Last weekend it happened.

The perfect storm of surf, sun and ska crashed ashore as Huntington Beach, California hosted the BIGGEST Ska/Punk music festival in the last 20 years.

🌊 🌞 🎶

The Back to the Beach Festival, is the brainchild of Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and Goldfinger front man John Feldman. 30,000 people attended each day of the festival which featured 16 scheduled bands and countless of surprise guests.

I originally posted about this festival HERE, but here is another quick look at all the bands scheduled to play.

Day 1 - Saturday, April 28

Doors on the first day opened at noon. Things were a little disheveled at the start (one unannounced band started before anyone besides the VIP crowd were in the venue), but things sorted themselves fast enough.

Being at the show was a bit like being on Tatooine.

Everything was on sand, food vendors, merch booths... It was so hard to walk through all the sand.

The sun (plus the reflection off of the sand and ocean) made a good hat, sunscreen and sunglasses must haves on the day.

Spread throughout the venue were games (Jenga, cornhole), novelties (ride a mechanical shark), a kid zone and plenty of instagramable vignettes.

There is nothing here to demonstrate perspective, but these beach chairs were MASSIVE.

Friend & Hubs posing in matching Bart Ska-mpson t-shirts.

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YOU DON’T KNOW SKA?!!

source - Portlandia

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Big D and the Kids Table

The first band of note on day one was Big D and the Kids Table. Big D were joined on stage by the Doped Up Dollies for a high energy 30 minute set. Both bands hail from Boston, Massachusetts.

🎶 Noise Complaint ⬇️

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After Big D, Mad Caddies and Suicide Machines both played sets, but I was lost in sand dune looking for food. I found this! The Elote Dog, supposedly the favorite hot dog of Los Angeles.

Hot dog wrapped in bacon with a Mexican corn salsa, cotija cheese and sriracha mayo.

Recipe HERE

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Less Than Jake

Less Than Jake are one of my very favorites. Infact, I like them so much we saw the band on May 2nd back in Seattle too! 😄 This five man Ska-Punk band formed in Gainesville, Florida in 1992.

🎶 Ghost of You and Me ⬇️

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Then I spent an hour in line trying to get a strawberry smoothie.... 😑

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🍓

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Next thing you know it was time for the Aquabats

The Aquabats are an insane band. They wear tight fitting, matching “superhero” costumes. They have a kids television series called the Aquabats Super Show and they fight “super villains” during their sets.

A fun fact you may not know, Blink 182’s drummer Travis Barker (organizer of the festival) used to be in the Aquabats! He rejoined the band in full costume for their set at Back to the Beach.

Pool Party ⬇️

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Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Like Big D and the Kids Table, the Bosstones are also from Boston. Each year for the past 20, they have hosted a HUGE, three day hometown throw down at Boston’s House of Blues around Christmas. It is a bucket list concert. If you are not familiar with the Bosstones, you may know frontman Dicky Barret as the lead of the band on the Jimmy Kimmel show.

The Bosstones segment of Back to the Beach was the Ska finale of the day. The day’s headliner wasn’t really in the same genre of music, so the Bosstones performance almost felt like the end of one show, while we readied ourself for a second show later in the evening.

The Bosstones came on as the sun started to set over the Pacific and many of the day’s other performers joined them on stage.

Impression that I Get ⬇️

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311

311 are a rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. They are another group (like the Bosstones) with a hardcore crew of devoted fans. Every year on March 11, the band hosts 311 Day. On the day the band plays an extended concert. The last event saw them playing 89 songs over two days. 311 have released twelve studio albums.

All Mixed Up ⬇️

Come Original ⬇️

And so ended day 1.

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Day 2 - Sunday, April 29

So concert day one was pretty brutal. I am feeble so the sand was killing me, I had forgotten sunglasses, the hour wait for the smoothie didn’t help and at the end of the night our cell service shat itself. So we were stranded and unable to call an Uber. If it weren’t for the taxi that randomly drove by and rescued us I was very close to tears standing on the PCH.

So, I decided to skip the first three hours of concert day 2. Instead I shopped a little (bought sunglasses) and relaxed at the hotel while the boys went over before me.

Hotel courtyard, shade, chaises and amenities.

I caught up with my “crew” at about 3pm.

Sometimes you buy a stupid hat to protect your head from the sun.

From my Uber drop off I heard the band Mustard Plug, but I missed seeing their set.

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Interrupters

The Interrupters are an up and coming band from Los Angeles, but there is a very good chance they are going to make it big. Last summer they toured with Green Day (Trey Cool was at Back to the Beach btw) and one of their songs is featured in a T-Mobile commercial. The three men in the band are brothers (two are identical twins) and the lead singer Aimee is married to the non-twin brother!

This is My Family ⬇️

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Save Ferris

Next up were Save Ferris. This band has a sort of interesting history. They formed in Orange County in 1995 singing a combo of ska and swing style music. The lead singer Monique Powell has a very Gwen Stefani vibe. She is a singer but was not a writer of the band’s music. Save Ferris broke up and many years later without permission of her former band mates and song writers, Monique started performing again under the name Save Ferris. A two year lawsuit followed, which was eventually settled amicably. The terms of the post suit agreement allowed Powell to perform using the band’s name.

She Has a Girlfriend Now ⬇️

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Fishbone

Fishbone are a band other bands emulate. They are also my husband’s all time favorite band. They formed in 1979, way back in their junior high school. What made Fishbone unique as their popularity rose was the fact they were an all African American rock group. They weren’t R&B or soul. They were rock, punk and ska.

There is a documentary called Everyday Sunshine about Fishbone that is fascinating. If you are into music it is worth watching.

Fishbone’s original line up - Chris Dowd, Angelo Moore, Dirty Walt and Norwood Fisher

Skanking to the Beat ⬇️ This song appeared in the 1989 teen classic Say Anything

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Goldfinger

Like the Bosstones the night before, Goldfinger were the Ska finale of night two. Boy, did they bring it. I am not sure if I have ever been to a show that rewarded the audience as much as this set.

First off their front man, John Feldman, was one of the co-organizers of the whole festival, so his on stage enthusiasm was contagious. Secondly, they brought surprise after surprise in stage.

Surprise one, Mike Herrera, the lead singer of MXPX was playing in Goldfinger’s band. Then Travis Barker joined the crew. Then the Doped Up Dollies from the previous day came on stage as did Fishbone. Next thing you know this menagerie of musicians was joined by Tony Kanal (THE BASS PLAYER FOR NO DOUBT). The breaking point was when all of the band REEL BIG FISH appeared! If you are not familiar with Ska, Reel Big Fish are HUGE in the scene. To fan’s disappointment, RBF had declined joining the festival’s bill because of contractual obligations related to their upcoming stint on Vans Warped Tour. But then THEY SHOWED UP ANYWAY!!!! People lost their minds. It was the most fun and intense (in the best way) concert moment I have ever witnessed.

Tijuana Sunrise ⬇️

Superman ⬇️

Sellout ⬇️ Reel Big Fish Hit, sung by RBF!!

John Feldman in the crowd

Everyone

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The last band of the night was Sublime with Rome. I have seen them a ton so decided to listen to the music from a distance while the sun set.

And the moon rose.

All in all it was a fantastic experience.

Thanks for coming with me Back to the Beach.

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All photos and videos taken by me

April 28 & 29th, 2018. iPhone 7.

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Proud Member of:

steemsugars, steemusa and steemsilvergold