A Tale From The Photo Pit: One Love Reggae Cali Fest 2020

ONE DROP; photo Andy Ortega

ONE DROP; photo Andy Ortega

This year’s One Love Reggae Cali Fest once again, did not disappoint. The annual three-day reggae music concert festival at the Queen Mary Park from Feb 7-9 in Long Beach is SoCal’s most popular show for the world’s top reggae artists including Pepper, Dirty Heads, Matisyahu, Iration, Katchafire and more.

BLACK UHURU; photo Andy Ortega

BLACK UHURU; photo Andy Ortega

Arriving at one of the festival’s designated parking lots was easy with clear signs pointing the way as you head towards the Long Beach Convention Center. It’s possible to walk from the parking areas, over the bridge and to the Queen Mary Park but the event offers a shuttle service to and from locations that will pick people up every few minutes.

SOJA; photo Andy Ortega

SOJA; photo Andy Ortega

There are three stages and you’ll see signs throughout the festival with the concert lineup to show you where you can find the artist you’d like to experience. Besides music, there are lots of food trucks and several areas for alcohol. You’ll even find some shopping with merchandise tents, hemp-related clothing, CBD creams and products, etc.

J BOOG; photo Andy Ortega

J BOOG; photo Andy Ortega

Friday’s lineup included Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, Collie Budz, Pepper, Matisyahu, Sublime with Rome, Dirty Heads and newcomer, 4th and Orange. On Saturday, I was able to cover One Drop, Half Pint, Alborosie, Fortunate Youth, and Wailing Souls, among others.

With my coveted photo pit pass in hand, I was lucky enough to enjoy these bands from the edge of the stage so I could get a few shots of each artist. Maneuvering through the photo pit can be tricky but this year there were significantly less photographers covering the show.

COMMON KINGS; photo Andy Ortega

COMMON KINGS; photo Andy Ortega

This made getting in and out of the photo pit area much easier and I could do my job with less stress or worry. When the rain started coming down, as it does every year during the One Love Festival, I pulled out my raincoat and kept working away. Be sure to dress warm and expect rain!

Then on Sunday, I caught performances from The Green, Mike Love, Common Kings and J Boog. One of the things I love about festivals is that you’ll probably get exposed to new music or even a new genre.

THE GREEN; photo Andy Ortega

THE GREEN; photo Andy Ortega

This time around, I became obsessed with The Green after their talented performance. The Green’s music is a blend of modern reggae, with a Hawaiian vibe. Their songs include lyrics about love, the islands, and religion.

During Common Kings’ set, I made a self-discovery. I can take pics while dancing in the rain. Common Kings put on a wonderful show that had the Sunday afternoon crowd moving to their music, rain and all!