The final day of KAABOO Del Mar 2018 began early on Sunday, September 16th under balmy southern California skies.  Early bird concert goers again were greeted by light crowds and some great sets of music. By 1 PM an energetic young crowd had gathered in the courtyard in front of the chill Tourmaline stage. The Los Angeles based Vista Kicks treated the gathering to a spirited set.

Day 2 of the 2018 KAABOO Del Mar Festival began as another gorgeous San Diego beach day. Head high waves had surfers up and down the coast flocking to the area beaches. Meanwhile, the music started early at the Del Mar Fairgrounds with bands playing before noon. By early afternoon Minnesota rockers Soul Asylum were lighting up the Grandview main stage with their high energy music. The Grammy-winning band was one of the first bands to be labeled alternative rock back in 1981.

The KAABOO music festival opened Friday, September 14th with an estimated 40,000 fans selling out the event for the first time in its 4-year history. The event, which takes place at the upscale Del Mar Racetrack just north of San Diego, took advantage of the last beautifully sunny weekend of summer. The festival grounds back up to the edge of the Pacific Ocean and surfers were actually visible, catching waves on nearby Del Mar beach.

The final day of Lockn’ 2018 dawned hot and sweaty and ended in spectacular fashion with two sets by Dead and Co., joined by master saxophone player Branford Marsalis. A cloudy sky kept the atmosphere steamy until the afternoon when the hot summer sun broke through. Keller Williams got the MainStage started just after noon with a different entourage in tow than from the day before. This time he appeared with a group he calls the Grateful Gospel. The idea was to play music in the spirit of Jerry Garcia in the tune of Black Gospel music. The concept was born at Lockn’.

One of the largest audiences to ever attend Lockn’ poured into the festival grounds on Saturday, August 25th for a historic day of multi-generational jam band music. By mid-afternoon when the North Carolina band BIG Something took the main stage, five bands had already played, and a huge crowd filled the field and surrounding hills. The six-piece modern jam band fuses elements of jazz, funk, rock, and electronica into hypnotic dance trance music.

Crowds of people flooded into the campgrounds and festival the second day of Lockn’ music festival 2018. By early afternoon a sea of color was visible as far as the eye could see. The event was indeed a multigenerational magnet composed of six decades of jazz, funk, blues and rock jam music. Grandparents dressed in tie-dyed Grateful Dead shirts joined their offspring many in Phish tie-dyes. Whole families brought their children, grandchildren and maybe even a few grandchildren creating a festive carnival-like atmosphere.