In the modern-day landscape, it’s easy for us to get caught up in all of the different aspects of life, and it was refreshing to see a large-scale event feel so intimate. A carefully curated lineup with a stunning beachside setting allowed the sunset to become a part of the set design, adding to the audience’s energy, which is just as exciting as it is calming. Unlike so many other festivals I’ve attended, no one was in a rush, and someone was always willing to chat.
Read MoreI heard one fan refer to the upcoming set as “Pearl Jam’s ‘Eras Tour,’” if you will, expecting to explore all of the band’s different moments and career highlights. Pearl Jam’s closing performance at Ohana Fest’s 10th anniversary did just that. With Abe Laboriel Jr. joining the band behind the drums, the performance carried an additional layer of significance as the group entered a new phase, while maintaining the chemistry that has defined them for decades.
Read MoreWhile legacy acts can easily lean heavily into the nostalgia factor, often having sets that double as both a performance and a victory lap—it was refreshing to witness Pixies approaching Ohana Fest with the same intensity that made them so influential in the first place.
Read MoreCourtney Barnett has built one of the most distinct catalogs in modern guitar music, equal parts deadpan observation and genuine emotional weight, and her Ohana Festival set at the Tiki Stage gave fans a full tour through both sides of that sound. As part of her Creature of Habit tour, Barnett delivered a set that moved easily between wiry, talk-sung storytelling and full-throated rock release.
Read MoreFew bands can claim the kind of staying power Bad Religion has, and their set at Ohana Festival's Ohana Stage was a masterclass in why they're still one of punk rock's most vital live acts after more than forty years. Tight, relentless, and genuinely ferocious from start to finish, the band tore through a set that could have doubled as a greatest-hits tour of the entire genre.
Read MoreThe Front Bottoms have always made music that feels like it's letting you in on something personal, and their Ohana Festival set, part of their 11 Years of Back On Top anniversary run, leaned fully into that intimacy even on a big outdoor stage. Pulling from six different albums across their catalog, the band delivered a set that felt less like a festival slot and more like old friends catching up through song.
Read MoreEcca Vandal doesn't do subtle, and her Ohana Festival set at the Ohana Stage was exactly the jolt of raw, genre-smashing energy the afternoon needed. Playing in support of her album Looking For People To Unfollow, the Melbourne-via-LA artist delivered a tight, eight-song set that fused punk aggression, hip-hop cadence, and industrial-leaning production into something that felt like nothing else on the bill.
Read MoreSome artists are built for stadiums, and some are built for a golden-hour set on a beach stage with the ocean right behind them. Alice Phoebe Lou is unmistakably the latter, and her Ohana Festival set at the Tiki Stage proved it from the very first note, turning a packed afternoon crowd into a room full of quietly captivated listeners.
Read MoreThe fifth edition of Portola on Pier 80, held September 26 and 27, again kept its attention where it belonged: you came to dance, and the festival gave you a remarkable number of reasons. The setting had its own beauty. The days were lovely, with rolling fog at dusk giving the transition into evening a character inseparable from San Francisco. It got chilly at night, but that was part of the charm.
Read MoreEveryone knew “Dancing on My Own” was coming. The pleasure of Robyn's Saturday set at Portola was how much there was to enjoy before it arrived. Her songs about wanting someone, losing someone, and finding yourself in the aftermath still sound unusually clear-eyed. On the Pier Stage, she put the familiar material next to songs from this year's Sexistential and made the connection between them easy to hear. The desire is still there; the circumstances have changed.
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