I first learned about Camp Flog Gnaw in 2019 when Drake got booed off stage when appearing as the surprise headliner. I set my sights on attending the annual festival and carnival created by artist Tyler, the Creator next year. Of course, my plans were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the annual festival was postponed until an announcement in May 2023, stating that the carnival would commence. I joined the online sale, but was ultimately unable to buy any tickets. My expectations for a cheap resale ticket were low, and I settled for attending the year following.
In the weeks leading up to Nov. 11, I scrolled aimlessly through social media, watching influencers and other personalities talk about their plans for the upcoming event. Many conversations in class with other Arcadia High School (AHS) students were about the artist lineup, and we shared a mutual desire to attend. I decided that I would watch the event from clips, and made plans with friends that weekend. The night before the festival, however, I received a text from a friend stating that she had an extra ticket and would love for me to accompany her. Despite it being almost 8 p.m., and I was on the way to another friend’s house, I immediately agreed and spent the rest of the day planning and shopping for outfits.
The morning of the festival was filled with anticipation. My friend and I waited in the “Will Call” line outside of the Dodger Stadium for our wristbands for almost an hour, and spent the entire time planning exactly what artists we were going to see. Upon entry, we were met with the biggest crowd of people we had ever seen and bought overpriced, but good food while waiting for singer Beabadoobee to finish her set.
The format of the festival contains three stages: Camp, Flog, and Gnaw. There are multiple carnival areas, GOLF WANG stores (Tyler, the Creator’s clothing brand), and food stalls. Formerly called the Odd Future Carnival, Camp Flog Gnaw is famous for showcasing rising talent, while still having mainstream artists perform. Since 2012, the festival has been held annually in the late fall, switching from a one-day event to two days after 2015.
The majority of headliners and mainstream artists perform on the Camp Stage, and we decided to watch the hardcore punk band Turnstile by staying near the front of the stage for the rest of the night. The decision to stand in one area for almost six hours was one we didn’t want to make; however, we wanted to make the most out of our tickets.
We were pushed, shoved, and stepped on, but ended up making friends with other people in the crowd. The sense of community was comforting.
My friend and I were met with the rude awakening of mosh pits at rock concerts. We were pushed, shoved, and stepped on, but ended up making friends with other people in the crowd. The sense of community was comforting, as most people were not expecting such a large reaction either. The crowd died down in preparation for Kali Uchis’ set, and maintained energy throughout her performance. She brought out singer and songwriter Omar Apollo, and it was one of my favorite performances of the night.
Tyler, the Creator, the main set of the night, began at 7:50 p.m. Throughout the very energetic performance, Tyler performed old hits such as “She” and even brought out two flamethrowers on stage. Due to the intensity, however, the people close to the stage had trouble breathing due to the crowd, and Tyler had to pause his performance multiple times. Performance pausing was a common occurrence throughout the night, especially the next set: The Hillbillies. The Hillbillies consist of rappers Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, opening with their high-intensity song “Family Ties.” Multiple mosh pits were created throughout the set, and many were injured in the process. At one point, another concertgoer passed out on top of me, another collapsing right behind me. The group I stuck with and I all were pulled out of the crowd by security due to our lack of space, and spent the rest of the performance from afar. Despite having fun, this begs the question: how safe are festivals?
Nov. 12 was the second day of Camp Flog Gnaw, with sets from: SZA, Rex Orange County, Earl Sweatshirt, Dominic Fike, and Lil Yachty. My group made it to the Flog Stage, where we watched pop artist PinkPantheress perform in preparation for Lil Yachty.
AHS sophomore Daphne Wang recalled her experience at the Flog Stage.
“I actually couldn’t see anything during PinkPantheress’ set, so I ended up having to move around a lot. During Lil Yachty’s set, he brought out Offset which nobody expected. They kept encouraging mosh pits, which probably wasn’t the best idea, since I saw many people fall over, get shoved, and become overwhelmed,” said Wang.
“I left mid-set since I could no longer breathe with the audience being so crammed and because Lil Yachty played song after song with no breaks from the mosh.”
Overwhelmed by the mosh pit from Lil Yachty’s performance, I was met with a calm remainder of the night. Rex Orange County made the audience emotional, playing “Pluto Projector” while SZA performed songs all across her discography. Although my phone ran out of storage mid-performance, SZA was one of the most memorable sets from the weekend. She eventually got cut off mid-song due to the 10 p.m. curfew, but all concert goers left the stadium satisfied.
Despite scary and dangerous instances throughout the weekend, it is safe to say Camp Flog Gnaw 2023 is an event I will never forget. Watching many of my favorite artists in person over a span of two days was a very unique experience, and I will definitely be buying tickets in 2024!
