Words by: C. Rink
Photos by Jim Ewing

Year two of the Day N Night Music Festival was an even bigger hit than its first year. With Kendrick on the lineup, how could it not be? Thousands of Millennials flocked to Anaheim’s Angel Stadium to catch the likes of Khalid, Travis Scott, Post Malone, Sza, Lil Uzi Vert, Vic Mensa, YG and MANY more. This year’s crowd seemed more diverse than last year, which was a welcomed surprise, given the hefty price tag of the tickets.

Friday was the most relaxed day both security-wise and occupancy-wise; there was still room to get through the crowds and most of the acts were easily accessible. The ultimate snooze fest of the day was Madeintyo whose performance was lackluster, even more so when he brought out 24hrs. Sabrina Claudio, playing her second festival ever, seemed very comfortable on stage. She had an ethereal presence and angelic, soothing voice. Pouya’s rhythmic beats and amusing lyrics were entertaining, especially when accompanied by the sign language interpreter, who did an incredible job. Famous Dex was a fun act to watch; he couldn’t keep his clothes on! Another favorite of the evening was Khalid. His performance was enjoyable and I definitely see him going places after his talents are even more developed. Of course, the headliner on Friday, Travis Scott a/k/a La Flame, blew everyone away with his soaring performance which included him 50+ feet in the air riding a mechanical bird.

Saturday was packed full of wasted kids hyped to see their favorite performers. My personal favorite was SZA. I was most impressed with SZA’s honesty in her performance, and her raw and emotional songs – I was an instant fan. It was also fun to see all of her fans rush to see her and sing along to every word of every song. I always enjoy Post Malone’s chill beats and vibes and was glad to see him again this year. Lil Uzi Vert put on a great show, and damn is this guy photogenic! My photographer got GREAT photos of him. The last performance of the evening, Chance The Rapper put on a good show, he brought us right to church with all his gospel music.

Sunday was the busiest day and the hardest to navigate the grounds with so many bodies packed in, likely to see Kendrick. I am not sure why they chose not to use the infield and instead use only the outer part of the stadium, but three days on the hard ground was rough, and I missed the previous year’s grass patches and shady areas. Russ was my favorite from last year, so it was good to see him again. I especially enjoyed his t-shirt, which read: “HOW MANY XANS AND LEAN DO YOU HAVE TO DO BEFORE YOU REALIZE YOU’RE A FUCKING LOSER?” He also went on to remark about the fact that he isn’t like “these weak ass rappers,” which was very telling on how he feels about a lot of his colleagues at the festival. Daniel Caesar was a welcomed change to the hype rappers with his relaxed melodies and guitar playing. My favorite act of the night was YG. Other than Kendrick, he had the most active stage of the evening with stripper poles, complete with strippers. He also brought out Donald Trump’s lookalike, kicked his ass and sang his major hit anthem, “Fuck Donald Trump,” which was a serious crowd pleaser. And then there was Kendrick, who put on an incredible show, sober. Not only accompanied by his God given talents, he had pyrotechnics and fireworks. He, is a force to be reckoned with.

All photos by Jim Ewing @ewingphotos