Lightning in a Bottle festival mixes music and spirituality

On Memorial Day weekend, The Do LaB hosted their annual music festival, Lightning in a Bottle, in Bradley, California, and festival goers were more than impressed by this year’s performances and activities. Involving music, yoga classes and meditation rooms, Lightning in a Bottle brightened up everyone’s weekend by creating a space where artists and music lovers alike could come together and connect over their love for music and spirituality.

Three music stages graced the empty river bend that served as the location for the festival. The Lightning Stage, Thunder Stage and The Woogie hosted artists such as Odesza, SBTRKT, JackLNDN, Bakermat, Thomas Jack, GRiZ, RL Grime, and headliner Flume. This year’s LiB was Flume’s first time headlining an American festival, and he repeatedly thanked his fans and the festival promoters during his set for making it happen.

The Australian native started his set on the Lightning Main Stage Saturday night setting the mood with “Holdin On,” “Insane,” and his Disclosure remix of “You & Me.” He gave a shout-out to his former What So Not partner, Emoh Instead, and played “Touched” for the fans who remembered the duo together. Before treating his fans with his most popular remix of Lorde’s “Tennis Court,” Flume also performed an unreleased track for the crowd.

The Woogie Stage was where a lot of tropical and deep house producers played, including Thomas Jack and Bakermat. The two were listed back-to-back on the schedule, but their sets blended into one. The two producer/DJ’s wore matching British Royal Guard jackets and appeared in each other’s sets dancing right beside one another. Backstage, Thomas Jack kept the party going by dancing with press and staff members.

GRiZ brought his signature jazz/funk sound to the Thunder Stage Friday night and impressed the crowd with his talents in not only producing music and mixing his sounds, but also playing the saxophone live. His live performance was just as good, if not better than his recorded tracks heard on SoundCloud.

RL Grime, who headlined the Thunder Stage, opened with “Valhalla” and filled the rest of his set with heavy trap music and strong bass drops. The American producer was the last performance of the weekend, the perfect end to festivities.

Though the performers were unforgettable, it was the people who attended Lightning in a Bottle who truly made the festival what it was. Though some might say strangers came together for one weekend, it felt as if no one was really a stranger at all. The level of generosity and kindness among the people who filled the festival grounds was outstanding. While walking through the heat and making their way through and around the festival, people happily encouraged one another and kept an upbeat atmosphere by sticking their hands out to each other and sharing high fives while walking past along the bridges, screaming, “We’re all here together!”

Lightning in a Bottle and the members of the Confluence and The Do Lab know how to put together a health conscious and eco-friendly festival that celebrates life. The weekend was uplifting, enlightening and even life changing as photographers, artists, musicians, dancers, chefs, yogis and festival goers came together and became one big festival family. The happy vibes were contagious, and no one left without a smile on their face after just experiencing what may have possibly been one of the happiest festivals.