Bringing the Beach to the Stage with Riptide Music Festival Day 2

ft. lauderdale, florida - december 3, 2023

After two days, two stages, and two insane lineups, the Riptide Music Festival has come to an end. Day 2 of the fest had an even wider variety of genres and acts compared to Day 1. 

Opening the fest for Day 2 to get everyone warmed up, Girlfriend Material performed on the main stage. It was the perfect set to dance to with the ocean breeze and a nice cocktail in your hand. Riptide veteran Alex Di Leo jumped to the Demesmin & Dover Stage to play his hits. He delivered a passionate performance while playing in his hometown of Ft. Lauderdale, and the crowd embraced him & his music with open arms.

Jason Koerner / Getty Images

As Alex’s set came to an end, Riptide's main stage was hyped up for Barns Courtney. An energetic performer with a personality that bleeds through their set, Barns Courtney kept the crowd on its toes and even jumped in to do a bit of crowd-surfing. Despite the blazing heat, Barns Courtney put their all into their performance and made it an unforgettable start to the day.

Over at Demesmin & Dover Stage, The Moss hailing from Salt Lake City brought their alt-rock songs down to Ft. Lauderdale. Those in the crowd who have never had the pleasure of seeing The Moss live before were in for a treat. Lead vocalist, Tyke James, had a magnetic energy that wrung the crowd in and made everyone laugh and dance erratically along with him. It was one of the most crazy and fun sets of the weekend despite Tyke mentioning how they played NYC the night before and hadn’t slept. Their barefoot, animated performance set the tone for the rest of the day.

AWOLNATION had a tough act to follow, but they kept the crowd engaged with their cool transitions and lots of jumping around. They made sure to mix their set up with some slow songs, even encouraging people in the crowd to slow dance! It was a great set with a variety of tunes to sway and bounce around to. Weathers then took to the Demesmin & Dover Stage with their alternative rock music. They put their all into their performance especially since it was their last show of the year. From post-punk-inspired songs to jokes about how the songs related to actual things that have happened in their lives, they connected with the crowd and made it an unforgettable show.

Jason Koerner / Getty Images

As the Weathers set came to a close, the transition from alternative rock to Reggae began with Sublime with Rome. Their hallucinogenic visuals to beachy tunes fit the vibes of the festival, even bringing the lifeguards out from down the end of the beach as they paused their duties to stand out on their platforms and watch the show. Lovelytheband then provided a brief intermission from the Reggae with their LA indie-pop music that made the crowd sway back and forth and clap during their songs. Even though the sun had set by the time they got on stage, lead vocalist Mitchy Collins mentioned how “Florida in the winter feels like summer,” and they made sure their set fit that summery feeling. 

Dirty Heads brought us right back to Reggae, making Florida feel like California. Their unique sound brought something new from the lineup of artists at Riptide, and their Southern California roots came through in their performance. They even encouraged people to “spark up.” Then following Dirty Heads was the headlining performance a majority of the crowd was waiting for, Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll’s genre-bending country rap somehow stood out yet also blended in with the lineup at Riptide and made for an interesting end to the evening. Between his songs, he even gave the crowd an inspirational speech about focusing on progress instead of perfection as someone who had gone from handing out mixtapes to winning CMA Awards.

Riptide Festival Day Two had a variety of artists that certainly differentiated from Riptide’s past lineups. This expansion brought in people from all different walks of life and brought them together for one thing: music. Riptide Music Festival put on an incredible two-day event. We’re already counting down for Riptide in 2024!

Jason Koerner / Getty Images

All images taken by Getty for Audacy