Smokin Grooves 2022 Recap on Okayplayer

“It’s been a minute but it’s getting better, right?” Thundercat said it plain and he was right. It's been a hot minute - 855 days to be exact according to Acoustic Soul Queen India Arie. This year’s Smokin Grooves marked many artists' return to the stage since the pandemic hit in March 2020. The air was thick with anticipation on Saturday as artists and music lovers gathered at the Los Angeles State Historic Park for what felt like a much needed family reunion. Folks came fitted and ready to be seen, eager to spark something and get a taste of live music’s medicine.

With two stages boasting competing lineups, festival attendees took different approaches from some ambitiously weaving between both to others moving n’ grooving comfortably from the grass. The Jupiter Stage featured an eclectic mix of hometown heroes like Blu & Exile to the legendary vibraphonist and genre-defying vocalist, Roy Ayers. And while both stages faced significant sound and production problems throughout the day, Saturday’s special blend of moody skies, trees and soulful selections by way of Soulection’s Joe Kay kept the vibes high. Fans were blessed with classic cuts and new music exclusives from artists like Oakland R&B royalty Goapele to every hip hop head’s favorite electronic band, Little Dragon.

As I made my way to the Main Stage after spilling out all my guts to Philly legend Bilal sing an electrifying rendition of “Sometimes”, I spotted none other than OG Dr. Chill, father of Slauson songbird, Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo, suited and booted, giving out hugs freely and embodying the spirit of divine love. In that moment, it struck me that these small moments of spontaneous connection and fellowship are what we’ve all been missing. Live music has always created a necessary context for people to come together and unite through its spellbinding power. And even in the tedious moments of long bathroom and food lines, I observed people make new friends (even if it was bonding over shared complaints), reunite with old ones and find the silver lining in the inevitable messy swirl of festival life. In his flawless performance, R&B powerhouse Miguel reflected back, “attention is the ultimate currency these days” and he’s right. It’s an increasingly rare experience to have that many people’s attention coordinated in one direction. If his high wattage smile was any indication, it felt really good to receive.

As “one spliff a day will keep the evil away” boomed from the speakers, Inglewood’s own SiR suddenly stopped singing to request a medic for concert goers who had presumably passed out in GA. In the wake of last year’s Houston AstroWorld tragedy, it was reassuring to see artists apply lessons in real time, prioritizing the safety of everyone over entertainment. Later in the night, Jhené followed suit, checking in with fans multiple times and eventually leading all of us through a collective breath and ending her set with a tender plea for 8 hours of sleep. We’ve come a long way from hip hop’s old adage “sleep is the cousin of death” and personally, I’m here for it. That said, the original architect of N.Y. State of Mind, Queens’ own, Nas lit up the main stage with nostalgic hits I grew up on from “Made You Look” to “One Mic”. In the middle of his performance, nature conspired with him as the sky opened up and rain began to pour down on us. At that moment, sleep was the furthest thing from my mind.

The king of breath control and master of ceremony, Black Thought proved why he is one of the greatest emcees of all time. The Legendary Roots Crew showed out with a massive display of talent from "Captain" Kirk Douglas shredding on guitar, Questlove killin’ on drums and Damon Bryson rocking out on his signature giant tuba. Everyone around me was mesmerized by Tariq’s impeccable cadence and the perfectly composed and executed transitions between songs.

The unanimously agreed upon mishap of the night was everyone’s favorite UNICORN Mutant Cobra, Erykah Badu’s headlining slot cut abruptly short due to a strict city sound ordinance that took effect at 11pm sharp. To make matters worse, the sound and tech problems during her brief 30 minute set compromised the integrity of her otherworldly talented backup singers (including my personal favorite crooner, Durand Bernarr). Yesterday, Badu took to Instagram to clear the air and say her piece:

Screenshot from Erykah Badu’s official instagram

The graciousness and gratitude expressed in Ms. Badu’s caption embodies her beautiful spirit as an artist and human being. At the end of her set, as all of us mustered just enough energy to slog back to the Metro or catch a ride share, it started to rain again - and this time, even harder. It felt less like a cleansing and more like a perfectly timed joke. Though in a strange way, the weather had been mirroring our collective mood swings all day. I couldn’t help but see the sweetness in the chaos: we were huddled together commiserating over bad sound and trading theories on why while scarfing down bomb bacon wrapped hot dogs. Maybe it’s not exactly the fantasy of a perfectly curated Instagram flick but it’s the poetry of an authentic moment in time.

And if the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that we need each other. We need more than convenience and entertainment to access real joy and Smokin Grooves allowed us to tap into the magic of presence to remind us of what truly matters. The festival may never get everything right (though they should certainly improve the sound, scheduling and ahem - upgrade the press lounge!) but maybe perfection isn’t the point of it all. To quote the prophetic Sun Ra, “the real aim of music is to coordinate the minds of the people into an intelligent reach for a better world and an intelligent approach to the living future.” May none of us lose sight of this real aim.

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