Review | Fool in Love Festival Gathers Pop, Soul and R&B Greats in Los Angeles

Saturday – August 31, 2024: The tentative end of an era, or something like it, on the last day of an unassuming month. Featuring many of the greats of R&B, soul, funk, and disco, the Fool In Love Festival boasted a lineup so impressive it had the Internet questioning its legitimacy. 

But it was true. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. A last-of-our-lifetime event.

The audience wondered, “Will they do this again next year?” The festivities began with excitement and chaos.

Excitement because, with a lineup as stacked as it was, there was so much to try, taste, and treasure. 

Chaotic because set times conflicted with one another and the steaming blacktop had to have contained over 12,000 people. 

Fans had to make some tough choices: Kool & the Gang was playing during Diana Ross, who was playing during the Temptations. Could you choose between Al Green and Santana? How about Smokey Robinson and Nile Rodgers & Chic?

We planned to catch half a set here and half there, but little did we realize, that was everyone else’s plan too. 

Stages sprawled across Hollywood Park — Cruisin’, Bounce, Love, and Fool. Cruisin’ and Bounce majorly showcased quick 30-minute sets, filled to the brim with voracious fans, while Love and Fool offered more dancing room and spaced out set times.

We got stuck in a human jam trying to get from the Emotions’ set to The S.O.S. Band, which we ended up missing. We arrived at the Bounce stage just in time to see Shalamar turn to face the crowd on a moving platform.

Many acts were missing a few original members. Jody Watley was obviously missed from Shalamar, as were Sheila and Jeanette Hutchinson from the Emotions. Wanda Vaughn of the Emotions took the stage, her trio completed with Crystal Wilson and Wyann Vaughn. What really struck me wasn’t just hearing their songs live, but the way they sang them. With their gospel backgrounds, each run, note, and harmony was so skillfully precise.

Shalamar was packed. I half wondered if we were among many in the S.O.S. Band reject crowd. Before launching into “Make That Move,” Carolyn Griffey called out, “Los Angeles, our hometown — are you ready to groove with Shalamar today?”

Did it feel like L.A.? Sure — at other times, it was its own universe where the exact moment in time wasn’t even clear. You had the Temptations delivering an eternal quintet act with their synchronized dancing, snappy harmonies, and dazzling blue suits. Then Chaka Khan’s fiery set, pulling largely from her Rufus days: “Do You Love What You Feel,” “Sweet Thing,” and  “Ain’t Nobody.” And there was Diana Ross singing the blues, covering Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain.”

Pair that with the fact that there were three different renditions of “My Girl”: Al Green, the Temptations, and then Smokey Robinson — maybe chronologically confused, but the audience was carefree and content. 

Green’s set was a moment much anticipated. With his more recent appearances being scattered, the audience knew this was an occasion to seize. Throwing roses to the crowd, his voice crackling through the speakers, Green stirred memories of the songs you cherished or the new moments you wished to create.

With the music being so bass-heavy, you’d think I would have remembered to pack my earphones. Even during Gladys Knight — who was so cute, by the way, with her heartfelt “Midnight Train To Georgia” — the bass was such a presence, I contemplated grabbing wads of toilet paper to protect my eardrums.

An all-you-can-eat buffet. You came in knowing what you liked but ended up trying everything. Walking and getting stuck in the crowd, we found ourselves running into unexpected acts. En route to the Isley Brothers, we stumbled upon The Whispers’ “And the Beat Goes On.” A bucket-list moment in the making —  I learned how to strut walk on my skates to that song.

Then there was Smokey Robinson. Dressed in red leather pants and a matching poet blouse, he danced with just about every woman on that stage. He conducted the rapt crowd like an orchestra during “Cruisin’.”

The festival also featured some newer faces — Durand Jones & the Indications (“Sea Gets Hotter” and “Is It Any Wonder,” anyone?) as well as Thee Sacred Souls. Both bands really embrace that vintage aesthetic; hell, when their music popped into my Discover Weekly, I mistakenly thought both were ‘70s bands. They blended effortlessly into the lineup, positioning themselves as the acts to carry on the legacy. You may have heard the viral TikTok song, “Can I Call You Rose?” That would be Thee Sacred Souls. Nothing was stopping the ones that knew about them from getting to the front of that stage. 

Watching Carlos Santana play is a sheer privilege. Hit after hit — he played from a seated position, as we later learned he was preparing for corrective back surgery. His set felt like watching a studio jam session, with him brilliantly riffing off his band. 

Lionel Richie and George Clinton closed out the night. Two very different sets from two very different artists. George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic gave a high-energy performance, highlighting each of the numerous members on stage. Richie ran through his long list of accolades. You got to salsa to “All Night Long” and sway to “We Are the World,” a song I was pleasantly surprised to hear live. If you listened hard enough, you could hear Tina Turner belting out her verse from heaven. (RIP, Queen.)

How else does one summarize a 12-hour festival? Starting at 11 a.m., the festival saw its final bows at 11 p.m. The fans that powered through had an undying need to witness every moment. Despite the hiccups along the way and braving the Los Angeles fever, they walked away with a goldmine. 

The fans — the keepers of the music and the memories.

The Fools still in Love.