Saturday leaned heavily on soul, groove, and genre-blending. The crowd was significantly younger than the day before and I’d say it was the most crowded as well.

Royel Otis brought jangly indie-pop energy to the Tiki Stage in the late afternoon, their shimmering guitars and earnest vocals making their set a breezy highlight. They played the two covers that have aided in their rise in fame (“Linger” and “Murder on the Dancefloor”) and their biggest track, “Oysters in My Pocket”, felt a lot bigger live than on record.

Tedeschi Trucks Band took the Ohana Stage at 5:05, delivering a masterclass in musicianship. Susan Tedeschi’s blues-drenched vocals soared, while it was easy to get lot in Derek Trucks’ guitar solos. Their extended jams created moments where time seemed to stretch. Admitedly, I didn’t know a ton about this artist going in, but I was really impressed. They were obviously technically dazzling, but there was an accessibility to it as well that made it transcend past a traditional blues act. It was one of my surprises of the weekend and a big recommendation for upcoming fests.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise followed at 6:00, pulling a massive singalong from the crowd. Their set balanced quiet, emotionally vulnerable moments with explosive, full-band crescendos. The aching vocals really seemed to connect with the crowd and, similar to Vedder the die hards in the first row, the fans really seemed to have a personal connection with the band. Watching them play as the sun began to set felt like the festival had found its emotional heartbeat for the second day in a row.

Leon Bridges followed at 7:10, and his set was pure soul. Dressed with his signature retro flair, Bridges moved across the stage with a swanking charisma. His vocals, smooth and honeyed, evoked the golden age of R&B while still feeling entirely modern, especially as he played songs like “Texas Sun”, his collab with Khruangbin. Other tracks like “River” and “Coming Home” resonated like hymns. Later in the set I went out into the more sparsely populated parts of the crowd and there were couples slow dancing to each track like it was ‘their song’. Bridges managed to make the massive festival crowd feel like an intimate club audience, hanging on his every note.

Closing the night was Hozier at 8:50, whose baritone soared on tracks like “Take Me to Church” and “Eat Your Young.” His stage presence was commanding yet gentle, and his band’s lush arrangements gave each song a bit of depth. His set was also politically charged, as he had stock prices, death tolls, etc counting in the background. Hozier’s performance was the perfect capstone to Saturday: sweeping and soulful. It felt like a well curated day for a certain type of attendee who’s a sucker for that type of music (and who isn’t to a certain extent?)

Review & Photos by: Andrew Ameter

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Ohana Festival Day 2 Brings Hozier, Royel Otis, RKS, Leon Bridges, & More