With a set that started with deep cuts before closing with some of the greatest hits in his long career, rocker Lenny Kravitz closed out day one of the South Bay’s biggest music festival, which brought thousands of people to Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, the opening of the three-day event.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been in SoCal. I would like to thank you for having me here to celebrate life,” he told the crowd during his headlining set at the BeachLife Festival.
Fans of The Struts sing-along during their performance on the Hightide stage at the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Aloe Blacc performs on the Hightide stage during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) The Struts perform on the Hightide stage during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Pat Monahan of Train performs during the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From left, Joe Rost carries 4-year-old Charlotte Rost and Drew Crenshaw carries 5-year-old Ellie Crenshaw during Aloe Blacc’s performance at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From left, Cameron Mangis, Jennie Hebaus and Taylor Cook pose for a photograph during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 6Fans of The Struts sing-along during their performance on the Hightide stage at the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) ExpandFestival organizer Allen Sanford said in a previous interview that he had been trying to book Kravitz since the inception of the festival in 2019 and he finally got him on stage as the Friday headliner.
Kravitz is among more than 40 artists on the weekend lineup with music that ranges from rock to reggae to alternative to punk and other genres. Other weekend headliners include Long Beach legends Sublime on Saturday and Alanis Morrisette closing things out Sunday night.
Digable Planets perform on the Lowtide stage during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)Traditionally each BeachLife Festival day has its own tone set by the daily lineup and Friday is a day when rock bands rule the sand. But one of the highlights of the day came from old school hip-hop trio Digable Planets, who early on Friday afternoon stepped onto the main Lowtide Stage, which is surrounded by sand, which created a laid-back atmosphere that blended perfectly with the hip-hop group’s jazzy vibes.
Group members Butterfly, Ladybug and Doodlebug set the easy, chill tone of the day with songs like “It’s Good to be Here.”
“Who’s feeling good? Who’s glad to be here?” Butterfly asked the crowd, who responded with loud cheers.
Shovels & Rope kicked off the sixth BeachLife Festival on Friday, May 2, 2025. The festival continues through Sunday, May 4. (photo by Michael Hixon/SCNG) Train performs on the Lowtide stage during day one of the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) The Struts perform on the Hightide stage during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Phantom Planet performs on the Speakeasy stage during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Digable Planets perform on the Lowtide stage during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Fans of Train pose for pictures during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 6Shovels & Rope kicked off the sixth BeachLife Festival on Friday, May 2, 2025. The festival continues through Sunday, May 4. (photo by Michael Hixon/SCNG) ExpandThe trio ended their set with their biggest hits “Nickel Bags,” and “Rebirth of Slick,” which had the crowd swaying to the beats.
But the performance of the day may have come from the festival’s smallest stage; the Speakeasy stage. This is where punk rockers unplug and play acoustic sets under a shack that holds maybe 100 people.
Jim Lindberg of the punk band Pennywise helps put the lineup together for the stage and on Friday afternoon he also performed a set. But, since he is a punk rocker, he didn’t really follow the rules and instead of going acoustic he plugged in for a full-on show that included fast-paced covers of songs like “Blister in the Sun,” originally recorded by the Violent Femmes, as well as a punk rock cover of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.”
At one point a few people in front of the stage started jumping up and down to the song, which was the closest the Speakeasy stage has ever come to a mosh pit, and Lindberg loved it.
“We got a nice mosh pit going on here. Don’t tell Allen,” he said with a laugh, referring to the festival’s organizer.
“It’s punk rock so I had to break the rules,” he said after coming off the stage. “It was really cool to crank it up on the acoustic stage,” he added.
Megan Guy dances during Aloe Blacc’s performance on the Hightide stage at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Aloe Blacc performs on the Hightide stage during the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) O.A.R. performs on the Lowtide stage during the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Shovels and Rope perform on the Hightide stage during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Aloe Blacc performs on the Hightide stage during day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) The sun sets on day one of the sixth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 6Megan Guy dances during Aloe Blacc’s performance on the Hightide stage at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) ExpandThe coolest performance of the night however went to Kravitz, who appeared on stage behind a cloud of smoke in tight blue pants, a blue shirt and gold tank-top underneath shaking his long dreadlocks on stage before a crowd of thousands at the end of the night.
While the set started off with a bit of low energy as he played some of his lesser known songs, it eventually built momentum toward the end when Kravitz closed with hit after hit including songs like “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” “American Woman,” and “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”
After stepping off the stage for a few minutes he came back for the encore and spoke about the need for people to get along and come together before breaking into one of his biggest hits, “Let Love Rule,” which ended the first day of the festival as the crowd sang along to the lyrics.
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