Day Two
The biggest communal sing-along of the weekend came during Of Monsters and Men. There’s just something about the Icelandic group’s tunes that makes you want to empty your lungs with every note. Led by their energetic and boisterous frontwoman Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, the band churned through a litany of recognizable hits, including “Dirty Paws,” Mountain Sound” and “Little Talks.” Material from their latest album, Fever Dream, is heavier than previous work, but still blended seamlessly into the set at Life Is Beautiful.
Of Monsters and Men
Several years ago, I was interviewing a band who had the fortune of touring alongside Janelle Monáe. They described her music as “from another planet” and watching her on stage at Life Is Beautiful, I finally understood what they meant. Monáe is a powerful performer with unmatched charisma, able to glide effortlessly between funk-, dance- and soul-inspired tracks. Choreographed dance moves, costume changes and stunning visuals were all part of her impressive display. “Pynk,” “Make Me Feel” and “I Like That” were among the set’s highlights, but even those unfamiliar with the singer’s work couldn’t help but be enthralled with her dynamic presence.
Janelle Monae
With a massive crowd, likely aided by the cancellation of Lil’ Wayne who had been scheduled at the same time, Whethan delivered one of the most memorable DJ sets of the weekend. Armed with an eclectic combination of remixes and original material, the 19-year-old powered through a blistering array of dance tracks. The young star is clearly ready to headline some of Vegas’ biggest nightclubs, even if he’s technically not old enough to enter them yet.
The Black Keys latest album is called Let’s Rock and that’s exactly what they did during their Day 2 headlining set. Over the course of their hour and a half set, Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney and their band delivered the kind of dynamic performance that makes your arm hair stand on end. The list of hits was as long as it was impressive, including “I Got Mine,” “Little Black Submarines,” “Gold on the Ceiling,” “Tighten Up,” “Lo/Hi” and “Howlin’ for You.” Still, it was their last song that really got people talking. After Auerbach wryly commented on Lil’ Wayne’s aforementioned cancellation, the frontman welcomed “Big Wayne” to the stage, aka Wayne Newton. The legendary Las Vegas singer crooned along to the Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy” as the rock duo punctuated their set with an emphatic rendition of their 2011 hit song. Sure, the 77-year-old Newton looked a little lost and opted to do more smiling and dancing than actual singing, but it was Wayne freaking Newton!
Following the Black Keys, I high-tailed it from the main stage to the other end of the festival grounds to catch what was left of Rufus Du Sol’s set. Though I only caught a handful of songs, the Australian trio left an impression with their stellar electronic anthems like “Treat You Better” and “No Place,” the latter of which was accompanied by a showering of confetti, launched onto the crowd by several on stage cannons.
Other Day 2 Notes: I saw Dashboard Confessional twice today—once at the festival itself and earlier in the day at the Life If Beautiful pool party. The poolside performance, which was just frontman Chris Carrabba delivering an acoustic set, was surprisingly my favorite of the two. Regardless, emo is still alive, and the fans I witnessed singing along to “Vindicated” are proof. Banks is an engaging and unique artist armed with a catalog of songs that are both catchy and deeply personal. Her emphatic performance on the Huntridge stage was one of the festivals’ hidden gems. Lil Wayne’s cancellation was the talk of the fest for most of the day. While no official reason was given, there were rumors that he refused to take the stage if he was not allowed to play gunshot sound effects within his set (a tactic he’s been using for many years). Vegas was the site of a tragic festival shooting several years ago, so it would be understandable if the festival's producers were adamantly against such use.
