In Part 1, I covered general information about Kaaboo, as well as things we wished that we’d known beforehand. Part 2 (this post) I’ll cover our specific Kaaboo experience in 2017. In Part 3, I talked about what we did in our time away from Kaaboo. And in Part 4, I provided my Kaaboo Del Mar packing list (what I took, and what I wished that I’d taken with me).
My friend Jamie and I went to Kaaboo Del Mar 2017 and attended all three days of the festival, Friday through Sunday. We arrived in the afternoons and stayed through past the end of the headliners. We chose not to come very early, so that we could use our mornings for sleeping in and sightseeing. It worked well for us, and probably would be what I’d do again if I attend in the future.
Friday
On Friday, we arrived in time for the Smash Mouth concert at the Grandview Stage. We stayed long enough to get a glimpse and a few photos of DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal).
We then headed over to the Sunset Cliffs Stage to for X Ambassadors, Weezer, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Throughout these three sets, we worked our way forward through and with the crowd, and ended fairly close to the stage for the Chili Peppers. The shows were amazing.
I listened to quite a bit of X Ambassadors before going to Kaaboo, so I knew most of the songs and really enjoyed their set.
I, of course, knew of Weezer and knew some of their songs. But I was shocked at how many of their songs I knew all the words to, and how obsessed their fans were.
And of course Red Hot Chili Peppers know how to put on a hell of a show. Flea is just so incredibly entertaining to watch.
Saturday
On Saturday, we arrived in time for about half of the Toad and the Wet Sprocket set at the Trestles Stage.
We then wandered around the fairgrounds, checked out the art galleries, and caught a couple of songs from Garbage set at the Sunset Cliffs Stage, but didn’t stay long because we wanted to check out Jane’s Addiction. We didn’t enjoy them nearly as much as we thought we would, so we skipped out after about half of their set.
Our plan was to try to see the whole of The Wallflowers show at the Trestles Stage, but did manage to catch about 10 minutes of Ice Cube at the Sunset Cliffs Stage before heading over. Ice Cube is a true entertainer, so it was painful to tear ourselves away. But I LOVE The Wallflowers, with their One Headlight album being among the first in my CD collection. At the Trestles Stage, we ended up very close to the stage, which made the show even more enjoyable.
After leaving The Wallflowers, we thought we’d check out Muse at the Grandview Stage. Because we arrived later, we were way in the back. And because of how the ground is sloped in that area, we had a really hard time seeing the stage, which sort of sucked. So we decided we’d rather be able to see Pink playing on the Sunset Cliffs Stage, and headed back over there to finish out our evening of concerts. Pink was awesome, and I’m really glad that we caught her show, even from quite a ways away. I’d love to see her perform again, because she is just an amazing singer and performer.
After a hellish experience on Friday night trying to get out of the fairgrounds, we decided to try to catch a comedian. Fortunately we arrived early enough to snag some seats, and watched Sebastian Maniscalco. He was hilarious, and it was a fun (but very late) end to our night.
Sunday
On Sunday, Jamie and I wanted to be as close as we could possibly get for Tom Petty, since that one concert was the reason that we even went to San Diego for Kaaboo, so we decided not to bounce around but just stay at the Sunset Cliffs Stage for the duration. We watched Live first. I was surprised that I knew most of their songs, as I didn’t think I was familiar with them.
We then saw Alanis Morissette, with a really fun group of guys who told us that she was the reason that they’d attended the festival. Singing along to nearly all of her songs with this group was certainly a highlight of the trip. I’m bummed that we didn’t get a photo together.
While waiting for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, we met a couple from Arizona and started chatting with them between the sets. We each listed one song that we were hoping the Heartbreakers would play during their show, and none ended up disappointed.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers put on a truly incredible show. The whole experience was magical. Jamie and I ended the night so grateful that we were able to see Petty play, and that we’d love to see him play again.
**Just a couple of weeks after our return from Kaaboo Del Mar, Tom Petty died. And last month we found out that he had a broken hip and emphysema while playing the tour. From the audience there truly was no indication that he was injured or ill, or on the kind of strong medications that would ultimately lead to his death. The death of Tom Petty is truly a loss to music and to the world. He is a legend. And although I’ll never be able to see him play live again, I am even more grateful for the opportunity to see him perform this one time.
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