The weather forecast was scorching this past weekend at Pasadena’s Just Like Heaven music festival. As a mecca for fans of indie rock, alternative, and other genres, droves of excited attendees showed up in the middle of the blazing hot sun just to see this year’s lineup. Since 2014, Goldenvoice continues to showcase new bands to long time veterans. Notably this year marks Rilo Kiley‘s first performance in Los Angeles after their last tour in 2008. Now, Millennials and Gen Z fans can come together in this one-day event to enjoy the songs they celebrated in their formative years.
Because the festival is within a single-day, the performances have a short runtime and have to start and end on time like clockwork. With over twenty groups together at the scenic Brookside area of the Rose Bowl, fans have a metaphoric fire lit under to run between the two stages and catch every act. From high noon to an hour before midnight, the jam packed eleven hours of entertainment had no downtime. Of Montreal, Them Jeans, Wild Nothing, and Chris Cruse opened the festival to a welcoming, energetic crowd. While synth-pop set the mood at the start, the familiar tunes of indie pop in Peter Bjorn and John‘s 2006 hit, “Young Folks,” kept the party going.
The next hour would be loaded with a dream pop’s listener’s dream as Beach Fossils and The Sounds took on the Orion Stage while Hercules & Love Affair played opposite on the Stardust Stage. Like many others, Thomas Davidson (of Beach Fossils) did his best to help the crowd stay cool by distracting them with dad jokes. “97 degrees? More like Just Like Hell,” he said. “By the way, 98 Degrees is my favorite boy band.” Although every organizer and group prepares for the worst, The Sounds hit a small snag as their lead singer, Maja Ivarsson, had visa issues. Despite this, the Swedish rock group announced that Cara Faye (Shiny Toy Guns) would perform in her place. Longtime fans were rightfully dismayed, but praised their set as brilliant.
Hitting the late afternoon, stage crews and attendees were sweating as the heat of the day continued to pick up. The Pasadena Fire Department and EMS staff were well prepared to provide assistance to those who needed it. Cooling buses were available for those who were suffering from heat exhaustion and needed a place to rest away from the hot air. Unfortunately, areas of the Brookside looked like a triage as festival goers flopped onto any patch of shade to stay cool while watching the stages from afar.
As one of the most family friendly events, the festival space included a tented area specifically for kids. There, parents could keep their children entertained with activities and a social environment for other kids in their age group.
Back to the performers, as the day continued to build, so did the crowd’s excitement. Though, it would get harder to hard to see every single act. A sizeable divide would stay exclusively at one stage in order to not overheat, and to listen to their chosen genre of music. At the Orion Stage, Grouplove came out “Tongue Tied” but had a “Ways to Go” as their high-energy set sent the crowd into a nostalgic euphoria. Front duo, Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper led the band’s stage presence while the rhythm ensemble drove the growing sense of joy. Following their set was renowned deadpan lyricist and garage rocker, Courtney Barnett. In a surprise turn, she brought out fellow songwriter and guitarist Kurt Vile (formerly of War on Drugs), for their duet of “Over Everything.”
Before the sun began to set, the next group of performers continued to build on the groundswell of bodies that were insatiable in their hunger for music. Toro y Moi played his signature chill, ambient sound that caught the ear of restless listeners, brought them out of their shaded shell, and into a field swaying in unison. The difficult decision to choose between TV on the Radio or Unknown Mortal Orchestra dawned on fans, with some running back and forth to catch their favorite songs. Even TV on the Radio‘s vocalist, Tunde Adebimpe, lamented their overlap with the psychedelic rock band.
“Give it up for Unknown Mortal Orchestra! From the depths of my heart, if anyone wants to take the time now to go see the rest of their set, you can do it. I give you permission,” he said, halfway into his band’s set. “Just run back and forth, or even crowd surf, between the stages.”
Bringing back 2000s throwback rock energy, Bloc Party cheekily opened their stage with “So Here We Are.” Lead vocalist, Okereke, would sprinkle his sarcastic English wit as he worked the crowd. The quartet had no problem getting attendees to get on their feet as they played their well-known anthems and deep cuts. Despite their popularity, they were stunned by how many people were in the crowd and reminded them all the hydrate.
For those with enough energy during golden hour, a select group ran across to the other side for Slowdive before the sun set. Their captivating dreampop tracks and hypnotic visuals commanded the flock, which was a spectacle even for a band of their caliber. It’s almost if the sun itself was entranced by their stage, refusing to fully set before their performance came to a close.
Entering the final chapter of the festival, electronic duo, Empire of the Sun gifted Just Like Heaven with its most colorful production yet. Their striking visuals turned heads as Luke Steele and his dancers cycled through costume changes during the twelve track set. His lavish styling as well as the stage’s set design proved their spared no expense to bring the most opulent performance they could bring.
Indie rock darlings, Rilo Kiley, stood in awe of the crowd that they amassed ahead of their first song, “The Execution of All Things.” Vocalist Jenny Lewis commented on the sheer size of the crowd, remarking that she’d never seen “so many people” in her whole life. As a defining band for Millennials, Rilo Kiley set was a soothing balm on the weary, tired, and jaded hearts. Ending on the aptly timed song, “Portions for Foxes,” Lewis blew a kiss to the crowd as they walked en masse to Vampire Weekend.
Tying the night together as a love letter to indie music, the headliner dedicated the last ten minutes of the performance to covering a medley of covers selected by them, rather than taking requests from the crowd. Starting with Phoenix’s “Lisztomania,” perfectly chosen as lead singer Ezra Koenig joined the French band onstage at Just Like Heaven 2024, Vampire Weekend kept fans there until the very end. They even included a quick cover of “Wolf Like Me” from fellow JLH performers, TV on the Radio.
“Truly, I think Just Like Heaven every year has some of the best lineups of the country,” said Koenig. “Rilo Kiley, Empire of the Sun, Bloc Party, Panda Bear, the list goes on. Truly unbelievable. We felt like we gotta close out—and you may have heard it already—with one of the all-time great bands that you heard today: TV on the Radio. Let’s go!”
Just Like Heaven manages to bring a stellar, star studded line-up every year, and 2025 did not disappoint. Despite the near 100 degree Fahrenheit heat, the fans and musicians braved the unrelenting sun to make this year one for the books.
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