Photos: Mamby On The Beach Returns For 2 Days Of Great Acts And Beach Fun
By Chicagoist_Guest in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 4, 2016 3:38PM
Chicago didn't exactly need another music festival, but Mamby on the Beach stood out this year nonetheless.
The two-day fest featured an impressive and diverse lineup for its return to Chicago, which included a surprise guest appearance by Chicago's favorite son-of-the-moment Chance the Rapper. This year the South Side's Oakwood Beach played host to thousands of fans of electronica, rap, synthpop and more.
Our photographer Annie Lesser was there to catch the best acts—in her opinion it was a tie between Chromeo, who had high energy and a perfect set design that complemented the sunset as he performed, and LIDO, which brought Chance the Rapper and Towkio out at the end of his set.
One concern at this year's fest was scheduling—many acts started late and similar acts were booked against each other at different stages, creating tough choices for fest-goers. And we were happy to see Lupe Fiasco back in action, but he seemed a little rusty. He redeemed himself by bringing out Matthew Santos to sing "Superstar" during his set, and by taking a moment to talk about efforts to decrease Chicago's murder rate.
Of course, there are some key differences between a beach fest and a typical fest on dry land. We noticed that way more people chose bathing suits for their fest attire, and some had the smart idea to bring a change of shoes. Some also brought inflatable wind pouches they used to lay back in the sand. VIPs were able to enjoy the music while taking a dip in Lake Michigan, and a big water fight went down on the fest grounds one evening.
As for fest fashion: besides swimsuits and sandy elbows, we caught several more fashion trends, including linen rompers and big, statement sunglasses.