Camp Flog Gnaw: the postponed festival returns with a more intimate energy

“They say everybody has two lives, and the second life starts when you realize you have one,” Childish Gambino revealed to the crowd while headlining night one of Camp Flog Gnaw at Dodger Stadium. “You should be living your life how you want, because if we have to do this again, it can only get better.”

The words hung in the air as he paused mid-set, seated at the edge of the stage beneath the lights, the audience unusually quiet for a festival of this scale. It was just one of several unexpectedly vulnerable confessions.

Stories of surgeries, medical scares, and the moment he learned he’d had a stroke and felt he was letting everyone down. It wasn’t the tone many anticipated, but it became the defining character of the night, the product of a festival that arrived under unusual circumstances.

Camp Flog Gnaw wasn’t supposed to take place this weekend.

In fact, the two-day sold-out event curated by mega rap star Tyler, The Creator, was originally set for Nov. 15-16, but heavy storms forced promoters to postpone. Travelers were stranded, there were refunds, and the whole brouhaha allowed many other fans to buy tickets at the last minute once new passes became available. The result was a crowd made up largely of Angelenos — many who hadn’t planned on attending until days before — and a festival environment that felt noticeably slower, calmer, and more introspective than in years past.

“My wife and I bought our wristbands less than 24 hours ago,” Luis Domingez from Eagle Rock said with a laugh near the Camp Stage. “I noticed a lot of locals were able to come at the last minute. It’s something we couldn’t make in the past, but we’re here for the first time.”

Instead of the usual shoulder-to-shoulder surges and frantic stage-hopping, people moved with ease. It felt less like a frenzy and more like a gathering.

That softer pace revealed itself early in the day with a standout 4:15 p.m. performance from Geese on the Flog Stage. As the sun lowered into a warm orange haze, the New York band delivered a tight, dynamic set that fused the experimentation of early Radiohead with the raw coolness of The Strokes, a surprising jolt of indie rock that drew a larger-than-expected crowd. Fans drifted in from nearby sets and stayed, turning the moment into one of those accidental discoveries that Camp Flog Gnaw has become known for.

Earl Sweatshirt’s performance at the Gnaw stage deepened that tone. With friends and family hanging out onstage while grabbing juice from an orange cooler right by his DJ, the set played out like a backyard cookout rather than a major festival slot. At one point, Earl looked out at the crowd and said, “Man, this just feels like a family reunion, doesn’t it?”

And it did. Many of the artists performing, including Sweatshirts, have been part of Camp Flog Gnaw for years, some since its earliest iterations. Sweatshirts shared history with Tyler, from making music as teenagers to their Odd Future era, and threaded a sense of nostalgia into the evening. With a mostly local crowd, it felt like people weren’t just watching, they were reminiscing.

Kali Uchis carried that emotional undercurrent into something even more expansive. Wearing a glittered silver two-piece and heels, at times appearing with angel wings, she drifted through a visually rich set with dancers, elaborate staging, and ethereal lighting. But it was the mid-set pause that shifted the energy entirely: a montage of family footage and childhood photos accompanied by narration about growing up in an immigrant household, working multiple jobs, and resisting the stereotypes placed on Latino communities. The stadium fell quiet before erupting in applause.

By the end, she told the crowd, “ICE is terrorizing our community, and these are violations against human rights. I love you all very much. Thank you for being here.” In a city built by immigrant labor, and at a festival now filled with locals rather than tourists, the moment resonated profoundly.

By the time Gambino took the stage, the audience was primed to listen rather than roar. His set moved through favorites like “Redbone,” “3005,” and “This Is America,” but it was the reflective pauses that defined it.

Tyler, the Creator, the biggest anticipation of the night, closed with a set designed like a metro map of his career, each lane marked by an album era and nods to his Hawthorne roots. Near the end of “That Guy,” a row of overhead lights sparked and equipment briefly cut out before a crew member announced, “We just had a little earthquake,” leading Tyler to launch directly into “EARFQUAKE,” turning the glitch into a wink of what was coming.

Later, he addressed the festival postponement head-on, sharing, “The easiest thing to do was cancel it, but that didn’t feel right with my spirit. My team, Goldenvoice, the vendors, security, stagehands, and the artists all pulled together, using so much brainpower, love, and favors to keep the spirit alive for this weekend. The fact that we could get everyone on the same page and that all of you still showed up, you don’t understand what that means to us.”

He spoke of having a busy and transitional year, then chose to end with energy rather than softness, a release after the day’s quiet weight with “I’ll Take Care of You” off his newest record, “Don’t Tap The Glass.”

Walking back through the festival grounds, fans moved through low-key activations like screen-printing shirts at the One of These Days Workshop, resting at the Camp Counselor decompression space, gathering beneath cherry blossom trees near a towering Arizona tea installation, or stopping at the oversized Flog Gnaw Donuts display. The festival wasn’t smaller, but it felt slower and warmer, a noticeable shift from past years.

Camp Flog Gnaw has been known for high energy, but this edition played more like a warm gathering of old friends, defined by locals and longtime supporters.

“This is such an awesome way to celebrate,” Tyler said during his set. “I’ve had such a busy, transitional, and crazy year, and it really comes down to everyone who has supported me, whether since day one or just since last week. I appreciate each and every one of you.”