The festival landscape has never been more diverse in terms of genres and eras, and it's made many of the biggest events of late feel like family affairs, curated to appeal to a variety of ages and tastes.

Beachlife in Redondo Beach, more than most, has offered a mixed bag of music artists every year, and the 2026 line-up had something for everyone to love, all backdropped by SoCal's seaside splendor.

Sunshine (and sunsets) are always part of the setting no matter Beachlife's bill, but Friday afternoon was somewhat overcast, so a cool and cloudy atmosphere greeted the bulk of the after work crowd who got there in time for the headliners. We arrived to catch wild San Diego garage rockers The Schizophomics play a sweaty and spirited set, joined near the end by guitarist Dez Cadena (Black Flag, The Misfits) on the LowTide stage.

The Chainsmokers are best known for their Sin City mega-club residencies, but the DJ duo's stage show feels Vegasy no matter where they perform. For Beachlife, they took over the RipTide stage which positions audiences right near the shore and the crowds were kicking it up, dancing and singing along to hits including "Closer" and "Selfie."

If the sensory overload recalled their club sets, the crowd was much more wholesome than those at the rowdy raves they're known for. Moms, dads and kids were bouncing on the beach, as they faced massive LCD screens projecting videos and light patterns that pulsated to the music.

Alex Pall and Drew Taggart are megastars who've reached the pinnacle of success in the EDM scene, but the truth is, they'd be easily replaceable behind the decks and most wouldn't even notice. The stage production is what everyone looks at. Still, these guys do know how to make people move.

Over on the HighTide stage, Duran Duran had fans "dancing on the sand" just like "Rio," which they played as an encore. Before that, a mishmash of their early '80s hits and selections from throughout their long career sounded as potent as ever. Fans of their new romantic/new wave beginnings were happy to hear classics like "Planet Earth," "Careless Memories," and "Is There Something I Should Know?" from their self-titled debut (they saved "Girls on Film" for the end and wove in a cool cover of The Talking Heads' "Psycho KIller" to boot). There was also a funky cover of ELO's "Evil Woman."

Tellingly, the fans crowded up front were mostly all 40-50 something females. DD were the ultimate 80s poster boys, after all. As a former "Duranee" who had the debut album poster in my bedroom, still owns the vinyl and even bought the imports as a kid, I consider this band —their guyliner, dyed hair and sultry videos—a primary gateway drug into goth and ultimately, the darker sounds and aesthetics I came to adore for years to come.

I was hoping they'd do their gloomy gem, "The Chaffeur" off of Rio and was impressed when so many of the yoga moms with blonde blowouts that surrounded me screamed for it too. Alas, they didn't play the enchanting classic, but along with the title track, we also got the obligatory hit, "Hungry Like the Wolf."

They also played a brand new song called "Free to Love" accompanied by a rainbow-hued, seemingly AI-generated video that made the song's themes of equality queer and clear. Frequent collaborator Nile Rodgers plays on the tune, sure to be a new Pride anthem come June. Unfortunately the guitarist didn't join them for this gig. In any case, Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, Roger and John Taylor —who was always my favorite and still is, white hair and all— proved they're still wild boys on stage, even after all these years.

The rest of weekend was just as eclectic as Friday night. Saturday, Sugar Ray, Joan Jett, Ben Harper and The Offspring wowed the multi-generational crowds with radio hits and rock staples.

On Sunday, the festival got a bit of a late start due to a threat at the nearby Redondo Pier, but after everything was checked out and deemed safe, the fest went on without incident and featured more performances by My Morning Jacket, Sheryl Crow and James Taylor.

See all the setlists from Beachlife 2026 here.