Youth culture, entertainment industry could help solve Long Beach’s long-standing identity crisis
The entertainment sector is growing in Long Beach and, with major events on the horizon, Mayor Rex Richardson says the city needs to sort out its identity before being thrust onto the world stage.
Ever since taking office nearly two years ago, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson has pushed for growth in various business sectors to offset the loss of oil revenue. Entertainment, one of those five sectors, has seen big growth in that time, with the addition of numerous music festivals as well as the promise of a waterfront amphitheater.
New events join tried and true city staples, including the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which was recently acquired by automotive giant Penske ahead of its 50th anniversary early next year. But despite its successes in numerous industries, Richardson on Friday noted that Long Beach continues to suffer from an “identity crisis.”
“Who are we?” Richardson asked the crowd during the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2nd annual State of Business event. “Are we the aquatics capital of America? Are we the bike friendliest city in America? Are we Iowa by the sea?”
“When the world comes to Long Beach, we have to be crystal clear on who we are,” Richardson continued, referring to the 2028 Olympics. The city is hosting a significant number of Olympic and Paralympic events, which garner billions of viewers from around the world.
Well before the Olympic rings come to Long Beach, the grand prix will enjoy its largest exposure in a long time as it runs its 50th race in April. During the chamber event Friday, Penske Entertainment executive Michael Montri noted that the race will be broadcast by Fox, bringing it to network TV for the first time in decades. The race also will be broadcast in over 200 territories and countries around the world, he added.
“The eyeballs of the world, particularly the U.S., will certainly be on Long Beach come April, Montri said. “It’s an amazing event, an amazing city.”
Also next year is the return of the Vans Warped Tour music festival, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary. The iconic punk rock-turned-cultural-movement national tour ran from 1995 through 2018, with several 25th anniversary shows in 2019.
The 30th anniversary “tour” only features shows in three cities — Washington, D.C. and Orlando being the other two — making Long Beach’s participation a big deal, Richardson said. Maureen Valker-Barlow, an executive with Insomniac Events, which has partnered with Warped Tour to put on the festival, said the Long Beach event will be one of the largest in the country.
Valker-Barlow said one of the festival dates was always going to be in California because the state was so prominent with Warped Tour while it was running annually. She noted how many major artists got their start on Warped Tour stages, including No Doubt, Green Day, Blink 182, Eminem, Paramore and Katy Perry.
“And Long Beach with Fender’s Ballroom has this rich history: Guns N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Adolescents — I can go on,” Valker-Barlow said. “They all played here. People that made music what it is today, made it so culturally relevant.”
The two-day festival on June 26-27 will feature between 70 and 100 acts and sold over 80,000 tickets, according to Valker-Barlow.
But, while wins for the city, none of this solves the city’s identity crisis, Richardson said. Looking forward, Richardson asked the panel what advice they would give to fix this branding issue.
Dan Hoffend, an executive with ASM Global, which operates the Long Beach Convention Center, noted that younger generations beginning with millennials are more focused on experiencing life, whereas older generations had a capitalist-centric worldview (work to buy things).
“In the end, it’s only your experiences that you have that really count. Everything else is left behind,” Hoffend said, adding that the city needs to lean into that by offering amazing experiences.
Some of those experiences are innate to Long Beach due to its geographical location and residents, Hoffend said. Tapping into that and honing in on the ever-evolving youth culture would go a long way in solidifying the city’s identity, he said.
In that same vein, Corey Smyth, founder and CEO of Blacksmith Holdings, a major player in the music and entertainment industry, said the city needs to broadcast its diversity as well as champion and support local.
“A lot of great things come from this city — from Sublime to Snoop [Dogg] to Vince [Staples]. These are homegrown talents that actually wave the flag for you guys in ways a lot of people don’t,” Smyth said. “These kids don’t want to be from Los Angeles, they want to be known for Long Beach.”
Smyth, 52, said that youth culture is of the utmost importance and should inform the direction of growth.
“These kids have something to say,” Smyth said, “and if you support and find these kids, they’ll help your city grow.”
Riffing off these sentiments, Richardson closed out the event recounting his experience at the Paris 2024 Olympics when at least one news broadcaster mistook Long Beach for Venice Beach during the closing ceremonies. The backlash from locals was immediate and fierce, with some accusing the media of Long Beach erasure.
Such a swift reaction to a slight against the city shows that locals have a strong sense of identity that they are proud of, Richardson said. Now, the city has to figure out how to showcase that to the world.
“We have to give people things to be proud of. We have to create those memories and those moments in our city,” Richardson said. “If we do [that], we’re going to leave Long Beach in a strong position for future generations. They’re going to inherit something they can be proud of.”
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