Under the loom In the eyes of the Plaza and Golden Nugget Hotels, Life Is Beautiful returned for the second night of the “Big Beautiful Block Party,” and this night was all about the pieces: musical numbers and train tracks. The festival grounds are located next to an active railway line, giving many train drivers a car-side view of the stages. On multiple occasions throughout the two-day festival, freight trains passed slowly during filming, prompting conductors to sound their horns and elicit a standing ovation from the audience.
In some ways, the train cars are a perfect metaphor for this mini version of the festival that takes place in Las Vegas because we're all on this journey.
The festival once took up 18 city blocks in downtown Las Vegas, but the modified 2024 version is much more manageable and even linguistic. Between sets, inspirational quotes flash across the screens, such as “You are beautiful,” “You are strong,” and “You are amazing.” Quotes from the late Tony Hsieh, the festival's visionary, also appeared on banners throughout the festival, maintaining a noticeable link to the previous Ten Fine Parts. One letter attributed to Hsieh read: “Celebrate being a little weird and incredibly bold.” “There is beauty to be found all around you,” another read.
However, the music was the heart of the party, and Saturday saw bands like LCD Soundsystem, Jungle and Peggy Gou take to the stage.
The LCD audio system displays the range, not the age
In what was arguably the most anticipated show of the two-day festival, LCD Soundsystem did not disappoint. The electronic rock band, which is scheduled to play 12 shows in New York, came out swinging with 2007's “Get Innocious.” They went on to tour 12 more with their blend of dance, rock and percussion. In what became a major topic over the course of two days, singer James Murphy mentioned the heat. “We're so happy to be here. It's so hot. I don't know why I came here,” he said as the temperature held steady at 95 degrees at 10:30 p.m.
During the group's 22-year lifespan, LCD has flawlessly broken the norms of what electronic music is “supposed to be,” showing range, moving from the rock-heavy “You Wanted a Hit” to the rhythm-oriented “Tribulations.” While the disco ball spins above. Perhaps no one had greater rhythmic drops, which were often a shot in the arm for the audience hanging on every note during the 90-minute set. And although Murphy's T-shirt says “Memorial Service,” LCD Soundsystem's days are not numbered.
Welcome to the jungle
A familiar face returned to the Life Is Beautiful stage on Saturday in the form of Jungle. The trio (including new official member Lydia Keto) came out strong, opening with 2014's “Busy Earnin',” a song about neglecting life due to being a workaholic. After that, Jungle worked hard and pumped up his energy, getting the crowd buzzing (as did the freight train that honked during the set).
'Back On 74', which went viral earlier this year, proved to be a hit with audiences, as it was difficult to find anyone standing still. Singer Tom McFarland addressed the now sweaty crowd, asking: “How are you guys doing? Are you hot? Imagine you are from England. “This is ridiculous.”
Noeleen Ryan for Rolling Stone
Although Jungle stuck mainly to their hits throughout the hour-long set, they did manage to sneak in “Let's Go Back,” their newest song. The song title couldn't be more fitting, as Jungle returns to the Vegas-based festival for the first time in six years, serving as the penultimate act in 2018. As the band did back then, Jungle's funky, funky sound fits well; Especially after the acid jazz sound of Thundercat. Jungle claims in their 2023 song that it's “us against the world.” This couldn't be further from the truth.
Big beautiful hiccup
That's why we can't have beautiful things. The gods of technology raised their ugly heads before Toro y Moi's DJ set. “We're having a technical problem,” a voice said over the speakers 30 minutes after the godfather of chillwave, a microculture known for blending psychedelic music and electronic pop, was supposed to start.
As the next 15 minutes passed, transfixed festival techs flew over the screens and turntables to the left of the stage. Meanwhile, Toro's microphones, keyboards and drum kit lay unattended on the center stage, blue lights casting an ominous shadow. In the end, Toru came out and told the audience that his equipment was “frying” from sitting in the sun. Instead of money in his chips, he grabbed a guitar and performed an impromptu acoustic set of four songs spanning his career: “Tuesday,” “Undercurrent,” “Heaven” and “Sandhill.”
“It makes me very nostalgic,” he said, noting that this was his first time playing guitar solo in front of an audience. “Let's see what I got. I really apologize for switching between you all. I feel like Ed Sheeran,” he added as he strummed the guitar and searched for a song. Somehow, the set, even though it was only 12 minutes long, was a bit solemn – Just a man and his guitar. Upon completion of his all-too-brief acoustic set, Toro promised to return but insisted he would play at any club in Vegas to make up for the absent DJ set, writing on Instagram afterward: “Vegas, I owe you.”
Noeleen Ryan for Rolling Stone
Peggy Jo stays up late
While much of Saturday's act skewed toward an older demographic, millennials and Gen Z waited patiently for Peggy Gou, who had younger customers waiting for her late-night set, which ended at 1:30 a.m., despite Because Gou is known for her vocals — such as she performed “(It Goes Like) Nanana,” her biggest commercial hit — her focus Saturday was on spinning and dropping deep, old-school tunes, including Inner City's 1988 hit “Good Life,” which she is on. Most likely a song that its audience has never heard before.
As other performers witnessed, a freight train rumbled for 20 minutes into her set, but she remained unfazed by the conductor's horn. The South Korean DJ would often raise her hands in the air, dance to the music, and was not shy about including songs in her native language. The crowd didn't seem to care. Music was her language.
Thundercat becomes dangerous
There may not be a more experienced artist than Thundercat. The Los Angeles native interspersed jazz, EDM and R&B into his set on Saturday. However, his soulful voice rose noticeably when presented to the audience, something he is more than qualified to do as a former member of the band Suicidal Tendencies. “Are you ready to celebrate?” He shouted.
The guitarist dominated the stage with long jam sessions. He constantly joked with the audience and mentioned that he once got married in Las Vegas. “They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. 'This shit definitely stayed in Vegas,' he said. He got rowdy before singing Outside, a song about doing the work at a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. 'Let's talk about some shit Vegas. Anyone part of the mile high club? “That goes for you,” he said before pivoting to a 2020 tune.
In a bold verse that wasn't lost on some, he immediately moved on to tunes about “pussycats,” including “The Orange Cat's Special Time Outdoors,” the first time he'd played it live (he performed the song on the children's show “Yo Gabba Gabbaland on Apple TV+.) “You thought I was singing about girls? No,” he deadpans. meow!
