Fool In Love Festival 2024

Fun fact, disco isn’t dead. Not only is it alive and well in the hearts of those who lived through the 70s, but it prospers in the younger generations (aka, products of those who lived through the 70s). And funk, soul, and R&B never went anywhere; if anything, they’ve gained momentum since their inception. After global crisis after crisis, political scandal after scandal, we all need to be reminded of how to funk on down and boogie to the beat. Hell, music helped America move on from Vietnam. Well, that and cocaine.

What the world needs, more than ever, is the resurrection of 70s “Good Times”. Minus the cocaine.

The time to board the “Love Train” was August 30th, 2024 via the inaugural Fool In Love Fest. Once aboard, Los Angeles was advised to”Get Down On It”, “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker” — next stop, “Boogie Wonderland” (The Emotions version, not Earth, Wind & Fire, as the latter was playing San Diego that evening). And boy, what a hot and steamy train it was…

Temperatures at Sofi Stadium were predicted to be in the high 70s (how appropriate), but — another fun fact — LA’s smog magnifies direct sunlight, making the asphalt of the Sofi parking lot radiate a gajillion degrees. Slathering on sunscreen, attendees lined up early with chairs slung over shoulders right at 11am — ready for a full day of sun and fun. Up first on the main Fool Stage was The Spinners, clad all in white and singing the hits right off the bat: “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” followed by “It’s A Shame” followed by “I’ll Be Around”. What a way to start the day! Spinning all the way to the rotating Bounce stage, early attendees got to see a few songs from The McCharmleys, Los Yesterdays, and El Debarge while the far Cruisin Stage warmed up with Bobby Oroza and Lady Wray.

But let’s take a moment to acknowledge how 80 iconic bands were packed into one single day…

It was physically impossible to catch it all, as set times started 10 to 15 minutes apart across four stages — with the smaller two stages pumping out bands every 15 to 20 minutes! That’s two to three songs a band, with at least a mile of walking from one end of the festival grounds to the other. Then, add in thousands — possibly tens of thousands — of people. Bottom line, you had to plan your day ahead of time to catch the acts you wanted to see.

C3 Presents did a good job at laying out the stages although there were a few bottlenecks as the fest filled up, particularly to the far Bounce and Cruisin Stages, not to mention the amount of people guarding their main stage spots with chairs and blankets. By midday, the whole place was monopolized, with shaded areas almost impossible to attain from the unrelenting heat. It was cutthroat for a second there…

But before the territorial wars was a nice morning, with The Jacksons kicking off the Love Stage in royal splendor. Dancing choreographed in sparkly suits, original members Marlon, Tito, and Jackie Jackson (with younger generations joining in), the new Jackson 5 performed hits of yesteryear like “Can You Feel It” and “ABC” and even a tribute to their late brother with “Rock With You”.

Walking over to the Bounce Stage, you could hear the end of Baby Bash, MC Magic, Lil Rob, and Frankie J singing “Cyclone” — the only true contrast to the day. Not gonna lie, I got a little ghetto twerking to that one before the queen of booty shaking, Evelyn Champagne King, came out. Unfortunately, the Bounce Stage had sounds issues from the start, making Evelyn — and all who came after — a little late to their 15-minute slot. That said, once she did get going, Evelyn Champagne King CRUSHED her remaining time, shaking and grooving to “I’m In Love” and even dropping it to the floor SEVERAL TIMES during “Love Come Down”, like she was 40 years younger. Impressive is an understatement.

Equally impressive was what to come next — the inequivalent Pointer Sisters.

Dressed in red pleather was the only original member, Ruth, backed by her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako (or, as I am now on refering to her, Baby Pointer). I’m obsessed with Baby Pointer; from high kicks to vibrating like a massage chair, you couldn’t take your eyes off her. Although without the three other sisters, it was fulfilling seeing the songs live on through three generations onstage!

Next up, Eric Burdon (sans his Animals) took over the Love Stage before The Emotions kept the Fool Stage going. And you can visibly see the emotions these ladies had as they took the stage! As the day went on, I caught The O’Jays, The Whispers, and The Isley Brothers, while (what seemed like) innumerable other acts were going on, including Heatwave, The Dramatics, and The Bar-Kays featuring Larry Dodson. But the Isley Brothers were the right pick, since they brought out back up dancers dressed in white: Ronald looking like a pimp with a gold cane and Ernie playing his guitar behind his back — and even with his mouth — rocking a lace durag.

It was a bummer missing The Commodores, but there was no way of getting there in time. We settled for hearing “Brick House” as we checked out the food and merch lines, while Gladys Knight took “The Midnight Train to Georgia”, smiling from ear to ear on the. Fool Stage. By the time we got to the Cruisin Stage, Mayer Hawthorne — a younger act — entertained the crowd with their modern take on funk and soul. Yay, Millennials keeping thr groove going! Running back to the Love Stage in time for Chaka Khan, it was getting to the point of no mobility with the amount of people in the place. People were getting grumpy, too, from the heat… which prompted a nice break for a delicious, chilled mocktail from the conveniently located Mocktail Bar!! As a sober Sally, I wish more festivals would take C3’s initiative to promote alternative, non-alcoholic options for adults who want to party without the poison! The line for the booth was longer than I’d expected, which made me proud of complete strangers.

Considering photography wasn’t allowed for headliners Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, I made the executive decision to make my way over to the Bounce Stage — and stay put. Even though that meant missing Nile Rodgers & Chic, Santana, Smokey Robinson, and Al Green (among so many others, like Durand Jones, The Temptations, Los Lobos, etc.), it was either one stage or die of heatstroke and dirty looks. So the Bounce Stage it was, with Rose Royce singing “Car Wash” before The Legendary Blue Notes kept Harold Melvin’s memory alive.

Then, to quote Jay and Silent Bob, it was time for “the greatest band in the world — Morris Day and the MF TIME”!!

Fabulous as ever, Morris Day danced, checked his watch, and then danced some more. Despite more technical difficulties, the set was exquisite (and even during the difficulties, people shouted “it’s OK, take your TIME!” and “Morris Day ain’t got TIME for this”, which had the crowd laughing). My life was complete watching “Jungle Love” live — something I’ve ALWAYS wanted. The energy came down a bit after that, with The Manhattans and The Chi-Lites (although still entertaining). But before anyone got too comfortable, Tower of Power brought the party back up with horns a’blaring.

Sigh, it was around this time — despite my best efforts to hydrate, find shade, and apply sun protection — that the heatstroke set in. Sardined at the far end of the fest, there wasn’t a way to see any of the other stages anyway, so I made the executive decision to leave early. If my health held on, I would’ve caught Kool & The Gang, War, Zapp, and the king of funk himself, George Clinton alongside his Parliament Funkadelic. Hopefully, I can redeem myself with these bands next time around.

All in all, this was an epic day of absolutely incredible music — filled to the brim with bands that should never be forgotten in time. If only the weather played a little nicer. Maybe next year!

Photography by Kristy Rose

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