hustle dance tour

 15/9 Salisbury Rd, Castle Hill NSW, 2154

 (02) 8872 1223, private dance lessons to learn the hustle in sydney.

Dance Style

Description of the Hustle

The Hustle is the partner version of disco dancing. It is a fast moving, energetic dance characterized by its many turns. The lady spins almost constantly while her partner draws her close and sends her away. Hustle is still very popular at West Coast Swing dances and in some Latin clubs.

It is a fusion of swing and disco, a return to partner dancing, a modified lindy hop and jitterbug, still very popular in crowded dance floors in New York. Music played for the Hustle is modern, based upon rhythm and blues.

Characteristics of the Hustle

Hustle is danced to the contemporary pop dance music of the last 20 years. It is a fast, smooth dance, with the lady spinning almost constantly, while her partner draws her close and sends her away.  It is a non-progressive dance and mostly danced in a slot or rotational slot.  It is one of the few dances that do not phrase evenly with the music: each basic occupies 3 beats of music, though the music is in 4/4 time.

Hustle Music

Time signature:  4/4 Tempo: 28-30 measures per minute Timing:   &1-2-3, Beat value:  ½ – 1 – 1 – ½

The 1960’s rock and roll almost killed ballroom dancing.  The freedom of dancing without a partner – shaking on your own or just meet hip to hip with a satisfying bump was so much easier than learning how to Ballroom dance.  Chubby Checkers’ hit “Let’s twist again” in 1961 started the solo dance craze.  Critics of course, called the dance obscene because of its gyrating hip movements.  By the mid-1960’s, more than 5000 discos had opened in the United States.

The twist set the stage for other gyrating dances like the Shake, the Hitchhike, the Monkey, the Pony, the Swim and the Funky Broadway.  These solo freestyle dances coincided with the beginning of the women’s movement which challenged the idea of a man always leading.  But couples dancing did not go underground for very long.  It exploded back on the scene with the Hustle which appealed to the young people.

The name ‘Hustle’ was originally a Line dance of the same name.  The Hustle is said to have originated in 1970 in New York City’s African-American and Puerto Rican Bars.  Its popularity spread with Van McCoy’s recording of “The Hustle” which was on the national charts for 18 weeks.  The ‘couples dance’ that was to later steal the name when the movie “Saturday Night Fever ” hit the scene was a mixture of Latin and Swing, mixed to the new modern Disco beat.  Popular disco music of the 70’s included Bee Gees “Stayin’ alive”, “Night fever”, “More than a woman”, “Everybody Dance” (Chic) and Donna Summer’s “Love to love you baby”.

In the 1970’s, a small group of young adults and teenagers formed a subculture in New York City: competing in the many discos dance contests, mostly performing “Rock”. Some of the popular clubs at this time were “The Contiki”, “Footsteps” and “The Red and White” where the best dancers from the boroughs of New York City would gather to dance, compete and exchange information.

In 1973, at “The Grand Ballroom” disco, a new “touch dance”, without a name, was being exhibited by woman.  It was a simple 6-count step with a very basic form, including inside and outside single turns. This was the birth of what would later be called Hustle.  The young men of the club took notice, and became interested in this new “touch dance” since it was a return to romance and quite simply, a way to meet women!  The dance began to gain popularity, and evolved as more and more people began to participate.

In the Latin discos at that time, including “The Corso”, “Barney Goo Goo’s” and “The Ipanema”, disco music was used as a bridge between live band sets.  In these clubs, couples dancing had always been present in the form of Mambo, Salsa, Cha Cha and Bolero.  As a result of this fusion, the simple 6-count dance began to incorporate the “ball change” action of the Mambo. The count of the dance now became 1-2-3 & 4-5-6 and was now performed mostly side-by-side and incorporated a lot of the intricate turn patterns of the Mambo. The dance began to include multiple turns and hand changes with a ropey feel to the arm movements.  Thus the danced was now referred to as “Rope Hustle” or “Latin Hustle”.

Although the main hub and innovation center continued to be New York City, in 1974 to 1975, the Hustle became more popular and spread across the United States.  Dance contests began to pop up in every city.  At the same time, the gay community began to exert its influence on the dance.  Many of its members who danced the Hustle were in the performing arts community. They added long balletic arms and elasticity to the movement. At this time, the dance also began to move from a slotted pattern into a rotational one.

With the many dance contests, the young competitors seeking an edge introduced acrobatic and adagio movements.  A whole new field of entertainment was introduced, and nightclubs, hotels and television began to hire these young and innovative professionals to perform around 1975.  The young dancers continued to seek out new ways to excite the club audiences so the dance became faster and more exciting, and the original 1-2-3 of the dance was dropped and just the &4-5-6 of the count was used in order to move quickly into and out of the tricks that were so popular in the contests. So “&4-5-6” became “&1-2-3”. This was the birth of Hustle as it is counted today.

Throughout the late 1970’s, even though Hustle was still taught in many different forms (4-count Hustle, the old Latin Hustle or Rope Hustle) by dance studios, the most exciting form was done by the club dancers and competitors of New York City who performed the 3-count Hustle (“&1-2-3”).  Throughout the late 1970’s and 1980’s, Hustle began to incorporate other dance styles such as Smooth Ballroom (traveling movements and pivots), Swing, and the Latin rhythm dances.  The dance continues to evolve, but it has never lost its basic count since the mid-1970’s of “&1-2-3”.  The Hustle is the last American partner dance born and cultivated in the United States.

Hustle The Hesitation

Hustle The Wheel

Hustle Link to throwout

[email protected]

(02) 8872 1223

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 2pm - 10pm

Saturday: 9am - 6pm

Sunday: Closed

Studio Location

15/9 Salisbury Rd, Castle Hill NSW 2154, Australia

Thank you for your message. A studio representative will contact you soon.

World Dance Registry

Promote your event.

C.A.S.H. Bash 2023

Thursday, November 23, 2023 thru Sunday, November 26, 2023

Dance styles: West Coast Swing, Hustle

Event Details

C.a.s.h bash 2023, cleveland-akron swing & hustle club.

C.A.S.H Bash is Ohio's premier Swing & Hustle event. Join us this November at the cozy Hilton Garden Inn, Cleveland/ Twinsburg. We’re very excited to continue this one of a kind Thanksgiving tradition for our 22nd year!

Join us for 30+ hours of social dancing and some of the best workshops focused on West Coast Swing, Hustle, Two-Step, and Nightclub Two-Step. We will also be hosting a 2 hour Hustle “intensive” that features a choreographed routine. In addition, for the competitor, we are offering an array of competition opportunities including WSDC Jack & Jill points divisions, Hustle Dance Tour Jack & Jills, and Strictly Swing.

The weekend also includes excellent dining options including, Friday night Hors D'oeuvres, Saturday night plated dinner and desert (Dress to impress), and Saturday and Sunday breakfast.

Hilton Garden Inn Cleveland/Twinsburg

Mention "cash bash" for special $122 room rate.

We're off I-480, a short drive from shopping and dining at Twinsburg. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and downtown Cleveland, home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, are within a half-hour drive. Akron Art Museum, Lock 3 and John S. Knight Center are less than 20 miles away. Enjoy onsite dining, free parking, and over 16,000 sq. ft. of event space.

CLICK FOR HOTEL REGISTRATION

Refund Policy

Event passes and competition fees are non-refundable. However, you may transfer your weekend pass to someone else. Please email [email protected] if you need to transfer your pass.

Click here for all the details about who's coming, and the latest updates on our main website.

Thursday, November 23, 2023   thru Sunday, November 26, 2023

Hilton Garden Inn Cleveland/Twinsburg 8971 Wilcox Dr Twinsburg, Ohio 44087 330-405-4488

• United Airlines
• American Airlines
• Southwest Airlines

Host Information

C.A.S.H. Bash 2023 Website

• Lori Rousar
• [email protected]
• 330-573-5737

Mailing Address:

C.A.S.H. Bash 2023 PO Box 201 Cuyahoga Falls Ohio 44221

Weather Temporarily Unavailable. Check back soon.

About WDR: Tech Support Solutions& Pricing

Legal: Privacy Policy Terms of Service

Copyright © 2008-2024 World Dance Registry ™

LA Hustle Congress is the largest international Hustle event in the world.

Our event features an unprecedented amount of hustle instructors, legendary hustle icons, and attendees world wide., the hilton orange county costa mesa, ca october 31st – november 3rd, 2024, follow us on social media for the latest updates, ready to book your room for lahc 2024.

We have an exclusive room block at the Hilton Costa Mesa hotel for LAHC 2024. You’ll receive a discounted rate for the whole week of LAHC when you book through our website. For more info about the hotel, visit our hotel venue link.

Click or tap the link below and reserve your room today!

Photos Available for Purchase!

Registration, meet the staff, uniting social dances.

The LA Hustle Congress is a one-of-a-kind hustle dance event filled with workshops, unique and traditional competitions, showcases, and extraordinary social parties!!

Our event is dedicated to Hustle dancers with a crossover encouragement of Salsa, Bachata, West Coast Swing, House & other nightclub dances.

We aim to bring together hustle communities and spotlight the impact of this beloved dance in today’s social dance scene.

Our mission is to grow this dance to become the next mainstream social dance..

Welcome to... HUSTLE Dance Events Utah's Hottest Dance Competition & Conventions

HUSTLE  brings a new vibe to dance in Utah! 

Come experience our dance competitions and conventions/masterclasses.

All ages and skill levels are welcome  

Our workshops will help you level up in dance.  There is always something to be gained by taking classes from someone you haven’t before. We hire only the best instructors and provide fun material. 

Our competitions are about helping the dancers perfect their skill.  Our panel of judges are experts in all styles of dance.  

Our Mission:

HUSTLE provides a platform for dancers to learn and grow. We commit to being innovative and breaking the norms. We  strive to be the BEST in the biz. We can’t wait to see your grit, execution, and HUSTLE ! 

Future events are below!

HUSTLE  brings a new vibe to dance in Utah! 

Come experience our dance competitions and conventions/masterclasses.

All ages and skill levels are welcome  

Our workshops will help you level up in dance.  There is always something to be gained by taking classes from someone you haven’t before. We hire only the best instructors and provide fun material. 

Our competitions are about helping the dancers perfect their skill.  Our panel of judges are experts in all styles of dance.  

HUSTLE provides a platform for dancers to learn and grow. We commit to being innovative and breaking the norms.   We  strive to be the BEST in the biz. We can’t wait to see your grit, execution, and HUSTLE ! 

Get in Touch

• 801-897-4522
• [email protected]

Upcoming 2025 Event Dates

These dates confirm the upcoming HUSTLE competitions in Utah. 

Upcoming 2024 Event Dates

Contemporary

Get to know the hustle owner.

My name is Randi Carter and I am so excited to bring  HUSTLE  to the dance world. I have been working in law enforcement for 20 years; but dance has been part of my entire life. Starting  HUSTLE  has been a goal of mine for many many years. 

I have danced competitively with local studios, was on the high school drill team, the University of Utah Dance Team, and several professional teams. I have coaches/directed studio and professional dance teams and love to do choreography and run auditions/workshops. I was a backup dancer and toured with a record label and was a spokesmodel for a local radio station.

I am a trained dance/cheer judge and have been judging competitions for 20+ years. I also have experience judging drill team competitions and Junior Miss Pageants. I was Mrs. West Jordan 2021 and I ran for the Mrs. Utah title. #fadethefilter

I have an amazing husband and three beautiful boys. We are a big sports family and I stay busy being involved in the youth sports world as well as the school system volunteering to teach classes and help in the classroom. 

I am so excited to be able to share the love of dance with all of you and can’t wait to see you on the floor!! XOXO

My name is Randi Carter and I am so excited to bring  HUSTLE  to the dance world.   I have been working in law enforcement for 19+ years; but dance has been part of my entire life. Starting HUSTLE has been a goal of mine for many many years. 

I have danced competitively with local studios, was on high school drill team, the University of Utah Dance Team, and several professional teams. I have experience teaching and directing studio and professional dance teams and love to do choreography and run auditions. I was a backup dancer and toured with a record label and was a spokes model for a local radio station.

I am a trained dance/cheer judge and have been judging competitions for 20+ years. I also have experience judging drill team competitions and Junior Miss Pageants. I was Mrs. West Jordan 2021 and ran for the Mrs. Utah title. #fadethefilter

I have an amazing husband of 21+ years and I am a mom to three beautiful boys. You will see a specialty award at my events with their three initials called the AKT Award. Now you know why that one is so special…. We are a big sports family and I stay busy being involved in the youth sports world as well as the school system volunteering to teach art classes and help in the classroom. 

I have an amazing husband of 20+ years and I am a mom to three beautiful boys. You will see a specialty award at my events with their 3 initials called the AKT Award. Now you know why that one is so special….  We are a big sports family and I stay busy being involved in the youth sports world as well as the school system volunteering to teach classes and help in the classroom. 

I am so excited to be able to share the love of dance with all of you and can’t wait to get to know all of Utah’s dancers!! See you on the floor. XOXO

Stay Connected

Please provide your information below to join our newsletter.  

Division Levels

Points are awarded for Jack and Jill results for current HDT Member events only. Only current HDT

Member events are allowed to advertise their membership and promote the earning of registry points.

Each event can decide if they allow either gender to play either role. Nevertheless, we encourage any

gender to be able to enter a comp as a Lead or Follow. Points earned will apply for the specific role

that they achieved the placement in question. Points cannot be combined across lead and follow, they

will be separately tracked and applied. For example, one person may actually have adequate points

to be an Intermediate Follow, but a Novice lead. If one person is in the same division as a lead and

follow, they must choose only one role to play in that level at any particular event, they should not be

allowed to enter as both a lead and follow in the same division. It is up to the Event if they allow one

individual to enter as a lead in one division and as a follow in another division, as long as they meet

the requirements for each division.

Points are awarded as follows: The points will be awarded based on the # of competitors in the

specific role (lead or follow). So, if there are more follows, it’s likely that the follow placements will

earn more points than the leads. In other words, it is possible for the same competition to be

considered a Tier 1 for the Leads and a Tier 2 for the Follows, etc. The minimum number of couples

to make a contest eligible for registry points is five.

Tier 1:   5 to 8 Competitors (Could be run as a finals only).

Tier 2:   9 to 15 Competitors (Could be run as a finals only, or semi-final/final)

Tier 3:   16+ Competitors (Should be 2 rounds: semi-final/final, or 3 rounds: Prelim/Semi/Final)

If a competitor places twice in a division (in the event of uneven lead/follow finalists), that competitor

will only earn points for the higher placement.

For events that combine divisions (i.e., Novice/Intermediate), points will be tracked for all contestants

in the lower of the two divisions.

If there is an “All-American,” other multi-level J&J, or an alternatively-labeled competition, registry

points will not be awarded unless previously approved on a case-by-case basis by the HDT committee

prior to the event.

The event director is responsible to report the results of Jack and Jill competitions to the HDT within 7

days after the completion of the competition. However, any events in December must report the

results of the Jack and Jill competitions to the HDT within 48 hours of the completion of the

competition. They must report this information using the official printed HDT forms either scanned or

mailed, or online (when available). All relevant information must be completed including, but not

limited to, how many total contestants were in each division and role, each entrants name and

information, placements, finalists, etc . Event directors are also responsible for informing contestants

of the point structure. Points are not entered into the registry until the event director submits the full

reports and pays the fee.

For 2014, the HDT launch year, highly-trained and experienced dancers may be able to start at an

Intermediate or Advanced level if they have received approval by a Hustle professional dance

instructor that is very familiar with their ability and skills. Use the General Skill Level Description below

to help decide the appropriate level. For 2015 and beyond all new competitors in the Hustle Dance

Tournament start in either the Newcomer or Novice Level and must earn points to graduate to the next

level. Or, experienced dancers may ask an official HDT Member Instructor to complete one of two

petitions on their behalf—either the One-time Event Specific Petition or the Permanent Petition.

General Skill Level Description

As a guide, the following patterns and technique are characteristic MINIMUMS of each level. They are

not strict rules, nor are they limiting criteria. A Newcomer and Novice can include

Intermediate/Advanced characteristics in their dance, etc.

Any new competitor may start here, but experienced and skilled dancers should start in Novice.

Any new competitor may start here.

Intermediate

All Core patterns or Full Bronze of a widely-accepted syllabus (IHDA, May I Have This Dance, DanceVision, etc)

Perfect 3-count Hustle timing

Momentum control--no push pull

Smooth transitions and smart amalgamations

Balanced turns and spins at least 75% of the time

Wrap variations

Simple traveling moves such as Continuous Grapevine and Diva Walks

Double right turns such as Spanish Turns and Barrel Rolls

Syncopated Vegas

Syncopated Wrap

Common acceptance from many currently classified Intermediate dancers

All from Intermediate

Several traveling patterns

Extended rhythm patterns

Extended turn patterns

Syncopated footwork

Ronde and similar embellishments

Playful patterns such as Circling Wrap Diva Walks, Arm Bar

Polished posture, poise, carriage, and styling (look like a pro)

Efficient, effective, and refined frame and connection. (feel like a pro)

Common acceptance from many currently classified Advanced dancers.

All-Star 

(We will not offer an All-Star division until a larger community of highly skilled hustle dancers has developed)

All from Advanced

Acceleration/deceleration

Timing variations amalgamated smoothly with standard timing

Musicality (hitting breaks, accents, expressing to different rhythms, melody, and instrumentation)

Dynamic movement using height, width, length, rotation

Continuous turns

Blind moves

Open visual partnering

Seamless integration of influences of other dances intertwined with a majority Hustle.

(Salsa/Latin, WCS, Ballroom, etc)

Absolute Characteristics of Hustle

Three-count patterns (or multiples of 3). Timing of &123, &123&456, or 12&3, 12&345&6, must be done the majority of the time.

Should include several Hustle patterns from popular syllabi such as IHDA, DanceVision, or May I Have This Dance. Every dance should include patterns such as: Cross Body Lead, Throwout-Return, Shadow Cross Body Lead Turn, NY Walks, etc.

No “Push-Pull” connection

For &123 timing, the most distinct lead is usually on the “a2” as the lead gives the follow direction and rotation. For 12&3 timing, it’s on the “a1.”

The “&” step should not be a catch of momentum but should be more of a controlled punctuation.

Encouraged Characteristics (not mandatory)

Arm-styling should trend towards contemporary styling and reflect the social dance nature of J&J. The dramatic and performance arm styling in classic hustle for leads and follows is not a necessary element, although a dancer may choose to use classic arm styling. In any event, arm and hand movement should be connected to, and an outflow of, body movement. It should come across as natural as opposed to “placed.” Variance and different stylings should be encouraged according to whatever feels natural and is appealing to the dancers and audience. This can be feminine, macho, sultry, elegant, gritty, etc.

Syncopations, extended rhythms, and pattern variations are desirable as long as they are successful within the partnership and done for musical expression.

Musicality is highly encouraged. Matching your Hustle dancing to the various rhythms, accents, breaks, melody, lyrics, and mood of the song is magical.

Add dynamic movement to enhance your patterns including level changes, width, length, rotation, and progression.

As long as the dance uses Hustle as its basis, step patterns, styling and variations that incorporate other dances are allowed.

While keeping the Absolute Characteristics and integrity of the dance, a highly-skilled Hustle dancer will be able to make the dance look different to different music such as disco, R&B, ballad, rap, jazz, latin, etc.

Music, styles, and preferences evolve. We encourage Hustle to evolve and stay relevant and appealing to all generations. Nevertheless, there should be recognizable and logical evolution from past to present hustle styles instead of a wholesale change which may result in a totally different dance that loses most of the foundation of hustle. The best Hustle dancers, and Hustle instructors, will understand and be able to dance many iterations of Hustle, from the classic 70’s style to whatever is most current, and all in between.

There is no specific mandatory syllabus, but we encourage the use of industry standard syllabi such

as IHDA (International Hustle Dance Association), Dance Vision, or May I Have This Dance.

Competition Music

All divisions:.

Should be mostly CONTEMPORARY. “Swustle” music is encouraged. Songs that would be

considered excellent for contemporary West Coast Swing and still have the characteristic for Hustle

should be played whenever possible. Classic music should only be played if each heat is allowed 3

songs and only a maximum of 1 of the 3 should be a classic song. Classic is defined as from the

1970’s or 80’s.

Newcomer or Novice:

Explicit steady beat.

Between 100-112 bpm

Intermediate:

Explicit or strongly-implicit steady beat.

Musically interesting to listen and dance to via rhythms, accents, and mood.

Between 100-118 bpm

At least one slow and one fast.

Explicit or implicit steady beat.

Musically interesting to listen and dance to via rhythms, accents, mood, breaks, and melody.

Between 90 – 122 bpm

All-Star/Pro:

Explicit or implicit steady beat. Highly-recognizable songs can have some phrases of suspended

beats or rhythm changes.

Between 90 (or slower!) – 125 bpm

Judging Guidelines

In order of importance, judges will score dancers based on:

Entertainment

Overall, judges are looking for impressive hustle dancing by the couple as a partnership, each

individual, and how they express the music.

Other items to keep in mind:

Jack and Jill competitions should be 100% social lead/follow. No routines, or pre-choreographed movements should be allowed. The dance should be a spontaneous creation and conversation between the lead and follow.

No lifts or aerials allowed. Each dancer just have at least one foot on the floor at all times with the exception of an unassisted jump, skip, or hop. Event directors may make an exception by allowing safer lifts for the All-Star/Pro levels only.

No costumes. Otherwise dress code is up to the event director.

There are no limits to what hustle patterns you can do at any particular level. However, fundamentals done well, with style, great connection, partnership, and musicality will usually trump the fanciest patterns done less well and/or without musicality.

In finals, especially for higher divisions, judges must consider how couples dance to all played songs and place them accordingly. A couple that dances all songs very well should place higher than a couple that is outstanding at the first, but not so much on the second.

Judges should look favorably upon dancers adapting their styling to the music.

Tournament Finale

Since the tournament is a cumulative point contest, there is no specific finale event. However, we intend to announce and award the Tournament Champions at the last scheduled HDT event of the year. This is dependent on the presence and availability of adequate event staff and HDT staff, and other logistical factors. If there is any cause for delay, the tournament results will be announced at a later date through our social media and website or at another event.

The intention is to award those that received the most amount of points in a specific role regardless of their division level. So a Newcomer or a Novice may be a Tournament winner right along side an Intermediate or Advanced, etc. However, in the event of any ties, the dancer that has more points in a higher division level will win the tie. If there is still a tie, then the dancer will win that placed higher at the most recent HDT event that the tying competitors competed against each other. If there is still a tie, both dancers will end in a clear tie, share the title for that tournament year and will negotiate a split of the prizes for their placement. The prizes will vary from year to year as it’s based on the fees collected from the events and sponsorship. But at a minimum, we intent to award:

1st Place Hustle Tournament Best Leader of the Year: Trophy or Plaque, Money, Event Passes

2nd & 3rd Place: Certificate, Money, Event Passes

1st Place Hustle Tournament Best Follower of the Year: Trophy or Plaque, Money, Event Passes

For 2014 The Tournament is just held locally, and separately in Chicago and Philadelphia areas. However, in 2015, the Tournament will be combined in to one national/international program.

Details are subject to change at any time. Each dancer releases the Hustle Dance Tour, the hosts and sponsors for any HDT event, and any of its agents or assignees from any liability and waives all claims for damage, injury, loss to person or property which may result from this event. The dancers consent to the use of photographs, videos, their names, likeness, and their competition standings by the Event Organizers and HDT for the use of any HDT or Event Organizer purpose.

• Dance Cruises
• Dance Camps
• Event Calendars
• Post an Event
• Advertise on DanceNet
• Partner Search
• Advanced Search

By clicking Sign In, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Sign In Up with your social account

We won't post to any of your accounts

Your password must include:

• Min 8 characters
• Min 1 lowercase character
• Min 1 uppercase character
• Min 1 number
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Do Not Sell
• Accessibility statement
• Social icon facebook
• Social icon instagram
• Social icon twitter

Fans Can’t Get Over Bradley Cooper’s Dance Moves Next to Gigi Hadid at Taylor Swift Concert

Bradley Cooper proved he’s got some smooth dance moves while attending Taylor Swift ‘s concert in Paris, France, on Sunday, May 12, and fans were loving it.

One concertgoer shared a TikTok video of Bradley, 49, next to girlfriend Gigi Hadid and Taylor’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce , as they watched her show at Paris’ La Défense Arena, while the group jammed out to “Blank Space.”

The Maestro star swayed back and forth while lifting his arms in the air and fans went wild in the video’s comments.

“Is that Bradley Cooper moving like that?” one impressed follower wrote, while another added, “Bradley Cooper is sending me.”

“Seeing Mr. Cooper dance to T. Swift is all I needed to see today,” one user commented while another gushed, “Suddenly in love with Bradley Cooper.”

Some users joked about the American Hustle star having “dad moves,” while one wrote, “Bradley Cooper is me drunk dancing at the club.” Others were thrilled with how hyped Gigi, 29, was, singing along and dancing enthusiastically.

“Bradley is just trying to keep up, cause Gigi is a whole mood!” one user commented, while another added, “‘Act cool, act cool, on camera. Can’t embarrass Gigi.’ *sways and points an few times.​​​* Love Bradley so much, haha!”

Travis, 34, also jammed out to “Blank Space” while standing on the other side of Gigi, and fans joked about his dance style . “Travis’ moves are always the same haha,” one user laughed, while another wrote, “Travis has just one move.”

This is the second time fans know of that Bradley, Gigi, Travis and Taylor, 34, have gotten together, although the last occasion was low key and almost kept secret.

The foursome traveled to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, for Gigi’s 29th birthday celebrations in April. Travis’ mom, Donna Kelce , confirmed the group getaway while appearing at QVC’s Age of Possibility summit in Las Vegas on April 24.

Donna, 71, revealed that she received a group photo of the four on their destination double date, according to People . The four were enjoying time on the beach in the snapshot, Donna reportedly dished.

Bradley and Gigi later traveled to Las Vegas for the supermodel’s birthday week, where The Hangover star ran across Donna as he too attended the QVC summit to support his Danny and Coops Philly Cheesesteak food truck.

Deal of the Day

When the pair crossed paths, Donna sweetly told the actor, “Trav told me you were going to be here,” in a video that made the rounds on social media.

Bradley and Gigi began dating in October 2023, and have become much more open about being seen together in public, as well as showing off PDA .

Taylor and Travis’ romance began shortly after he revealed on a July 2023 episode of his “New Heights” podcast that he tried and failed to give the “Cruel Summer” singer a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it at her Kansas City Eras tour stop. Taylor later called the admission “metal as hell” and revealed they were already a couple by the time she attended her first Kansas City Chiefs game on September 24, 2023.

• Bradley Cooper
• Taylor Swift

TORONTO OPEN SWING & HUSTLE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 11-14, 2024, toshc is proud to be part of.

WSDC Registry Event

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Want something extra.

Photo credit: Michael Robinson

• Share full article

Jean Smart Is Having a Third Act for the Ages

Like her character on “Hacks,” she’s winning late-career success on her own exuberant terms.

Jean Smart. Credit... Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times

Supported by

By J Wortham

J Wortham is a staff writer for the magazine. They visited the set of “Hacks” in January in Los Angeles, and interviewed the cast and crew over the course of a few weeks.

• Published May 12, 2024 Updated May 13, 2024, 4:59 p.m. ET

Calling someone a “hack” is a particularly vicious insult. It implies that they have no talent or, worse, that they have wasted it. The slight is hurled early on in “Hacks,” the popular HBO series starring Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a seasoned comedian who teams up with a younger one named Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to freshen up her act.

Listen to this article, read by January LaVoy

When they meet, Ava takes stock of Deborah — her glitzy mansion, her residency at a casino in Las Vegas, a hustle selling branded merchandise on cable TV — and sees her as the definition of a hack, a sellout cashing in on her former fame. Deborah is unfazed. Amused, even. What does this kid know about her career, about years of hard work, about the unfairness, sexism and disregard?

Deborah, meanwhile, sees Ava as a bit of a hack herself — an entitled and spoiled young internet persona who was canceled for posting a joke about a closeted senator. (“Sounds like a Tuesday for me,” Deborah retorts when Ava complains about it.) Deborah is a workaholic on the verge of bitter, someone who grew tired of being cut and so became a knife. She’s shameless, litigious, petty, vengeful, stubborn — qualities that become a comedic asset for the character and a narrative engine for the show. Just how far is Deborah Vance willing to go?

Throughout the first two seasons, much of the drama — and delight — is in seeing Ava puncture Deborah’s carefully lacquered facade with her Gen Z earnestness and sharp wit. In one of the show’s funniest moments, Deborah bluntly asks Ava, “You a lesbian?” Ava leans back in her chair while considering the question. She responds with a treatise reflecting the identity politics of a generation raised with nonexistent boundaries and zero sexual shame, ending with a graphic description of how she orgasms. Deborah doesn’t miss a beat. “Jesus Christ!” she exclaims. “I was just wondering why you were dressed like Rachel Maddow’s mechanic!” Deborah and Ava are mirrors for each other, gifted and perspicacious performers at opposite ends of their careers, both trying to be their most audacious selves in an industry that will dispose of them the moment they cross an invisible line.

Over the last three years, “Hacks” has earned its two Emmy nominations for outstanding comedy series by cultivating a polyphonic, fast-paced humor relentless as Deborah’s own quick mind. There are constant insult jokes about Ava’s appearance (“Your manicurist must use a paint roller!”); manic banter between Jimmy, Deborah’s beleaguered agent, and his delusional assistant (played brilliantly by the comedian Meg Stalter); antic bits like a seemingly poignant scene of Deborah’s daughter playing classical piano as a reflection of her gilded upbringing, before it devolves into absurdity when the music is revealed to be the theme song from “Jurassic Park.” And then there are the battles royal in which Ava and Deborah fire hilarious barbs back and forth until their frustration gives way to awe at each other’s cleverness and something like respect blooms. It’s weaponized therapy.

One day in January, Smart was filming an episode of the show’s third season at a private villa near Pasadena, Calif., kitted out to resemble a mansion in Bel-Air. She sat in a magisterial library on a caramel leather Chesterfield. Deborah is meeting with the network executive who canceled her show in the 1970s after she (allegedly) tried to set her former husband’s home on fire upon discovering that he was having an affair with her sister. The ensuing scandal banished her to the edges of the entertainment industry. She hopes the conversation will yield some clarity, perhaps even closure.

No one would mistake Deborah Vance for soft. And yet here she was, defanged — somewhat. She wore an expensive silk leopard blouse, a reminder of her latent ferocity. As Keith Sayer, who worked with Smart to craft the image of Deborah, remarked to me while observing the scene: “She went in thinking there might be a battle.”

In the scene, Deborah’s voice is low, pleading. “Before I do this all again,” she says, “I really need to know why it didn’t work the first time.” The executive is perplexed. To him, it’s obvious. He reminds her of the chaos that followed her very public meltdown with her husband. She is chastened by the memory but recovers. “I know,” she says. “I’ve just always thought if I’d been a little bit better, a little bit funnier, if I’d been undeniable, it could have happened.”

The entire crew seemed to collectively hold their breath as they watched Smart, as Deborah, waiting for the reply. From behind a cluster of monitors, the show’s creators, Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, sat watching the process and whispering to one another. (Smart calls them “J.P.L.” for short, which she says stands for Jet Propulsion Laboratory.) At one point, Aniello asked Smart to do a take with her eyes not lowered, to add some of her potency back. “Less like a wounded deer,” she added. They wanted her to strike a delicate balance between humble and proud. They gave Smart a few pointed notes, which she metabolized quickly, speed-cycling through a spectrum of emotions on command. Smart is a maestro of microexpressions: She can adjust the lines on her forehead to convey pain or arrogance. Her voice is an ember that can smolder or burn red-hot; her laugh can sound coquettish or sharp, like the cries of an exotic bird.

At this point in the show, Deborah and her career are trending. After combing through Deborah’s extensive archive, Ava realized that her most powerful work could be drawn from her own history. They devise a new act that satirizes Deborah’s shadow selves: a jealous ex, a vain and self-involved mother, a bad feminist and a power-hungry entrepreneur. Self-aware and self-skewering, the act revives interest in Deborah and pushes her back into the spotlight, so much so that her team pitches a comedy special. Networks won’t touch it. Undeterred, Deborah decides to finance the special herself, and it goes viral.

“Hacks” is a similar turning point in Smart’s career. Despite working steadily in Hollywood for three decades, she has never played a lead character that has captivated audiences quite like this one. Casting her was a stroke of genius: There’s a relish to her performance, not only because she’s perfect in the role but also because she and Deborah would both delight in the idea of proving wrong anyone who overlooked or underestimated their gifts. Smart, as Deborah, gives the lie to the idea of the hack and repurposes it as a glorious wink.

In 2015, Downs, Aniello and Statsky were road-tripping to a monster-truck rally in Portland, Maine, where Downs would be filming a segment for a sketch-comedy special. The three met in 2009 while bumming around New York trying to get their comedy careers off the ground. Downs and Aniello began dating after they met in an Upright Citizens Brigade improv class, and Statsky and Aniello met in a sketch group. The three formed a tight-knit circle.

As tends to happen on long drives, the three found themselves deep in existential conversations. One turned to talented people who had fallen into obscurity. A theater actress with a vibrant and illustrious career had died recently, and articles about her life stunned them. “How come we are only learning about this woman and her work in her obituary?” Downs, who plays Jimmy, asked. “Why did we not see her in every guest role on TV?” It reminded Statsky of the improvisational-comedy duo Nichols and May — Mike Nichols, she said, “went on to have an incredible career, but you weren’t quite sure what happened to May.” (Elaine May did have a long career, directing films and writing screenplays, but she is not nearly as well known.) They thought about other great female performers who seemed to disappear — or worse, lost control of the joke and became the butt of it. They had just heard Kathy Griffin’s appearance on Marc Maron’s podcast , where she discussed how much easier it was to become a reality-TV star than to sustain the life of a comic. They had also watched “A Piece of Work,” the 2010 Joan Rivers documentary that highlighted the verdant years of her comedy career, before she became better known for body modifications and red-carpet cattiness.

These women were meteoric talents whose reputations eroded over time because of the industry’s exclusionary practices. Many became spectacles, cartoonifying themselves with antic behavior and plastic surgeries or tawdry television appearances. “It was really just a way to survive, a way to commodify their art,” Aniello said. “They weren’t being taken seriously as geniuses or auteurs, so they had to go into this other lane and create it for themselves. And sometimes we look down on that art form, and it’s unfair, because they were literally just trying to exist.”

Statsky reckoned with her own dismissal of those women and others like them. “Did I have some weird bias?” she said. “Thinking this person is hacky or writing them off in a way?” Why, they all wondered, was it easier to remember these women for their cheapest career moments than for their best work? And more to the point — what drove those comedians to devalue themselves in the first place?

The friends were juiced enough after the car ride to try to create a character, a woman in her third act who refused to accept the notion that she was past her prime. They also devised her foil, a younger comedian weaned on viral fame. They saw the narrative arc so clearly that they knew exactly where the series would end. They also knew that they wanted to staff the show with comedians and comic actors who they felt hadn’t been fully given the chance to showcase their talents. All three were admirers of Smart, and so they sent the pilot script to her agent; she was the only actor they met with. “When she walked into the room, you just felt Deborah was alive — she’s glamorous and dry and smart and blond — just a perfect fit,” the trio told me in an email. They pitched the show in 2019, and the first season aired in May 2021.

When Smart first read the script, she was enraptured by the depth of the writing for Deborah. “It ticked all the boxes,” she said. She recalled a scene in which Deborah has a liaison with a younger man. Rather than writing it as purely salacious, the creators infused it with real sensuality — and the encounter kindles a burst of creativity for Deborah. “She discovers something new in her work that just brings back some real joy to her,” Smart told me.

The character of Deborah is based on an amalgamation of female comedians, including Griffin, Rivers, Paula Poundstone and Betty White. There’s a little Lucille Bluth of “Arrested Development” in there, too. Phyllis Diller may be the most important model for Deborah — Smart once dressed like her as a girl — but while Diller leaned into the garish to the point of surrealism, Deborah is firmly established in the leisure class. As Kathleen Felix-Hager, the show’s costume designer, told me, “She has money.”

It was important to the show’s creators that Deborah’s difficulties are not financial. By many definitions, she has already made it. But her ambitions extend beyond her bank balance. She wants a certain stature, a reputation, a desire to be, as she tells the executive, undeniable . But “you can be undeniable, and you might still get denied,” Downs said. If Deborah is a hack, she was first made that way by a sexist and ageist industry that disposed of her as soon as she became inconvenient.

When Smart was done filming, she bundled us both into the back of her car, and a driver took us to a favorite Italian spot in Toluca Lake. In the back seat were a satin pillow (for napping) and sequin jackets (for a drag show later). She was energized by the day’s shoot, particularly by the verve of her co-star, Hal Linden of “Barney Miller” fame, now in his 90s. “I hope to keep working like that,” she marveled. As we walked into the restaurant, heads perked up as Smart waltzed past, and we found a roomy, private booth in the back.

Many people remember Smart from her role as Charlene on “Designing Women,” in which she played a version of herself as a teenager growing up in Seattle: the “blue-eyed, blond-haired, goody-two-shoes cheerleader,” as she described it to me. In person, Smart is as warm and loose. At lunch, she slapped the table to punctuate her sentences and unleashed her distinctive, bellowing laugh at high volume when she was pleased by a detail or an interaction. She straddles generations; she doesn’t do social media yet knew to ask me for my pronouns. Her knack for physical comedy seems second nature. When the waiter asked if she wanted a “baby” glass of wine or a big one, she shot me an impish glance and then used her thumb as an arrow to indicate that she would like the adult-size version. “I’m not driving,” she said slyly. After she served us both from a communal plate, she said: “I’m not your mother. Why am I cutting up your food?” and then continued doing it.

Smart described with glee how she leaned into the role of Deborah. She loves getting to be a demanding boss and a sexpot. “I’ve had more action on this show than my entire career put together,” she told me. She has a one-night stand with Devon Sawa, makes out with Tony Goldwyn and has an ongoing love-hate relationship with Marty (Christopher McDonald), who owns the Las Vegas casino where she performs. She was awarded two Emmys for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series in 2021 and 2022.

Smart wondered aloud where all this adulation was 20 years ago. By her own estimation, she has always been this dynamic, this charismatic, this compelling. But Smart talks about her career with oracular calm: She knows that her time is simply her time. Smart is 72, and for women of her generation, the range of archetypes available to them has always been narrow, and it dwindles even more over time. “At 40, you’re going, They definitely aren’t going to be calling me for that role,” she said. “Experience is hugely important. It’s going to trump brilliance every time.”

Smart’s easy grace is offset by a frenetic energy that makes her irresistible to watch but difficult to categorize. She’s 5-foot-9 and always felt that her height cut against her beauty-pageant looks, transforming them into something more formidable. Smart was never an ingénue. “I’ve always been part way to between leading lady and a character actress.” She worked consistently after leaving “Designing Women” in 1991, but it wasn’t until she was 53 that she began being cast in larger roles with more edge and gravitas. On “24,” she played Martha Logan, a mentally unstable but cunning first lady who managed to make being unhinged admirable. In “Fargo” (2015) and “Mare of Easttown” (2021), she played cunning and at times malevolent matriarchs. She had a powerful role on “Watchmen” (2019) as the retired vigilante turned F.B.I. agent Laurie Blake. (She got the role after Sigourney Weaver turned it down and told me that “if I’d won the Emmy for that, I was going to thank her.”)

Kate Winslet, who worked with Smart on “Mare of Easttown,” described how she combines intuition with exquisite control of the distinct regions of her face. Smart played Winslet’s mother, Helen, who is both all-seeing and self-absorbed. “Jean has the power to do a tiny thing and flip the energy of the scene,” Winslet told me — raising an eyebrow, say, or sharpening the edge of an inhale. “It’s fresh, because it means every time you walk into a scene, she’ll always do something that will surprise you.” Winslet recalled a moment while filming “Mare” after their characters attended a funeral. They were walking off the set when suddenly Smart turned to her: “Oh, shoot, I wanted them to paint my nails.” She knew that Helen was the kind of woman who would have gone to the beauty parlor to get her hair set and nails done. “It mattered to me that she cared in that way,” Winslet said.

Smart’s willingness to surrender vanity for her art impressed Winslet, but Smart has sometimes wondered if allowing herself to be styled as matronly or haggard hindered some of the momentum she was building. In “Fargo,” for example, she let them color her hair, and “all of a sudden I looked so much older.” It felt like being led out to pasture. “Casting directors have Rolodexes full of actors,” she said, “and if they can’t type you or pigeonhole you, it’s like, Is it really worth the time and effort to try to figure out what that person can do?” By the time she arrived on set at “Hacks,” she had acquired the ability to draw from her letdowns in Hollywood with enough distance to satirize them. On “Hacks,” Smart explained, Deborah represents someone who is pushing back and saying, I’ll decide when I’m done.

At lunch, Smart was open about the recent tragedies in her life. In 2021, Richard Gilliland, an actor she met on the set of “Designing Women” and married in 1987, died after a heart attack. Covid restrictions meant that she got to see him only twice in the hospital. There was still a week left of filming for the first season of “Hacks,” and Smart was asked if she wanted to take some time off. Her inclination was to keep working. “I figured, I’m still in shock,” Smart said. “Let’s just do it, you know?” In the episode they were filming, Ava’s father has suddenly died, and Deborah crashes the funeral and gives a speech that brings the house down. When the time came to get in front of the camera, Smart started shaking. It had been only a few days since her own husband’s death. She wasn’t sure she was going to make it. She recalled taking a deep breath (and an Ativan) and jumping into the scene. Deborah asks the mourners to share a memory of the deceased when he was drunk. Aghast — and titillated — they allow themselves to be goaded into unruly stories, which she tempers by sharing a rare gem of praise for her protégée. Smart remembers it as cathartic.

You can see, in that scene, how Smart excavates her own subterranean emotions in her performance. Occasionally, while talking about her life’s hardships, I got the impression of Smart as a large, silvery body of water and her difficulties as opaque shapes moving underneath. But they never fully surfaced unless she wanted them to. Smart is now raising her youngest son alone, something she never imagined doing at her age. (She has another son who is in his 30s; she and Gilliland adopted their second son 20 years later.) He is now a teenager, and she wants to be present for all the moments of wonder, anxiety and introspection. As our meal wound down, she began talking animatedly about picking him up from school. He was in rehearsals for his high school’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance,” and she was excited to hear about it while she made him dinner. She doesn’t go to bed before he does, even if he stays up until 10 p.m. and she has a 4 a.m. call time. Smart’s zest for her life — all of it, even the challenging parts — comes through clearly. She is determined to enjoy the pleasure of her children and her career as long as she can.

At the end of the previous season, after a tumultuous road trip, a lawsuit and the triumph of pulling off a comeback tour, Ava and Deborah part ways at Deborah’s insistence. She wants Ava to forge her own career. She is also pushing her away out of fear: The closeness has proved to be too much. Deborah is still working out her trust issues, believing that dependence on others has never served her.

When she finally gets what she craves — recognition and power — the axis of the show turns to wondering how this second wave of success will influence her. Will she operate like the ruthless executives she worked under, or will she create new ways of being? Can she? Can anyone? “Hacks” also asks the question of Hollywood itself: What would it be like with different people at the helm? It’s a fantasy of second chances, shifting hierarchies, upended power dynamics — but, appropriately for a moment when the gains of racial-justice movements, #MeToo and D.E.I. initiatives are being rolled back, if not eradicated, “Hacks” refuses to be rosy. Deborah Vance is no utopian leader. She is as flawed as anyone else, but through her, the show explores how people are shaped by systems that misuse them and the damage they can inflict, or undo, as a result.

Deborah’s relationship to biological motherhood is evidence of her priorities and ambivalences. DJ, Deborah’s daughter on the show (played by Kaitlin Olson), is a monument to Deborah’s narcissism. (DJ stands for Deborah Jr.) Their relationship is fraught, as DJ, who feels neglected, commits minor acts of sabotage toward her mother, including tipping off the paparazzi to photograph her in unglamorous moments. It’s later revealed that Deborah not only knows about this but lets DJ get away with it. “Makes her feel self-sufficient,” she tells Ava. It’s a clarifying moment: It is easier to let her daughter think that she’s exploiting her than to affirm or be affectionate toward her.

Deborah finds more kinship with Ava, recognizing herself in the younger comedian’s unabashed careerism and raw talent. Zero blood ties yield more honesty between them. The show understands that chosen family can come in many, sometimes demented and occasionally toxic forms, including work relationships that become stand-ins for our most intimate ones. “Mother” is a verb as well as a noun, and Deborah finds her footing nurturing the next generation of feminist performers and their outrage (on one thrilling episode, she pays an obnoxiously misogynistic male comedian $1.69 million to never perform publicly again). Ava also nurtures Deborah, teaching her how to embrace her vulnerability through comedy and invite people into an incisive and exploratory investigation of the self.

Later in the season, Deborah is being profiled by a magazine when some unsavory, racist material from her past resurfaces online. Ava pushes her to hold herself accountable for her offensive behavior, but the reckoning becomes deeper than that. She is asking Deborah to look hard at her own complacency, her willingness to adopt the status-quo tendencies of exploiting others for her own gain. Deborah agrees to appear at a town hall, but she also insists on charming the students in her own way, crashing a frat party, doing keg stands and buying everyone pizza.

When the article comes out, Ava reads it aloud to Deborah. Ava is quoted in the piece, and she pauses as she recites her own words. “A hack is someone who does the same thing over and over,” she starts. “Deborah is the opposite. She keeps evolving and getting better.” It’s an apt description of the show, Deborah and anyone who faces their worst moment — and survives to joke about it.

Stylist: Micah Schifman

Read by January LaVoy

Narration produced by Krish Seenivasan and Anna Diamond

Engineered by Brian St. Pierre

Explore The New York Times Magazine

The Retirement Issue : For many relationships, life after work brings  an unexpected set of challenges.

When Yanks Came for Soccer : American investors are gobbling up the storied teams of the English Premier League — and changing the stadium experience  in ways that soccer fans resent.

Brittney Griner Is Ready to Talk : In an interview, the basketball star reveals her humiliation  — and friendships — in Russian prison, and her path to recovery.

‘Where Is the Palestinian Gandhi?’ : Issa Amro, who has been arrested and beaten for simple acts  of defiance, is trying to pursue nonviolent resistance in the West Bank at a time when violence has become inescapable.

‘History and Tradition’ Rulings : A new legal standard is gaining traction  among conservative judges — one that might turn back the clock on drag shows, gun restrictions and more.

Advertisement

Wonderfront festival concludes with a bang, thanks to The Roots, Beck and Steel Pulse

The three-day festival’s third edition in six years was a memorable one. Despite some logistical snags, the event now appears to have a solid foundation to build on.

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Was the third time the charm for the Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival, which concluded its 2024 run Sunday at downtown San Diego’s Embarcadero Marina Park North with show-stopping performances by The Roots and Beck?

This was the third edition of the homegrown music marathon, which debuted in November 2019, then went dark in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic shutdown. Wonderfront returned in 2022, with a lineup that included Gwen Stefani and Zac Brown Band, then was dark again in the fall of 2023 to pivot from its late fall dates to Mother’s Day weekend this year.

Adding to the challenge, Wonderfront’s return this past weekend came as a record number of far more established festivals around the world have been canceled or permanently shelved. Even Coachella — the world’s most successful and lucrative music festival — saw attendance dip for the second consecutive year after more than a decade of repeated sell-outs.

Wonderfront returning to San Diego this week as landscape for music festivals grows increasingly challenging

A record number of festivals have recently been canceled, postponed or gone out of business, while Coachella’s attendance has gone down for the second consecutive year. What does it take to buck the trend? Will Wonderfront’s lineup do the trick with Kaytranada, Beck, Weezer and The Roots?

May 5, 2024

Of course, building and sustaining momentum is a challenge for any recurring live-music event, let alone an annual festival held just three times in six years and now has a new owner, the La Jolla-based Events.com.

But this year’s streamlined iteration of Wonderfront, while not free of some logistical snafus, was a notable improvement over the 2022 edition. The festival alongside San Diego Bay — on multiple stages and a very large, multilevel boat — succeeded this time on both artistic and commercial terms.

Wonderfront music festival has returned to kick off its next wave

A capacity crowd of 15,000 was expected Friday at the festival, which runs through Sunday alongside San Diego Bay

May 10, 2024

A sold-out audience of 15,000 attended Friday, when the hip-hop and electronic dance music-focused lineup was topped by Kaytranada, JID and T-Pain, whose afternoon set drew an especially large crowd.

Saturday’s audience was nearly as large, with a crowd of 14,200 turning out to hear a lineup that included Weezer, Carly Rae Jepsen and the show-stealing Dominic Fike.

Wonderfront festival delivered the hits Saturday on a night when the San Diego Padres went scoreless

After drawing a capacity crowd of 15,000 on Friday, Saturday saw 14,000 music fans turn out to hear Weezer, Carly Rae Jepsen, Milky Chance and the show-stealing Dominic Fike. Beck, Mt. Joy and The Roots top Sunday’s lineup.

May 12, 2024

Sunday, which drew slightly more than 10,000 attendees, saw The Roots, Beck and Steel Pulse each score repeatedly — on the same day the San Diego Padres drew a full house to Petco Park for the team’s 4-0 victory over the Dodgers.

Formed in 1975 in Birmingham, England, the reggae band Steel Pulse was the most veteran act of the weekend. Founding member David Hinds expertly led the band’s latest iteration through a thoroughly engaging set that included such durable favorites as “Steppin’ Out” and “Your House.”

“For a lot of folks, Sunday was out best lineup of the weekend. But there are so many people who couldn’t make it on Mother’s Day,” Wonderfront Managing Partner Paul Thornton told the San Diego Union-Tribune Monday afternoon.

“So, for next year, we have to figure out how we can program that day to make it work better. But, wow, we got over 10,000 people Sunday on a weekend that the Padres had over 130,000 attend their games here.”

Tighter focus

Where the two previous editions of Wonderfront each day showcased artists representing an array of sometimes disparate styles, this year benefited from a more focused approach that generally emphasized a few specific genres each day.

The result was a welcome sense of cohesion, while still including an ample degree of variety. And the festival’s mix of established headliners with up-and-coming young artists — including Memphis rapper Healy on Friday, punk-rock, the jazz-adjacent Candian band BadBadNotGood and hip-hop and punk powerhouse Fike on Saturday, and English neo-soul singer Samm Henshaw on Sunday — provided a welcome opportunity to discover worthy new talents.

Of the veterans who performed Sunday, The Roots and Beck each soared.

Co-led by drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and rapper Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, The Roots have been the house band on TV’s Jimmy Fallon-hosted “The Tonight Show” since 2009. But The Roots have been a favorite of enlightened hip-hop fans since not long after forming in 1987.

At Wonderfront, the nine-man band started in high-gear and built from there. Its repertoire mixed such Roots’ staples as “What They Do” with Kool & the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie,” Donald Byrd’s “Change (Makes You Want to Hustle),” Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up,” and more. During Captain Kirk Douglas’ exctremely well-constructed guitar solo, he tipped his hat to — in order — Chris Isaac’s “Wicked Game,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things” and Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” in a way that flowed and made sense.

Equally impressive was the subsequent drum and percussion duet by Thompson and Stro Elliot, who deftly played a Maschine, a MIDI controller and digital drum machine with 16 pads.

It was a groove-happy master class in the art of creating musical propulsion. The Roots’ set was so fiery and meticulously constructed to achieve dynamic tension and release that the following sets by Southern blues-rocker Marcus King and indie-folk-rockers Mt. Joy, while well-played, were anticlimactic.

Happily, the headlining set by Beck provided a rousing conclusion to the 2024 edition of Wonderfront. From the powerful opening number, “Devils Haircut,” to the high-voltage conclusion of “Where It’s At,” he and his terrific four-man band deftly mixed rock, hip-hop, blues, psychedelia and more into a potent mix.

They also delivered Beck’s Prince-inspired, falsetto-fueled ballad, “Debra” — from his 1999 album, “Midnite Vultures” — at almost exactly the same time English vocal star Natasha Bedingfield received a rapturous response for her version of Prince’s “Purple Rain” on another Wonderfront stage.

Beck playfully added San Diego references to the lyrics of several of his songs. Commenting on Wonderfront’s location between San Diego Bay on one side and a marina on the other, he joked: “I can almost hear the yacht rock from here. Not coincidentally, a number of men in the audience were sporting sailor captain hats.

Looking ahead

Thornton, Wonderfront’s managing partner, predicted smooth sailing for the festival in 2025. And he spoke enthusiastically about the event’s third edition in six years.

“It’s been a journey, but we feel really good about where we are,” he said. “And, in Events.com, we have a great partner that cares more about the experience we provide to attendees than the bottom line.”

Thornton acknowledged the festival had some snags over the weekend, including long food, drink and Porta Potty lines. There was also an hour-long wait at the front gates Friday afternoon, when thousands of fans seemed to arrive concurrently for singer and rapper T-Pain’s performance.

That backup was prompted by the large number of festival-goers who apparently did not read the emails sent to each ticket-buyer listing items they were prohibited from bringing in with them.

“We just need to educate people better, which we will do for next year’s festival,” Thornton said.

Asked if adding more entrances might mitigate the flow of people onto the festival grounds, he noted that Embarcadero Marina Park is a narrow sliver of lad with water on three of its four sides.

“The more entrances you have, the more emergency exits you need,” Thornton said.

The first two editions of Wonderfront included ticketed stages at Seaport Village. By eliminating those stages this time, it was easier for attendees to get from stage to stage. And with a capacity of 15,000 per day, Wonderfront feels like a reasonably big event in a relatively intimate outdoor setting.

By building on what worked this year — and on what can be improved — the festival’s return in 2024 should be a welcome one.

[email protected]

Get U-T Arts & Culture on Thursdays

A San Diego insider’s look at what talented artists are bringing to the stage, screen, galleries and more.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

More from this Author

Appreciation: Sax great David Sanborn dead at 78. ‘I think people relate to a lyrical humanness in my playing,’ he said

May 13, 2024

Montreal Jazz Festival a treat for music fans of multiple genres — and a bargain, with 150-plus free concerts

Gator by the Bay’s rousing tribute to zydeco-music giant Clifton Chenier a night to remember

May 11, 2024

This weekend’s three don’t-miss San Diego-area concerts

May 9, 2024

San Diego Symphony announces 2024-25 season at newly renamed concert hall after $125 million redesign

May 7, 2024

Gator by the Bay will celebrate zydeco-music giant Clifton Chenier’s legacy with all-star lineup

May 3, 2024

More in this section

Entertainment

Les Ballets Jazz Montréal sets the music of Leonard Cohen to dance

La Jolla Music Society is presenting the ambitious Canadian dance program at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Wednesday

Classical Music

Review: JACK Quartet concert combined 20th century moderns with 21st century eclectics

Last-minute venue change to the Birch Aquarium proved no obstacle to the expert performances

May 8, 2024

Nation-World

Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61

Albini, who was prepping for a tour with his band Shellac, passed away from a heart attack on Tuesday night

This week’s three San Diego concerts you won’t want to miss!

Our picks include Budgie and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Lol Tolhurst of The Cure at the Casbah, Victoria Bailey at Soda Bar, and Drake Milligan at Moonshine Beach

May 2, 2024

After 23 years, NEEDTOBREATHE bandmates are growing older, wiser and still evolving

The South Carolina-born alt-rock band will perform Tuesday at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in San Diego

Live Nation ticket sale: $25 each for 117 San Diego concerts, including Janet Jackson, Santana, Iron Maiden

The sale includes all fees and service charges for an array of concerts at such venues as North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, The Magnolia, House of Blues, Observatory North Park and more

May 1, 2024