opening the set with “Lisztomania,” there was no time to warm up before being hurled into a cosmic dance party. Being in the front row, my eyes were stunned into a trance with the colored array of lights flooding my vision. I felt a magnetic energy vibrating from the crowd behind me as the song, which was one on my bucket list of songs to see live, wrapped us up in a blanket of euphoria. The band followed it up with performances of other hit tracks including “Too Young,” “If I Ever Feel Better,” and “1901” with special guest Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend,  which I missed to catch the start of The War on Drugs. 

Though I missed out on the appearance of Koenig, it is not regretfully, as The War on Drugs put on a captivating show. Songs including “Pain,” “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” and “Red Eyes” were monuments along a journey through a dream-like atmosphere, one that made the construct of time fall away, and invited a chance to melt into a gooey state of enchantment. The combination of Granduciel’s vocals, the longing infused in the lyrics, and the velvety guitar created a scene I had to be dragged out of by a friend to be back at the other stage for the headliner The Postal Service.

The Postal Service captured the audience for a mesmerizing end to the night. The band stunned visually as they dressed cohesively in white, especially vocalist and guitarist Jenny Lewis as she glided across the stage, her white dress draping behind her to paint the floor. Lead Ben Gibbard and his bandmates gracefully delivered popular tracks including “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” and “Such Great Heights,” while the audience sang in unison for the last set of this year’s festival. 

Just like Heaven is a gem of a festival that should be on people’s radar for the coming year, as GoldenVoice harnesses the ability to pull together hibernating bands such as Miike Snow this year, and bands featured on last year’s lineup like MGMT and Empire of the Sun. The festival has left me already scanning the internet to find tickets for the upcoming shows of this year’s featured artists, and has left me anxious to find out who will make the lineup for 2025.

Articles and Photos by Bailey Schroerlucke

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