Ohana Fest returned for its ninth year at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California with a lineup of rock legends, modern pop/soul, and punk upstarts. Each day had its own distinct flavor, with the one constant being the idyllic backdrop of palm trees, sand, the pacific ocean, and, of course, Eddie Vedder.

Vedder founded the festival in 2015 with Live Nation and Pearl Jam manager Mark Smith. Since then, the festival has coupled an eclectic lineup with its “core pillars”: Oceans, Activism, Environmental Justice, Art, Community and Indigenous Voices. Throughout the weekend, if you wanted to take a break from music, you could dip over into the Storytellers area where you could hear stories and talks that speak to those aforementioned pillars. The festival grounds aren’t particularly big, so dedicating that much space to non-revenue-driving content is an admirable move by the founders.

Day 1 - Friday, September 26

Day one’s afternoon built steadily from Makua and Deep Sea Diver through Kim Deal, before the crowd filled in for Lukas Nelson. Vedder joined Nelson on his first song, a cover of the Pearl Jam song “Just Breath.” It was a quiet, acoustic moment before Nelson hopped into his solo material, his work with his larger band, and finally a cover of one of his dad’s (Willie Nelson) songs. Nelson’s performance was warm and grounded, blending his family’s country roots with his own modern take on them. His chemistry with Vedder gave the crowd a really special glimpse of two generations of songwriting colliding.

As the sun dipped, Garbage came on the Tiki Stage (which was right next to the main stage) at 5:25. Front woman Shirley Manson commanded the stage from song one. Her presence was magnetic while the band behind her was just as locked in. Their set leaned into classics like “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains”, with a few deep cuts along the way. It was such a strong performance and you’d swear it was 1998 again.

After, Kings of Leon owned the Ohana Stage with their sweeping Southern-tinged rock anthems. Their popularity peaked when I was in high school/college, so the set was full of songs I forgot I knew but sounded like I had just heard them the other day (thanks, nostalgia). Their set was pretty tight, pulling from both their early garage-leaning work, which I prefer, and their later arena-ready hits. Caleb Followill’s vocals cut through the overcast California night with gravelly urgency. It was the first set of the weekend that felt like it really drew everyone in and that “festival experience” had been checked off.

Eddie Vedder closed out the night at 8:40, His set mixed Pearl Jam staples with solo tracks and covers of The Who, Devo, George Harrison, Neil Young, and more. With thousands of Eddie Vedder shirts in the crowd, and a large 50 year old+ contingent camped out at the front, it was clear that this is who the crowd was here to see. Eavesdropping into some conversations, you’d hear stories about Eddie as if people in the crowd knew him. Yes, they were seeing a music artit they loved, but it also felt like they were seeing a friend.

His voice carried a mix of grit and tenderness throughout his set. With the waves crashing beyond the stage, Vedder felt not just like the founder of the festival but its living soul, anchoring the entire weekend.

Review & Photos by: Andrew Ameter

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