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CELEBRATING A DECADE OF
October 2nd, 2026 by Jimmy Alvarez & Amaris Becker
There are events that are celebrated throughout the planet, and then there are shows that never cease to amaze and become iconic moments in time. Truth be told, the tenth anniversary of Ohana Fest will go down as one of the most ambitious and electrifying events in recent memory to hit the OC.
As soon as you walked through the door on Friday, September 25th the energy was palpable. The line to get it was insane, the line for merch was even more insane, and the early birds were definitely ready for the bands to take to the stage.
The atmosphere was beyond electric; the crowd was taking in the perfect day under the sun.
As in years past, there were speakers in the Cove: The Storytellers corner. Loving the planet was definitely a theme everyone could embrace.
Bands that started off day one were Mereba, Mutlee, Midnight Generation, Florence Road, and Otoboke Beaver. Each took to the stage very early and each was well received by concertgoers. For me, the band that really caught my ear was Sugar.
“Hoover, Dam,” “Changes,” “Running out of Time,” hit the Doheny with a boom! I really wished they could play a little longer – they were that solid. Closing with “Gee Angel,” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” opened eyes and the ears of all that made it early.
Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Ismael Quintanilla
For me, I was finally going to see the one and only Aussie wonder, Courtney Barnett. Let me tell you, she did not disappoint. She strolled out in green cargo pants with a matching striped shirt. Right out of the chute she laid down some mean licks on her guitar.
She launched her set with “Stay in Your Lane,” and an early hit, “Avant Gardener,” was clearly a fan favorite.
Barnett is the definition of a professional musician. She owned that guitar and her vocals were insanely good. It was Ohana – so it was an abbreviated set. Honestly, I could have sat and watched her deliver her entire catalogue; she was that good.
We – that is the crowd – and I settled for nine songs that closed with “Pedestrian at Best,” and her uber-alternative hit, “Nobody Really Cares if You Don’t Go to the Party.”
By now the sun was slowly descending on horizon as Ohana was about to get very real as Bad Religion took to the stage.
Bad Religion lead singer Greg Graffin is no stranger to the biggest stages on the planet. Needless to say, he was calm and collected when he welcomed the crowd; then off we went to mosh-pit-land.
Sounding sharp and amped, Graffin took us through the Bad Religion catalogue of punk greatness. Immediately the aforementioned mosh pits opened up and insanity hit Doheny.
“21st Century Digital Boy,” “No Control,” “Streets of America,” “Infected,” “Walk,” and “Generator” were just a few of the hits that punkers young and not so young moshed to.
Because it was Ohana, it was only appropriate that Bad Religion lit up the festival grounds in closing with two epic songs “Sorrow” and “American Jesus.” Their performance set the mood for who was next, Billy Idol!
Idol came out to a full house as the sun was perfectly sitting on the horizon awaiting the eager moon. By then the crowd had swollen beyond belief. I was next to a couple from Riverside who was very excited to see Idol, Connie and Tony Herncane. I aced them why they loved him so much, Tony smiled and said “it’s freaking Billy Idol” as we both laughed. While Connie said, “he looks great and sounds even better.”
He really looked good in his black leather spiked jacket – and that hair!!!
Idol and legendary guitarist Steve Stevens gave everyone what they came for. Songs with a wink and whiplash smile that only Idol can pull off. “Cradle of Love” and “Flesh for Fantasy” were songs fans loved. loved, loved.
Idol kicked it into another gear with “Eyes Without a Face” followed by his Tommy James and the Shondells cover, “Mony Mony.” “Rebel Yell” rounded out his time on stage. That was it for his set, right? No! The ovation was so loud, Idol came out and gave the crowd “Dancing with Myself” and “White Wedding.” I’m sure that was planned, but concertgoers ate it up!
By now, a full house was in place when Eddie Vedder came out to thank everyone for coming out and was very thankful that the next band came to play his “little show.” He then brought out one of the biggest bands on the planet – from Mexico – Maná!
It was unreal how many fans they had – I was not familiar with the band, I only knew their name, but people were losing their minds – I was about to be schooled. After all, this was Ohana’s first Latin rock band to play the festival.
Out came lead singer, Fher Olvera, Juan Calleros on bass, Sergio Vallin on guitar and their acrobatic drummer, Alex Gonzalez.
They delivered fan favorites, a Santana cover, “Corazon Espinado,” “Labios Compatidos,” and “Mariposa Traicionera.”
Olvera was solid behind the mic, and drummer Alex Gonzalez did this crazy flip behind the drumkit that left us all speechless. The band proved to all why they are one of the biggest bands on the planet and why Vedder was so thankful they played the show.
The sun had given way to the envious moon and had the best seat in the house. The closing was advertised as Eddie Vedder and friends.
Vedder came out and sat with his acoustic guitar and sang a few songs – “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter,” “Far Behind,” and then was joined by Simon Good and belted out “Song of Good Hope” which he dedicated longtime friend the late Glen Hansard.
Vedder was then joined by Billy Idol and both gave a heartfelt rendition of The Who’s, “I’m One.” He hit the right chord with the crowd with “Bee Girl,” with Jeff Ament.
Then his Pearl Jam pals surprised everyone and joined him on stage as they went into “Corduroy.”
It was solid PJ moment with some of our favorite songs, “Wishlist,” “Dark Matter,” “Even Flow,” “Dissident,” and they closed a perfect day of music with “Alive!”
On day two: The sun was in full force, but no one seemed to care. The dress code was boho with western influence perhaps hinting at the later artists. The sandals were everywhere, but with more boots than I would expect from a festival on the beach. Marlon Funaki slowed things down with his psychedelia and indie rock set including my personal favorite, “When Sunday Comes Around.”
Stephen Wilson Jr. played “Preacher’s Kid” on a stage decorated with flowers, and spent a good portion of his set explaining how you can always depend on a guy named Gary, before starting his song with the same name. He quoted Steven Tyler saying his dreams have truly out dreamt him, told a story about his first kiss, then jumped the rail to play from the sound stage. Eddie Vedder joined him on stage as they covered “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog.
Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Ismael Quintanilla
Men I Trust had a bassline I could feel in my chest as they played their set. They started with “To Ease You,” “Come Back Down,” and later “TailWip.”
The entire set felt like someone had placed a pale blue twilight filter over the sunny late afternoon. They ended with their hit “Show Me How,” and you could smell the Ocean in the air.
Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Roger Ho
Jon Batiste opened big and never let up. He played piano, sax, drums, and ended up live mixing.
He brought out gospel singers, covered “Won’t Back Down” and “Hallelujah,” played “When the Saints Go Marching In”on a melodica.
Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Ashley Osborn
The Alabama Shakes made a big entrance. Brittany Howard led the way. Through the performance it looked like you could see the music being made in her head. Performing “Rise to the Sun,“ “Hold On,” and “Sound and Color.” The sunset was gorgeous, almost nobody was recording, and the set briefly stopped when two guys faked throwing up to get themselves to the front.
Through the performance it was as if I could see the music being made in her head. They opened with “Rise to the Sun” into “Hang Loose” and “I Ain’t the Same,” then pulled from their new record “I Must Be Dreaming“ with “Time,” ” I Feel Hope Coming,” and “Another Life. “
Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Dusana Karam
“Boys & Girls,” and “Dunes” led into “Sound & Color,” which was the moment the whole field went still. Alabama Shakes closed out with “Gimme All Your Love,” “American Dream,” “Don’t Wanna Fight,” and “Always Alright.”
Tyler Childers entered the Ohana stage, He opened with “Eatin’ Big Time,” “Oneida,” “Dirty Ought Trill,” and “Whitehouse Road.” At some point a giant blue volleyball passed around until it reached the stage, and we promptly lost volleyball privileges.
Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Roger Ho
Day three was humid more than hot, and calmer in a way that did not quite match the punk and grunge on the bill. The crowd skewed older, mostly men in black ball caps and an understandable number of Pearl Jam shirts.
Pluralone opened day three, followed by Speed of Light and Horsegirl, with Villanelle, Linka Moja, Tom Odell, and Ecca Vandal spread across the afternoon. The early sets were short and stuck to the hits.
Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Dusana Karam
By 3:00 a crowd had formed in front of the main Ohana stage and would not move. They had claimed their spot for the later acts of Fontaines D.C. and Pearl Jam and come hell or high water nobody was giving it up.
Rilo Kiley followed with “The Execution of All Things,” opened the set with “Spectacular Views,” “The Moneymaker” and “Dreamworld.” Jenny Lewis ran her voice through a noise mixer, and about halfway through there was a sharp vibe change for one song, with the guitarist taking lead vocals before handing it back.
As dusk settled in, Eddie Vedder announced the Pixies set, by then the sunset was spectacular. The opened with “Gouge Away,” to “Debaser,” and their Jesus and Mary Chain cover of “Head On.” Joey Santiago drank tea between songs, Emma Richardson played a mean bass, and David Lovering pounded the drums all day.
Black Francis had largely lost his voice, Eddie Vedder came out to join them on “Wave of Mutilation” and the crowd went wild. “Here Comes Your Man” and “Where Is My Mind?” both turned into singalongs, and if lighters were allowed, I am certain they would have been lit.
Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Ismael Qintanilla
Fontaines D.C. was one of the bands I was most excited to see and I was not alone with the band’s shirts outnumbering everything except Pearl Jam. The Ohana Festival alum played in an afternoon spot in 2019, and here they were again this time at the time of day that matched their music. D.C came out hard with “Nabokov,” “Boys in the Better Land” and “Marianne.”
Grian Chatten was a fantastic frontman, running the stage, switching instruments seamlessly. “I should stop talking before you get to know me,” he told the crowd that night. Before he continued into “It’s Amazing to Be Young,” “Roman Holiday,” “Bug“ and “Jackie Down the Line.” For the Fontaines D.C. fans, it was a perfect night culminating with “Starburster.” It was simply amazing.
Pearl Jam was up next. The stage was stripped to almost nothing – no set dressing, just the band. A memorial video played for Glen Hansard, Vedder’s close friend. The Earthlings guitarist, and common figure of Ohana Fest, died in a motorcycle crash on July 29th at 56. Vedder got choked up, and it was a touching tribute.
Photo Courtesy of C3 Presents | Photo by Roger Ho
Vedder started their set with “Given to Fly,” into “Daughter,” and “Dissident” was also a crowd favorite. Before “Even Flow,” Vedder said, “This one is from back in the day when we were just a pretty good band.” After “Wreckage,” Billy Strings came out for a solo rendition “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.” Other notable songs included “Running,” “Jeremy,” “Black,” “Better Man” and PJ closed with “Yellow Ledbetter.”
In the end, 15,000 to 20,000 fans came out on each day of this year’s festival and no matter what your genre was, there was something there for you. Another epic show in Doheny, concertgoers left with an eagerness to hear news on who is playing next year!
FESTIVAL PHOTO GALLERY
by Green-Eyed Blonde Photography
TO FOLLOW
SID 261003 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
