One Strange Night In Orange County With The Garden
On July 19th, The Garden, an experimental rock band with a punk-centered influence, played a one-night-only show in Santa Ana at The Observatory’s festival grounds. The day was filled with performances by five other artists including, Hong Kong Fuck You, Fear, L7, Ceremony, and Snow Strippers. With doors at 3:30 pm and a start time of 4:30 pm, the crowd was high-spirited and prepared very early on in the day.
Upon arriving, guests were told to park in a specific lot and then take a 10-minute shuttle over to the venue. As soon as I arrived, the shuttle was packed, and the line was extremely long at the festival grounds. With the band actually being from Orange County, it made so much sense that they drew in such a giant, dedicated crowd. The band is known for their iconic face paint, and many fans had followed along with the trend and specifically painted their faces for the show.
Photo By Jaxon Whittington
Each artist had their unique stage presence with genres of punk, electronic, alternative, metal, rock, and new wave. The variety of genres was one of the main things I loved about the night, as it drew in a diverse group of people. A lot of attendees didn’t just come for one band, so the crowd brought all of the energy from the start.
Following the lively dance/electronic artist, Snow Strippers, The Garden came on stage at 9:30 pm. They had a mixed setlist from all different eras of their career. They began the show with a song called “Ballet” from their newer EP released last October, “Six Desperate Ballads.” The audience was completely enthralled by each song and it was so admirable to see. They played some of their classics like “Thy Mission,” “AMPM Truck,” and “Call This # Now.” It was astounding to see the liveliness of the crowd and see everyone singing along. My personal favorite was “Horseshit on Route 66.” The way that they brought the song to life was spectacular, and it was one million times better live.
Photo By Jaxon Whittington
The Garden’s fans appear to have such an amazing community and feed off of each other's energy, which led to the show being the most astonishing experience. It was also incredible to be able to see them in their home county in their element. They truly put on a show like no other, and it was the best show I’ve seen all year!
