I’ve seen some amazing festivals and some godawful ones, but the 2017 edition of the Ohana Festival is easily in my top three BEST festivals I’ve ever attended. While I was mostly enticed by some nostalgic jams from Fiona Apple and Eddie Vedder, I ended the weekend floored by the variety of acts that came together on the shores of Doheny State Beach. While I expected the usual festival issues, drunken jackasses, unbearable heat, overpriced booze, shitty sound, and delayed sets, I found an amazingly well-run festival in an amazing location.
The beach breeze kept things cool while mellow, mildly buzzed, Hawaiian shirt-sporting brosephs played cornhole and relaxed in hammocks. The food trucks, vendors (Kind Bars, Hydroflask, California State Parks, and more), the decorations, and the sand all led to a vibe that could not be bothered to be annoyed by a damned thing.
Missio and The Naked and Famous brought forth an oddly appropriate level of dance that seemed to fuel the crowd’s apparently intense desire to dance as if they were wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube people. Texan Connor Youngblood and Tame Impala’s Cameron Avery brought forth serious songwriting chops, ensnaring the audience with haunting melodies intertwining with their poetic lyrics. Vérité captivated the audience with her set, confidently commanding the entire stage as she bared her emotions with tracks like “Someone Else.”
Glen Hansard reminded us that bardic traditions were still alive and well, as he alternatively led the audience from raucous sing-alongs to teary-eyed ballads and back again. Liam Finn showed us what happened to The Flintstones’ Bam Bam when he grew up, somehow simultaneously shredding on the guitar and beating the living shit out of his drum set. Fiona Apple shyly stepped out from the curtains to begin her set, and was promptly greeted with thousands of her closest friends singing her “Happy Birthday.” She returned the favor with a scorching set of fan favorites and deep cuts. Jack Johnson won me over, as I never really “got” him. Turns out I was overthinking it.
And then there was Eddie Vedder, the mastermind behind the whole damned thing. From Pearl Jam to solo to plenty of guests on stage, Vedder fucking slayed.
When 2018 rolls around, I hope to see another mix of acts I love coupled with acts I’ve never heard of, because you can bet I’ll be hitting up The Ohana Fest once again.