The anticipation leading up to the first annual reggae music festival DubFest was high. But on the day of the show, the impending doom of rain loomed over the outdoor festival at Hollywood ArtsPark on Sept. 5. Whether the poor turnout was due to crappy weather or because only half of the acts were worth seeing, DubFest was not the all-day concert I was hoping it would be.
The day started off sunny with the second stage’s first act, The Resolvers, a local band that won the DubFest Open Slot Contest by receiving the most online votes. The crowd was small, but all were having a good time. In the middle of the set, the band threw giant inflatable balls into the audience. They sang a feel-good song about togetherness as the crowd amused themselves with their new toys during the song and the rest of the set.
The first band on the main stage was Scotty Don’t, who is the same trio that makes up the Sublime tribute band Badfish. The guys did not seem thrilled to be playing original material. Their energy was saved for the Badfish set, where the crowd sang every word and the band seemed twice as lively as earlier.
At midday, the repetitious beats of the reggae music being played from all sides got a bit tiring, but the crowd still migrated to and from the two stages.
On the main stage, each band’s style and sound varied. Ballyhoo! had a beach-reggae vibe, Authority Zero was fast-talking punk, Goldfinger had ska and punk songs, Reel Big Fish was silly ska and Bunny Wailer was classic reggae.
Goldfinger’s performance was anticipated by many fans and even by Maryland’s Ballyhoo!
“That’s the band that turned me on to ska and reggae music [in] ’96,” Ballyhoo! singer Howi Spangler exclaimed on stage.
When the rain started around 3 p.m., everyone either took shelter under the many trees in the park or became very muddy – both were unpleasant. The rain killed the festival’s skateboard demonstration and made the stands of merchandise pack up.
After a long day of rain and repetitive reggae music, the night seemed to be over before the concert ended.
