Photo: Kristina Bakrevski
Dirtybird Records are hometown heroes to the Bay Area. The label was born and bred in San Francisco with the original Dirtybird crew before it blew into the international brand it is today, so this weekend’s Dirtybird BBQ was a fitting hometown celebration for Bay Area Dirtybird fans.
Taking over Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland on a sunny – and extraordinarily, 80-degrees-warm – Saturday afternoon, the event brought together what we’d estimate to be close to a thousand loyal Dirtybirders to get down with the bass next to a beautiful view of San Francisco, Treasure Island and much of the San Francisco Bay. Everywhere you turned, you’d find a new group of costumed friends, giant totems and creative ideas exploding into the crowd. The energy of the crowd was fun-loving, smile-filled and felt truly electric with bliss.
Though the venue itself was slightly disappointing – we’d often find ourselves standing in piles of dirt with our drinks covered in dust, with no shade supplied to take a break from the beating sun – the music, of course, never failed to amaze us. None other than Claude Vonstroke brought a bit of surprise when he didn’t play the close, but instead brought a super funk-filled set midday that had the dance floor grooving for hours. Justin Martin did the closing set absolute justice with high-energy beats and some crowd shoutouts as well. And the rest of the crew that threw down – Worthy, Ardalan, Christian Martin and J.Phlip – brought the heat to the warm day as well.
Along with the signature Dirtybird BBQ eats and a massive bar making your favorite drinks, the day was an overall success we were stoked to be a part of. And, as always, we’re already looking forward to next year!