The perfect weekend for the perfect festival! Every Memorial Day Weekend in the beautiful city of Monterey, CA, the California Roots Music and Arts Festival takes place, bringing together people from near and far for unforgettable good time. While showgoers slowly took over the tiny town, the festival quickly put up all their beautiful banners, rolled out the green grass, and had decorations ready to supply us all with a wonderful weekend ahead. In its 15th year at the historic Monterey Fairgrounds, Caliroots provides the community with a variety of sounds, and this time around was nothing short of amazing vibes.
The event set up a variety of special areas where fans were encouraged to explore all the offerings: three stages (The Bowl, The Caliroots Stage, and the OG Stage), Vendor Alley (showcasing all the band merch), The Non Profits (highlighting the wonderful teams they work with), The Smoke Show (a 21+ interactive area), and the Food Vendors (home to some of the best festival food around). The weather made for an incredible environment to move and dance in; sunny with a little breeze from the beautiful Northern California Coast. Plus, with fans having options between GA and Redwood Passes, the festival aimed to please its 40,000 attendees with all it had to offer.
Pouring into the front gates Friday, some fans ran to secure their places on the rails and in their favorite spots while others cruised the grounds looking for their friends. Everyone was beaming with smiles and excitement for the weekend to come. Dubbest, a thriving reggae band from San Diego, started day one off by debuting their new song “Irresistible.” They were followed by Joe Samba and Bumping Uglies who continued the positive flow of things.
From St. Petersburg, Florida, The Hip Abduction brought their indie sound to the “Pacific Coast,” getting fans amped up and jamming to the beat. Collie Buddz delivered as usual – no, really, he had around 1,000 pizzas delivered and passed out to the crowd while they sang back every word to him. Rome Ramirez, making his first appearance solo (known as ROME), played his newer hits along with some of the classics that started him on his journey.
Closing out the Caliroots stage on night one was The Elovaters, bringing those who made the trek on Friday together for a quick feel of what an “Endless Summer” feels like. Rebelution lit up the night sky with their big full moon sitting atop the stage, and their always spectacular laser light show. This truly set the mood for the crowd as they sang songs like “Fade Away” and “Feelin’ Alright.”
Saturday morning had fans lining up, waiting, cheering, and chanting awaiting the opening of the festival gates. The smells from the food vendors led some towards their lines instead of the rail while the rest secured their spots for day two.
Salinas local Estrella had us in our “Feelings” as she got the day going. Boostive brought the whole team from Ocean Beach – horns and percussion included – to play all their best, including my personal favorite, “Es Lo Que Es”. Mike Love’s set brought medicine to the people in the form of sound while the sun hung high in the sky. The Movement, making their way from the East Coast, had everyone on their feet, playing their hits, like “Siren,” and their latest, “Make It Through.”
In between stages, Orange County bands Capital Dub and Burritos had people stopping in their tracks to have an impromptu jam sesh with their Sublime covers. J Boog brought the island vibes while Atmosphere made the “Sunshine” with fans singing back to his unique style of rapping. With the stars lighting up the sky, Iration had things glowing like the beautifully lit Caliroots trees, playing songs like “Daytripper,” “Fly with Me,” and “Time Bomb,” really bringing the nostalgia with their timeless songs; personally one of my favorite sets of the day.
Slightly Stoopid came in hot and packed the bowl nice and tight as the headlining act of the evening with “2am,” “Bandeleroz,” and “Happy.” They made sure to bring out Chali2na for “Just Thinking” and “Everyday Life,” always getting real loco and bringing the party.
Sunday fans were lined up and amped first thing in the morning. Staff, crew, and security were ready for the big day ahead. Josh Heinrich and friends had the main stage full for an early set, complete with giant joint beach balls and huge clouds of smoke for his single “Cannabis.” Cydeways followed up and really spun things around with their fun and unique sounds playing “Ocean” and “Sun Goes Down” amongst many for the fans.
Crowd favorite Landon McNamara had a very soulful energy to his set with “Deep Water” while Aurorawave played hard and heavy, bringing a little touch of metal with songs like “Villain” and “No Love Lost” to this mostly reggae fest. The Queen Eli-Mac danced her way into the hearts of the showgoers while their minds were put to ease by her smooth voice. Over at the other stage fans about lost their minds during the Steel Pulse set, truly a pleasure when the UK legends grace us with their musical presence; giving us all a good taste of their collection with songs like “Rally Round,” “Nyah Love,” and “Don’t Shoot.”
New to the festival, even we couldn’t believe it, was rapper and R&B singer T-Pain, who really had the whole bowl getting low, low, low, low. Blame it on luck or just the amazingness of this festival having him on the line up, but it brought back a lot of memories for the fans, highlighting the connecting we have with music. Closing out the second stage for the weekend was The Common Kings, finishing out with “Lost in Paradise,” “One Day,” and my favorite, their cover of the X-Men animated series outro, making sure to leave the Caliroots stage with love until next time.
While things came a close on one side of the grounds, the Bowl was just getting started. Huntington Beach natives Dirty Heads, having played this festival more than five times, knew EXACTLY how to finish the Caliroots party. From their heartfelt ballads like “Oxygen,” to heavy hitters like “‘Medusa,” not one hand was down. As the set ended and the lights came up, festival founder Dan Sheehan gave his closing statements and most of those hands that were once bobbing and waving to music were now wrapped around friends giving one last goodbye hug before making the trek back home – some saying “See you next week!” while others said “See you next year!”
California Roots weekend is always such a magical time. Fans can connect not only with their favorite bands and artist, but they get to reconnect with each other and make memories that will last a lifetime. Bringing showgoers back every year with their amazing lineup, wonderful vendors, and crew, it truly is a wonderful festival experience for all kinds for fans.
