Re:SET Los Angeles Music Festival 2023

The summer music festival season started off over the June 2-4 weekend with Re:Set Los Angeles, despite not having a typical festival feeling. The organizers even admitted on their site that this was their goal. “Re:SET was conceived as. an artist and fan friendly alternative to the standard summer concert experience. “

Overall, the vibe was basically “be relaxed.” There was no assigned seating and the participants could sprawl out on the grass. Otherwise, it was standing room only.  People of all ages could attend, and kids who were under the age of five got free entry.

The concerts were played at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and the first artists usually took the stage around 5:15. They got 40 minutes, while the subsequent acts got between 50 minutes and an hour. The headliners were given an hour and a half.  

Friday, June 2 – Some RB/Soul, WIth Fousheé and Steve Lacy,  Alternative With Toro Y Moi, and Electronica with James Blake

(Britanny) Fousheé, who started her musical career in New York as a folk artist, was the first performer. She’s been very eclectic over the course of her time as an artist, doing everything from covering Depeche Mode to playing ambient music. Her set time was short, with her playing four songs – “Sing About Love,” “Stupid B—h,” “Paper Plane,” and “Deep End.” 

Toro Y Moi, aka Chaz Bear, brought his unique blend of chillwave, hip-hop, and indie rock to the stage next. He wowed the audience with 14 songs, including one of them being a Flume cover (“The Difference). The songs spanned the decades, like “Rose Quartz,” “Girl Like You,” and “Mirage,” which he kicked off his set with. 

James Blake was the third performer. The British artist played a mix of his own songs and covers from artists and bands like Bill Withers, Frank Ocean, Feist, and Metro Boomin. He started off with “Life Round Here,” which he recorded with Chance the Rapper. Overall, he played 11 songs, and he ended with “Coming Back.”

Finally, Steve Lacy, he of the futuristic-looking sunglasses, was the headliner. He’d performed with Fousheé before and he brought her out for one of his 21 songs (“Sunshine”).There was also one cover, Connan Mockasin’s “I’m The Man That Will Find You.”  He ended with an acoustic intro for “Dark Red.”  

Saturday, June 3 – An Indie Feel With Bartees Strange, Some R&B/Soul With Dijon, Alternative with Clairo, and the Indie Supergroup, BoyGenius

Saturday saw Bartees Strange be the first on the stage. The native Oklahoman has worked in all genres, including electronica, alt-rock, and folk. His set began with “Ghostly” and weaved through seven other songs before ending with “Boomer,” a true head-bopper. 

After that, the audience heard Dijon, a singer/songwriter from Maryland. He showcased his vulnerability throughout his set, though he didn’t play one of his more popular songs, “Skin.” He opened with “Big Mike’s,” which wouldn’t be out of place on a country album. There was the more upbeat “The Dress,” Dijon played six songs and ended with “Rodeo Clown.” 

Clairo had a very eventful set. The singer from Atlanta, Georgia, played 13 songs, and had to even restart one of them due to someone in the audience fainting. She started off with “Bambi” and ended with “Bags.” 

For the uninitiated, there is nary a man in BoyGenius, who headlined Saturday’s show. It’s actually a group that comprises three successful solo artists – Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. They released an album in 2023 called “the record.” They played 21 songs in all, with three of them being songs from each one’s solo careers. 

Sunday, June 4 – LCD Soundsystem Closed It Out,  Along With Big Freedia, Idles, and Jamie   

Big Freedia, a diva from New Orleans, was the first performer on Sunday. She played 9 original songs and also covered both Drake and Beyoncé. 

Idles crossed the Pond to play at Re:SET. The British rock band, who formed in 2009, lived up to their eclectic nature. They covered Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which is… weird in June. Another song was titled “Never Fight a Man WIth a Perm.” The audience loved their work. 

Jamie xx, another visitor from Britain, weaved his electronic music to the crowd over the course of an hour. The man got his start with some backing from Drake, so they knew that he had talent. He showed it that night. 

James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem took the stage last and their set list encompassed their entire careers, with earlier songs like “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” and more fairly recent ones like “Oh Baby.” Their last three songs included the somber “Someone Great,” “Losing My Edge,” and finally, “Home.”