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| Bone Thugs-n-Harmony @ Good Karma Fest |
Photos & words from a weekend stop, after the break!
Noticed the words "Bone Thugs-n-Harmony" & "XZIBIT" in big bold letters on concert bills stapled to a row of telephone poles as I drove home from work a few weeks back.
Found out later from my sister that there was a semi-new music festival taking over our local skate park on November 4th called the "Good Karma Fest". She was going and I decided to tag along in hopes of seeing some of my childhood hip hop favorites like Too Short, XZIBIT, & Bone Thugs. The later I actually saw perform with ZHU at Coachella 2016 but I always wanted to see the other two someday! So I found it really, really hard to turn down some dream performances... especially in my hometown backyard.
All I had to do is grab my camera, ride scrub, and stand out in a dusty field in the middle of blunt smoke clouds for a few hours. You probably can imagine how much I sneezed the days following the festival. Never thought it would end.
Really dug how intimate Good Karma Music & Arts Fest felt. Turning the Santa Clarita Skate Park into a mini-festival gave the whole showcase an amazing feel. Had no idea this was the same team who used to throw the Summer Meltdown Autism Awareness Art & Music Fest at our Central Park years prior. It didn't seem like they were rookies at all as we walked into the arena. Plenty of art & culture vendors, rows of food trucks, beer garden, and two concert stages so the audience never has to wait for music. All solid ideas that were perfectly executed by their team. Their roster of legendary & buzzworthy musical artists was merely the cherry on top of all this. Loved everything... especially their charitable cause.
Sadly we missed out on Too Short. Wasn't really upset honestly. Seeing XZIBIT truly felt like a dream come true though. I own every album from those Interscope/Aftermath/Shady Records days where XZIBIT was the certifiable ace who usually stole a track each time he appeared. My homies and I still bump them in 2023. I even used to TiVo his MTV show. Ain't ashamed to admit that fact either. Sometimes you forget how big a fan you are until you confront the fact.
Hearing X's iconic songbook really got myself and the Good Karma crowd jumping like a low rider. Exceeded any preconceived notion I could've conjured. Loved every second of his set. Nostalgic feels ran up and down. And he didn't miss a beat.
Bone Thugs were solid too. They had some audio issues at the start of their timeless set, which chronicled their dominate beginnings with love for Eazy E, Tupac, and Biggie sprinkled throughout. Unfortunately you could feel Krayzie Bone's absence. He's still recovering after his recent unexpected hospital stay. Glad he's doing better.
Dug the entire set overall, especially getting to rap my favorite songs with a field full of fans... but those early sound problems knocked out my eardrums swiftly. "That Buzzing Sound" indeed! For a few days after. Next time I won't forget my earplugs. Still finding blood in my left eardrum with each swab. Rookie mistakes after not doing this for years.
Hope Good Karma comes back next year! Will definitely stop by for more vibes in the hometown if they do. Enjoy the photo slideshow... more adventures, soon!
Photo Slideshow
