Good Vibes Festival 2018: One great party

THE recent two-day Good Vibes Festival on July 21 and 22 at The Ranch in Gohtong Jaya, Genting Highlands, was a music-laden weekend of giant proportions.
On show were some of the hottest international and local acts such as SZA, Lorde, Vince Staples, Majid Jordan, The Neighbourhood, Zamaera, A-Kid, Senna, Lunadira, Froya, and Dangerdisko.
The lineup also included Musicmakers, Bil Musa, and Kyoto Protocol, who are part of the #UnlimitedGrooves initiative by official telco partner U Mobile.
The festival grounds basically turned into a playground for adults with three stages – red, blue, and the green Electric Fields. There were also limited edition festival kits prepared for Genting weather.
Even before the party started, fans were treated to a musical amuse bouche with U Mobile presents Albert Hammond Jr, on July 18 at The Bee, Publika, exclusive to the official telco’s customers.
At Good Vibes, phone-charging stations at the U Mobile Zone gave social media savvy festival-goers all the freedom to share and post their shots from the trampoline freeze cam.
The festival was also a scrumptious affair, with choices ranging from nachos to burgers, and from Sjora juice to Heineken beer at the dedicated drinking area.
In an effort to be environmentally-conscious, Good Bites presented by #UnlimitedFlavours used biodegradable cutlery to lessen its impact on Mother Earth.
But fans’ focus were on the acts. Local rapper Zamaera and singer Lunadira were first to take to the red stage at 4pm, and the blue stage at 3.30pm, respectively.
Rock band The Neighbourhood took fans down memory lane when it performed fan-favourite Sweater Weather, and American rapper Vince Staples got the crowd up and jumping with Opps.
The Electric Fields housed acts exclusively presented by Raising the Bar, and was the stage to be at for non-stop hip-hop music until 10pm both days.
Rappers A-Kid and Senna got the crowd turned with Ade Awek, and the latter debuted Tak Tahu.
Another surreal act that stood out was R&B duo Majid Jordan, comprising singer/songwriter Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman.
The simple stage setup allowed for its soothing music to take precedence, and Majid’s sensual moves during Body Talk certainly got the girls screaming.
Dominating the blue stage on day one was American singer and songwriter SZA, who was reserved the prime 11pm slot.
Despite the Love Galore singer giving fans a scare when she took to social media to announce that her vocal chords were damaged due to excessive touring, her performance was arguably the highlight of the entire festival.
Appearing on stage in long, blonde, flowy hair, and a pink saree, she exuded goddess vibes as she sang Supermodel and Normal Girl, before easing into her rendition of the much more explicit Doves in the Wind.
The excitement that happens when you see SZA perform live is definitely worth the voice you will lose the next day.
Perhaps what made her set even more intimate was the fact that she brought her mother out on stage mid-performance because it was mama SZA’s birthday.
The crowd broke into our own rendition of Happy Birthday, and the smile on the artiste and her mum’s face was priceless.
This year’s Good Vibes Festival certainly set the bar high for what to expect in 2019.