The final day of Las Vegas’ Life is Beautiful Music & Art festival saw some of the most elaborate and celebrated performances of the weekend. Sunday’s lineup delivered a highlight reel of major moments leading up to the stunning closing set by Post Malone, whose entire 17-track new album, Hollywood’s Bleeding, hit the Billboard Hot 100 this week. Over three days, the event welcomed 195,000 people.
Check out highlights from Day 3 below.
Lewis Capaldi shines
UK chart-topper and breakout adult contemporary star Lewis Capaldi, who has declared himself the “Scottish Beyonce,” opened the mainstage with an impressive set featuring his song “Someone You Loved.” He joked to the crowd about still being relatively unknown in the United States.
Toto plays “that song”
Rock band Toto dominated the mainstage with hit after hit such as “Hold the Line” and “Rosanna” as the sun set, closing, of course, with what they call “that song,” “Africa,” brought back to life thanks to Weezer’s cover.
Carly Rae Jepsen flips her wig
Canadian pop princess Carly Rae Jepsen, who channeled major Vegas vibes by wearing a stunning red see-through gown with a gold bodysuit underneath, lit up the Bacardi stage with a confetti-laden set punctuated by her song “Cut to the Feeling,” which has become an LGBTQ+ pride anthem. Her band sported blonde Carly Rae wigs during one interlude; she then transitioned into a glittering shift dress and matching platforms.
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Hot Chip cover Beastie Boys
Known for creating a visual spectacle, English synth-pop band Hot Chip offered the most uninhibited performance of the final day wearing coordinated white denim outfits and showcasing equally synchronized choreography, keytars and all. The audience reciprocated the vibe with ecstatic dance and fervor of energy when the band launched into a cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.”
Festivalgoers forest bathe and frolic in the Jack in the Box playground
Given the unique orientation of the festival footprint, which extends through 18-city blocks in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas, brands have the opportunity to take over urban spaces and build them out to create innovative interactive experiences. This year, Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign and artist Sam Cannon, simulated the Japanese practice of forest bathing within the shuttered Western Hotel — crafting the ultimate chill out zone where you could sit on a grassy rock and soak in the sights and sounds of a simulated naturescape. Outside, on Jack’s Playground, Instagram was a flutter with pics of attendees whirling down the bacon-themed slide on a “slice of” bacon or lettuce, playing a lit-up version of skee-ball, jumping in a sauce-inspired ball pit, see-sawing on a taco teeter-totter or posing on a cherry and whipped cream throne. Postmates also enacted its live program during the fest, giving fans the ability to skip the lines by ordering ahead from merchants and picking up from a designated zone.
Zedd dines on omakase before his set
Taking advantage of some of the bespoke culinary offerings available throughout Life is Beautiful, Zedd and his entourage attended the exclusive Omakase Cantina, produced by Secretburger.com featuring Sunday night guest chefs Marc Marrone from Graffiti Bao and Josh Smith from Bardot Brasserie at Aria. The multicourse popup dinner featured Asian and French flavors and the theme was “Indochine Maison.” The producer then hit the nearby Bacardi stage to close out the night with an electrifying set that worked the crowd into a complete frenzy. Other unique dining options throughout the weekend included a daily woodfire cookout with rotating chefs from big-name Strip restaurants like Momofuku, Jaleo and Michael Symon’s Mabel’s BBQ, and locals’ favorites such as The Toddy Shop and Good Pie. There was even a vegan Farm Stand curated by Vegans, Baby. For top-tier ticket holders, there were daily brunches curated by DW Bistro and Honey Salt located in Downtown music venue, The Bunkhouse Saloon.
Rae Sremmurd and Vampire Weekend dig into new music
Back on the mainstage, hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd shook the crowd with more than an hour of trap hits including Swae Lee’s new song, “Won’t Be Late” with Drake. The thunderous turn kicked up the energy for the evening that then transitioned into a technically amazing parade of songs from rock band Vampire Weekend, which heavily focused on their new album Father of the Bride. “Sunflower” and “This Life” were infectious and left attendees primed for the main event of the night.
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Post Malone praises crowd, delivers emotional closer
Giving the audience exactly what they would expect from a mainstage headliner on the last night of a major music festival, Post Malone lit up Downtown Las Vegas with positive energy, an inferno of lights and his signature emotive swagger. With plenty to celebrate, not many artists have ever had a week like Malone, with four songs (he did them all) “Goodbyes” with Young Thug, “Circles,” “Take What You Want” with Travis Scott and Ozzy Osbourne and “Sunflower” — in the top 10 and an entire 17-track album on the charts. Commenting on the experience, he said, “a night without hate or violence really makes me believe that life is fucking beautiful.” He gave back 10-fold on what he received from the massive gathering, gliding effortlessly from hit to hit and giving insights into his deeply personal and emotional new album Hollywood’s Bleeding.
The lasting impression
Thanks to the mural and street art program curated by JustKids, the 2019 festival will live on in the streets of Downtown with new works by artists from all over the world such as Daku’s beautiful shadowy script signage and Mantra’s butterfly specimen boxes. Experiential artist Notes to Strangers by Andy Leek left mementos in the form of inspirational signs all over the area that served as both mental and physical takeaways at the end of the experience.
