Review | Just Like Heaven at the Rose Bowl
Goldenvoice Music Festival Brings Millennials and Indie Rock Fans to Pasadena
Just Like Heaven isn’t just the name of one of The Cure’s hit songs, it’s the one-day music festival presented by Coachella producer Goldenvoice. The fourth installment of the indie-alt-rock festival hosted performances throughout a jam-packed day, which was held at the Brookside at the Rose Bowl on May 18 in sunny Pasadena. Brookside, a 36-hole golf complex, gave plenty of room for the large crowds to spaciously groove to the songs many millennials grew up downloading on to their iPods.
The lineup featured The Postal Service, Phoenix, Death Cab for Cutie, The War on Drugs, Miike Snow, Passion Pit, Alvvays, Two Door Cinema Club, Phantogram, Metric, Gossip, Washed Out, and more. The nostalgia for millennials was a quintessential high school reunion for their favorite 2000’s alt rock bands and electro dance music. Just Like Heaven (JLH) featured two stages, along with a unique dance club hosted by Los Angeles based travel-party group, A Club Called Rhona.
I managed to catch more than half of the artists performing, which meant going back and forth between two stages. The walk from the Orion stage (main stage) to the Stardust stage (secondary stage) took about five minutes, which allowed festival goers easy access to catch simultaneous performances on a beautiful 73 degree day. Vendors were abundant, selling a diverse array of food and drink options, along with JLH merchandise that came in handy when the temperature dropped at night.
A highlight performance from Phantogram, the New York duo of Sara Barthal and Josh Carter had the crowd jumping early to some of their biggest hits; “Black Out Days,” “Fall in Love,” “When I’m Small.” They also debuted a new single, “All A Mystery”, which will be featured on their brand new album. Phantogram, opening for Kings of Leon on their upcoming tour, will be playing at the Santa Barbara Bowl on August 26. “The tour will be focused on promoting our new album coming in the fall,” Carter said.
The Orion stage kept the party pumping as Two Door Cinema Club and Passion Pit performed a line-up of nostalgic indie rock songs. Two Door Cinema Club played hits such as, “What You Know,” “Undercover Martyn,” and “I Can Talk,” from their popular 2010 album Tourist History. Passion Pit ended their set with their hit single, “Take a Walk,” which in fact had no one walking, but instead had the crowd dancing and jumping into the sunset.
As the sun settled into the night, Death Cab for Cutie was up and performed their 2003 album, Transatlanticism, in its entirety. Phoenix took the stage right after and had the crowd singing along to their hit tracks, “1901” and “Lisztomania” from their popular 2009 album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The last act on the Stardust stage was The War on Drugs, which was my personal favorite performance of the day. With drums that packed a punch, both acoustic and electric guitars, steady bass lines paired with amazing vocals from frontman Adam Grandiciel. I was hypnotized by their performance from start to finish. Headliner The Postal Service closed out the day on the Orion stage by playing their platinum selling album Give Up, and finished their set with an encore performance covering Depeche Mode’s, “Enjoy the Silence.”
Goldenvoices’s streak of high-level concert production continues throughout the rest of 2024. Billing some great acts here at our very own Santa Barbara Bowl, including Pentatonix, Totally Tubular Festival, Cage the Elephant, along with a host of other shows throughout Northern and Southern California. Be on the lookout for one of their newer music festivals, Portola, which will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area’s Pier 80 in September. Portola will feature some of the best electronic music acts in today’s musicscape such as Gesaffelstien, Justice, Rufus Du Sol, and more.
Two Door Cinema Club | Credit: @kirbygladstein 
Two Door Cinema Club | Credit: @kirbygladstein 
Phantogram | Credit: @michaeldrummondphoto 
Phantogram | Credit: @michaeldrummondphoto 
The War On Drugs | Credit: @quasarmedia 
The War On Drugs | Credit: @quasarmedia 
Death Cab for Cutie | Credit: @ashelyosborn 
A Club Called Rhonda | Credit: @ashelyosborn
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