5-11-19
KAABOO has upped their game. Spectacularly. Two days ago, we stepped into Ground Zero of the inaugural KAABOO Texas at AT&T stadium in Arlington, TX. An ambitiously gigantic inception of their festival family, the KAABOO team took “everything’s bigger” and showed Texas a thing or two. Blanketing the expansive stadium grounds with their signature art-laden setup, it was instantly a magnificent example of their highly ammenitized festival brand.
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Day One took off without a hitch; narrowly avoiding bad weather and with an indoor reprieve from the elements, kudos must go to the KAABOO teams for thoughtfully thwarting the challenges of hosting a May festival in Texas. Too hot? Step inside... Pouring rain? Catastrophic thunderstorms? Don't worry - we have safe, comfortable spaces to shelter. With food, lounges, galleries, drinks and oh, even some music.
Early sets with Larkin Poe and Blue October attracted a sizeable crowd for a cool and slightly drizzly Friday afternoon. Crowds grew exponentially for the hit-laden set of Ludacris and grungy indulgence of Bush. Ms Lauryn Hill stepped foot on to the Pegasus stage while rain held off spectacularly, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts took over the Maverick stage while Alanis Morisette staged our grandiose indoor Metroplex crowd. An incredible lineup, laden with hit after hit. It was almost too much to take in. There was an impressive crowd by the time Lionel Richie stepped his seasoned self upon the Pegasus stage; only to slip and fall in the drizzle, with an affable grin announcing: “well I was just telling my crew backstage that I’ve never fallen on stage before.” (Hope you’re okay, Lionel). We wrapped up the evening with a set beyond spectacular... courtesy of The Killers.
We spent our time in between sets perusing sizable galleries of indoor and outdoor art, scattered between stages strategically. Murals of incredible scope were beginning to take shape and an indoor gallery brought pop art and their creators to a convenient middle ground, with lounges, food vendors and bars; allowing attendees to take a convenient and sophisticated moment perusing the galleries with a cocktail in hand.
Day Two graced us with cool overcast weather and an occasional ray of sun, but again the rain held off. We spent some time meandering through food and beverage offerings, stopping to sample banana pudding ice cream chocolate-dipped waffle cones, tacos and fried green tomato BLTs. We made the mistake of eating before cruising by palate, where celebrity chef Kent Ranthbun was handing out tastings of cuisine he’d just cooked up. Comedian Heather Macdonald was just about to take over the Humor Me stage, so we hustled over to catch a moment of comedy before returning to the Pegasus stage for a set by legendary rockers Garbage. KAABOO kept the ball rolling with legendary superstar Rick Springfield shredding roses on his guitar, followed by Flo Rida showering the Pegasus stage crowd with champagne during Right Round. Again, almost too much to take in; Lukas Nelson, Violent Femmes, and Black Eyed Peas performed before Lynyrd Skynryd set the stage for an explosive headlining set courtesy of Kid Rock.
Day Two graced us with cool overcast weather and an occasional ray of sun, but again the rain held off. We spent some time meandering through food and beverage offerings, stopping to sample banana pudding ice cream chocolate-dipped waffle cones, tacos and fried green tomato BLTs. We made the mistake of eating before cruising by palate, where celebrity chef Kent Ranthbun was handing out tastings of cuisine he’d just cooked up. Comedian Heather Macdonald was just about to take over the Humor Me stage, so we hustled over to catch a moment of comedy before returning to the Pegasus stage for a set by legendary rockers Garbage. KAABOO kept the ball rolling with legendary superstar Rick Springfield shredding roses on his guitar, followed by Flo Rida showering the Pegasus stage crowd with champagne during Right Round. Again, almost too much to take in; Lukas Nelson, Violent Femmes, and Black Eyed Peas performed before Lynyrd Skynryd set the stage for an explosive headlining set courtesy of Kid Rock.
We're now about to hit Day Three of the inaugural KAABOO Texas. The music thus far has been absolutely out of this world and with so many amenities, I find myself keeping a mental list of “things not to miss” before the weekend is out. The third and final day features arguably the biggest lineup yet and flawlessly sunny high-70’s weather in the forecast, I’m ready to make this one memorable with a stop by the pool at BASK, more incredible music and perhaps a cold crisp cowboyrita to wrap our headlining set courtesy of the one and only Sting. I may cry a little - nay, fangirl uncontrollably - by the time we wrap our Sunday. KAABOO, you’ve set the festival bar higher than ever before.
