The Portola Music Festival Experience

On the 24th of September 2022, the Portola Music Festival commenced on Pier 80 at noon sharp. As all the attendees made their way toward the entrance of Portola, a chilling excitement could be felt and seen throughout all the colorfully dressed individuals. This festival felt like a rebirth for the city of San Francisco after the various years of COVID-19, as turnout was estimated to be within the tens of thousands. For the first time, Portola created an overall experience that met the expectation of many electronic music lovers, creating a place where they could find the largest and smallest artists coming together to celebrate the music they love.

The festival was divided into four stages: Pier, Warehouse, Crane, and Ship. The main stage being Pier, held headlining artists. Warehouse was the only enclosed stage, and two tents held the Crane and Ship stages.

Pier was by far the largest and in the central area of Portola Fest. This stage had incredible views, with the SF skyline perfectly framed to the right of the stage. Surrounded by the bay with the city in the distance, it was as though those of us there were the only ones left on Earth, secluded from the hecticness of the city and living within it.

Day one on the main stage held artists such as Gioli and Assia, a powerful couple who performed at 2pm, whose music brought shock waves throughout the crowd. Towards the end of the night, The Avalanches took the main stage with their unique takes on the electronic genre. A personal highlight was hearing The Avalanche’s
song “Oh the Sunn!”, as I have a soft spot for 70’s-esque dance music. Closing off day one on the same stage was the iconic Flume. Both artists gave the crowd what they wanted, performing their well-known songs that encouraged us to dance throughout the night.

To the left of the Pier, the stage was the Warehouse. Once inside it was shocking to see how large the space was. Within the dark enclosure, thousands had seemed to fit perfectly. Lights flashed green, red, and blue. The thumping of the music reverberated within the space and rocked us all into submission to the artists. However, one of the downsides to this space was the narrowness, making it difficult to see the artists in their element for the majority of the audience.

The musicians who performed here on day one brought an energy that pulled everyone into a dance mania. PinkPantheress, originally from the United Kingdom, was one of the artists who was simply a joy to watch. As she moved about the stage, all eyes were on her comfortable, black suede tracksuit and black leather purse never leaving her shoulder. Those who chose to catch her set made the right choice, as they vibed to the sound of her soft yet hyper-pop fused voice. 

Another artist that took the warehouse stage was Fred Again. Fred Again dressed in a white shirt, black vest, and baggy pants, standing behind the DJ booth delivering an ambiance of carefree fun. Crowds flocked to see the DJ in the warehouse causing some issues with security and safety. Individuals were flooding the entrances and exits and causing security to hold all incoming people due to the dangerously packed environment. Many missed the start of Charlie XCX and out of frustration began jumping the fence at the exit of the Warehouse. For onlookers, it was a scare and a disappointment as security became aggressive while unsuccessfully attempting to gain control of the crowd. Eventually, the issue was resolved just in time to catch Charlie XCX’s performance. This singer was fully aflame as she danced around with those on and off the stage. In a leather skirt and top, Charlie XCX wowed all with her ability to ease what had at one moment been tension and turn it into electrifying, pop bliss.

The third stage on the premise was the Ship Tent. While not as large as many of the other stages, Ship held greatness in the form of amazing artists, such as indie pop artists Caroline Polachek and Venezuelan DJ Arca.

Ever outstanding, Arca was the last to perform on the Ship stage, who always shakes the crowd to the core with their defining and powerful stage presence. Glamorous disco balls spun above the heads of the crowd and artists alike, creating the illusion of being in a 1970’s disco fest of sound, enclosing you within a trance. Ship tent made a name for itself and the smaller artists within it, creating a never-ending party. 

 

Finally, there was the Crane stage. Behind this tent stood the large crane which hung lazily overhead. Within was a very similar setup as Ship,  but instead of one giant disco ball, many scattered around the space creating a shimmering effect on the bodies of all. One of the many fascinating artists that performed there that Saturday was Mochakk, a DJ who hails from Brazil. This musician has an incredible way of building electric music from an almost lulling to dance-your-pants-off mode.

As the last acts of the night ended and the sound around the Portola Festival slowly reached its end, my coworkers at the Berkeley B-side and I were undoubtedly exhausted. Though, we could not wait for day two and the next round of artists on our lineup.

Day Two

The second day of the Portola Music Festival was very similar to the first in the sense that all seemed to enjoy themselves profusely. The greatest difference however was that the event seemed to run much smoother. Artists played their sets on time and technical issues such as sound and/or lights were fixed. Crowds ranging from all backgrounds showed up that day to watch the likes of James Blake, Yves Tumor, Toro y Moi, Peggy Gou, etc.

On the stage Pier, three major artists performed on the final night of the weekend-long festival: Toro y Moi, a Bay Area native, sang “Freelance” which was quite funny due to the repeated line of Patagonia considering we were in the land of Patagonia’s biggest fans; secondly was James Blake who took the stage. Happily enough, it happened to be Blake’s birthday, so the crowd did a lovely rendition of happy birthday to which he laughed while blushing just a bit. He played a touching rendition of “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean along with his original masterpiece “Retrograde”; finally the closing act of the night The Chemical Brothers opened with the 1997 hit “Block Rockin’ Beats.” The British Duo did not let down as they performed some of their most iconic pieces. As the two played, the visuals behind them of odd creatures resembled what you may see in a Ghost Busters Movie.

The second stage, Warehouse, like Pier was no disappointment. Channel Tres, also known as Sheldon Young, originally from Compton, California. One of the songs they chose to perform that night, which received quite a lot of attention, was “Jet Black”. Crowd members could be seen dancing along to each word they spoke. Artists also Duke Dumont took the stage that day, impressing with his song “Ocean Drive”.

On our third stage, Crane, The Blessed Madonna walked out and played a remix of Tame Impala’s “Let it Happen” which created a sense of peace and joy, as they danced along to one of the grooviest songs made. And finally, one of the most popular acts of the night was Peggie Gou. The South Korean artist attracted a large crowd that oozed out of the tent. Peggy Gou made her presence known, through her undebatable popularity and ability to attract quite an impressive crowd.

And finally, on the last stage, Ship tent many great artists performed but the most notable of that day was Yves Tumor. An artist like this I have never experienced before. Yves Tumor was born in Florida but bases their art in Italy. This barrier-bending artist wore an avant-garde white suit that contradicted their sounds that resemble 80s hair bands and Punk Rock. Their performance was indescribable as it blended sounds, genres, and styles. All around the crowd was fully immersed, especially when Yves Tumor threw themselves into the crowd, propped up by their photographer. Following suit was the incredible lead guitarist who managed to exquisitely play while crowd surfing. The outstanding song of the night was “Gospel for a New Century” during which no one in the crowd could be seen standing still. What an incredible group.

Day two of the Portola Festival was just as exciting as the first. As our small group of friends and I left Pier 80 behind with its tents, stages, warehouse, ships, and cranes we could not stop gushing over the incredible artists and people who we had been surrounded by all weekend long. I cannot wait to see what this festival has in store. I can see many more years to come of the Portola Festival and its electronic-focused music taking San Francisco by storm.

Words by Carolina Munce & Layla Mahmoud

Photos by Riley Colins