LCD Soundsystem
Photos by Christine Kemp // Written by Molly Kish //
Portola Music Festival //
Pier 80 – San Francisco
September 20th-21st, 2025 //
The Bay Area celebrated Portola’s fourth edition this September by packing SF’s Pier 80 with its most diverse lineup so far. Attendees got the opportunity to catch legendary electronic artists, festival debuts, the iconic return of several dance-punk outfits and a show-stopping performance by one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.
The weather was impeccable, but that wasn’t enough to keep crowds from forming lines all weekend long to gain entry to the Bay Area debut of Despacio. James Murphy shared unofficial joint headliner duty with his high-fidelity audio immersion system that served as an honorary fifth stage. Folks waited sometimes hours to enter the dimly lit sound enclosure, lined with seven stacks of McIntosh-powered speakers, synchronized yet very sparse lighting, 50,000 watts of amplifiers and a giant disco ball. Lead audio engineer John Klett calls it an “emotional transmission machine,” and over the course of the two-day fest, many made a point to go find themselves in there.
Portola 2025 marked some monumental comebacks, including the first Bay Area show for The Rapture in more than 10 years, The Prodigy’s highly anticipated appearance after having to reschedule one of their two Coachella sideshows at The Warfield in April (read our show review here) and Moby’s return for the first time since the Ghostship Fire Benefit in 2020 to perform his seminal album Play with a live band and vocalist. Last but certainly not least was pop icon Christina Aguilera, who turned the festival into a girly-pop fever dream for 45 minutes and blazed through one of the weekend’s most epic sets.
Despacio
There were clear improvements to the layout for both the Warehouse and Pier Stage with larger and more accurately located VIP sections, and though the grounds felt less activated, they seemed to be more manageable. The selection of food vendors was also greatly improved, with less waiting time at the bars and larger selections of cocktails as well as specialty drinks than ever before.
For this latest installment, Portola went all in on tried-and-true favorites that included bringing back Dom Dolla, Caribou, Chemical Brothers and 2manydjs after their previous appearances. Goldenvoice paired down the over-the-top production from prior years and brought the focus back onto the music, too.
With noticeably smaller crowds and lighter fairground fluff, attending Portola this year felt different. But for a festival that draws fans who are more concerned about seeing quality performances than posting influencer-friendly content, it remained true to form in 2025 and was a much-needed party for the Bay Area’s club core.
Christina Aguilera
PORTOLA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2025 AWARDS:
Headliner of the Weekend: The Prodigy
Favorite Stage: Warehouse
Breakthrough Performance: Anti Up (Chris Lake & Chris Lorenzo)
Best Dance Party: Moby
Largest Crowd: Dom Dolla
Festival Daddy: Mau P
Portola Queen: Christina Aguilera
Best Legacy Act: Underworld
Hardest Set: Brutalismus 3000
Best Live Performance: LCD Soundsystem
Biggest Comeback: The Rapture
Most Cunty: Rico Nasty
Best Stage Production: Chemical Brothers (DJ set)
Favorite Festival Addition: Despacio
Best Afterparty: Peggy Gou B2B Mau P at 888 Garage
Biggest Improvement: Relocation of VIP section
Most Swoonworthy: Maribou State
Favorite Merch: Raccoon backpack
Silliest Trend: Food label stickers
Largest Obstacle: Lack of cellular service
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