Good Vibes Festival welcomed its 10th anniversary with a rocky start, one we’ve heard and talked about. But, the Malaysian music festival has always been a destination for celebration and fun, and even for its short-lived run this year, it lived up to just that.

What was supposed to be three days’ worth of festivities were abruptly halted due to The 1975’s behaviour on stage during their headlining set on Day 1. While it made countless headlines all over the globe, there were a handful of performances and festivities that went on that day undeserving of being overshadowed. 

Decked with a nice touch of artificial grass to lounge on and vibrant installations to keep you cool and entertained, Good Vibes’ new home at the vast and sunny Sepang International Circuit had you brimming with excitement the moment you walked in. 

The beginning round of performances faced a couple of technical challenges, but not ones enough to bring the crowd down. Malaysian act Resort cooled everyone down from the blazing heat with their apt summer tunes, prompting sing-alongs as they worked through hiccups on stage. 

While Lullaboy enchanted Malaysia with his heartfelt spiels on love and life as he serenaded us with tracks like ‘van gogh’, ‘shortcut to heaven’, and more. Even when technical difficulties cut his powerful opening of ‘my name is…’, the Singapore-based singer-songwriter kept it cool, calm, and collected, pulling out his guitar and performing a quaint acoustic set for everyone. 

The afternoon continued with a performance by Leaism, whose charming personality and captivating vocals were the refreshing breeze we all needed. Lunadira then graced the stage with her ethereal vocals on intimacy, vulnerability, and love in all its forms. By the end of the Malaysian singer-songwriter’s set, everyone, including herself, was teary-eyed and moved by so much emotion. As the sun began its descent, Airliftz kickstarted the party, bringing everyone on their feet as he was joined on stage by fellow Malaysian rapper GARD!. 

The evening continued with performances from the festival’s international billing, from sunset serenades by Dermot Kennedy to sultry party tracks by Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge of NxWorries. 

It was Sabrina Carpenter’s first time in Malaysia but she had no trouble finding her way into everyone’s hearts. Considerably one of the most awaited performers of the night, the American singer-songwriter drew quite the crowd with her revealing and playful tracks on falling in love, heartache, and everything in between. And of course, the anticipation was building for the Kuala Lumpur edition of her closing verse of ‘Nonsense’, which Sabrina delivered with such grace. 

Daniel Caesar then took the stage, armed only with his mic stand and guitar. Even with a production so stripped back, everyone was dialled in, taking in every moment of the singer-songwriter’s entrancing set. In what almost felt like a sacred performance, Daniel treated the crowd to well-loved tracks like ‘Always’, ‘Best Part’, ‘Entropy’, and more. 

Almost all conversations about this year's Good Vibes Festival are about one man and everything that transpired on stage on a night initially meant to celebrate people and music.

Regardless of personal opinions and values on the matter, what had ultimately happened was that Good Vibes did not get the 10th anniversary it deserved, local musicians did not get the spotlight they worked hard to prepare for, and music fans who made their way from all parts of the world did not get the weekend they had long waited for. 

With a new location and a larger community of excited music fans, Good Vibes Festival 2023 showed promise. It’s just too bad that it all had to come to an end before it even got a chance to fulfil it.

Good Vibes Festival is appealing to ticket holders to save the long-running Malaysian music festival by offering an array of refund options, which includes opting for a partial refund or choosing to convert your ticket for a pass to either GVF 2024 or GVF 2025.