At Joshua Tree Music Festival, the only thing more eclectic than the crowd is the lineup. Seeing Gone Gone Beyond on Friday afternoon couldn’t have been a bigger 180 from Thumpasaurus’s eccentric dance music the night before.
Under the blazing desert heat Friday afternoon, their mellow, soulful sound was a welcome way to chill out.
I had never heard Gone Gone Beyond before and I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical when they started the show with sage (could’ve been a fan) and a moment of gratitude meditation with the audience. But as they started playing, Kat Factor’s gorgeous, almost ethereal voice, in perfect harmony with David Block, washed over the crowd and immediately reassured me that this was going to be a set worth sticking around for. And by their 3rd song, the pause to bring our attention back to the stage with guided breathwork was welcome and justified to give their captivating sound the full attention it deserved.
Of course with the benefits of live music also come unforeseen hiccups. And of course when you build a music festival in the desert in the middle of nowhere, hiccups are lurking everywhere. Gone Gone Beyond persevered through everything from a rogue fan getting a little overly ambitious to multiple sound problems. But as with the bad unexpected, good unexpected lurks everywhere at these kinds of festivals too. They rolled with the punches with as much chill and ease as their sound, ultimately bringing the audience into a tight circle and put on a killer acoustic performance-meets-song circle.
I’m impressed by the way they were able to turn total chaos into a welcome treat for those of us who stuck it out with them.
While I didn’t opt to join their full audience group hug, I want to give them a big virtual hug for making the best out of this set, and turning it into an experience to remember. And I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for another chance to see them live.
