Written & Photos by: Thai Tran
An eclectic crowd was on hand at the 2011 Sunset Strip Music Festival. The well-rounded line-up ensured that there would be personalities from all walks of life in attendance. Music came from all directions and it kept changing as the sun set along Sunset Blvd., between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Boulevard, between the historic Key Club and the Whisky A Go-Go.
The whole weekend was a celebration for Motley Crue, who’s celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band. Now headlining the festival, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Mick Mars were paid tribute throughout the weekend.
Earlier in the day, the reggae-rock beats of a local band, The Dirty Heads rocked the East Stage. Followed soon after were the screams from hardcore band Escape The Fate down the street at the West Stage as the sun was setting behind them.
Matt and Kim, an electronic-indie duo from Brooklyn rocked the East Stage with the sun blaring in their eyes. Their high energy level and crowd participation, including blue balloons and Kim surfing the open hands, thrilled the masses. There was no doubt that there were new fans of the duo leaving their set which included a surprising homage to Alice DJ, by playing “Better Off Alone.”
The 90s rock styling of Bush were next on the other side of the Strip, but the crowd was so crazy that you couldn’t even get in to see the band on stage. Heading back on the West Stage so we can get a good view on Public Enemy, who were setting up their stage, the long awaited night had started to creep over The Strip bringing a cool, long overdue breeze.
The silence was broken by the smooth rhymes of Chuck D of Public Enemy and the force of hype-man Flavor Flav. People were jumping, dancing, and sticking their fists up in the air. Special guest Scott Ian from Anthrax joined the Emcees for their hit “Bring the Noise.”
Motley Crue was impossible to get to due to the street being bottlenecked back at the East Stage, so we called it a night, walking westward towards home, with the Crue’s fireworks echoing at our backs.
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