The relaxed, beachfront gathering that is the Ohana Festival once again rolled into Dana Point, California, on September 26, 2025, bringing three days of music and community to the sand-lined shoreline of Doheny State Beach. Now in its ninth year, the event has earned a reputation as both a labor of love and a personal calling card for its founder and spiritual anchor, Eddie Vedder. This is, after all, the stretch of Orange County coast where Vedder grew up, paddled out as a grom, and shaped the worldview that would later bleed into Pearl Jam’s music.
Vedder brought together surfing and music culture from across the globe for this year’s festival. Festivities began just after noon under cloudy skies thick with tropical humidity from Mario, a swirling storm off the coast of Mexico. In high spirits, Vedder personally introduced most of the 10 bands on Day One, sharing why he had chosen each for the carefully curated lineup.
He surprised the early crowd by stepping onstage to introduce Makua, a Hawaiian rock band fronted by his longtime friend Makua Rothman. Rothman is not only a confident singer but also a legendary big-wave rider who won the 2015 Big Wave World Championship. His charisma was immediate—strong riffs, steady vocals, and an easy rapport with the crowd. For an opening set, Makua struck the perfect balance: energetic without overdoing it, polished without losing spontaneity.
While the main stage offered its shoreline spectacle of guitars and drums, the tucked-away Storyteller Stage again proved to be the festival’s intellectual and emotional heart. In a shaded corner near palm trees, it traded amplifiers for anecdotes, hosting ocean activists, veteran musicians, and cultural voices in sessions that felt like impromptu fireside chats—with the Pacific as the backdrop.
Seattle-based singer Akira Galaxy (yes, that’s her real name) followed on the main stage with her band. Though given just 30 minutes, she made the most of it, her sultry vocals cutting through shimmering synths and textured arrangements. The set balanced dreamy, spaced-out passages with more grounded indie-rock urgency, highlighted by a haunting cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop,” later shared widely online.
Deep Sea Diver carried their own wave of momentum, fresh off their 2025 release Billboard Heart. Their shimmering, guitar-driven indie rock soared across the beachfront, mixing new material with fan favorites. Jessica Dobson’s vocals and the band’s layered guitars kept the crowd fully engaged, polished yet raw, intimate yet expansive.
Elsewhere, Madrid’s garage-pop quartet Hinds lit up the Tiki Stage with jangly energy, translating their scrappy European club charm to a California beach setting. Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote led with harmonized shouts and sly smiles, proving vibe and friendship can matter more than polish.
Kim Deal followed in the late afternoon, bringing quiet gravity as the crowd leaned in. Her set—drawn from Pixies, Breeders, and solo work—unfolded like a carefully paced narrative, threaded with tension, release, and stillness.
As the sun dipped into the Pacific, Welsh rockers Stereophonics delivered one of the night’s standout sets. Opening with punchy riffs, they balanced anthemic hits and deeper cuts, their dynamic control and Kelly Jones’s rough-edged yet melodic vocals captivating the crowd.
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real brought rootsy soul to the sand, Nelson’s warm vocals and fluid guitar work shining alongside his tight band. From acoustic moments with Vedder to full-band anthems, the set felt intimate yet expansive, highlighted by “Set Me Down on a Cloud” and a tender take on “Quiet Man.”
Garbage then stormed the stage with Shirley Manson’s fearless charisma at the center. Mixing 90s alt-rock grit with modern textures, they powered through hits like “Push It,” “Special,” and “Only Happy When It Rains,” proving their relevance and command remain undimmed.
Finally, Vedder revealed a booking nine years in the making: Kings of Leon. With swagger and precision, the Tennessee quartet delivered a career-spanning set that fused rock anthems with atmospheric depth. From crowd-pleasers like “Use Somebody” to newer tracks, their performance was a defining moment of the festival’s first day.
A magical mix of light, sound, and ocean air engulfed Doheny State Beach as twilight fell into darkness. The festival, lovingly curated from Eddie Vedder’s influences and longtime friends, had promised an intimate beachfront celebration of music and community—and Vedder delivered with a performance that was both personal and transcendent. Taking the stage with his backing band, The Earthlings, Vedder anchored the night with the emotional core of Ohana: a gathering of friends, fans, and music-lovers under the Southern California sky.
“Longing” opened with finger-picked tenderness, Vedder’s voice hushed yet commanding, while The Earthlings built a wave of harmony and rhythm behind him. Guitarist Andrew Watt, all bleached-blond swagger and electric fire, added a sharp edge that cut through the salt air, his youthful intensity sparking a new energy within Vedder’s timeless presence. By the time “Rise” hit its stride, fans were fully engaged—some cross-legged in the sand, others barefoot and dancing, all pulled into the current.
Covers like “California Dreamin’” and Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” showcased Vedder’s gift for connection—nostalgia without sentimentality, reverence without mimicry. Between songs he told stories of growing up nearby, surfing, and discovering the music that shaped him. Newer tracks like “Dance of the Waves” and “Elderly Friends” gave the Earthlings room to stretch, while Watt’s searing lines and the band’s layered harmonies kept the beach alive with momentum.
A stripped-down “Society’s Lament” brought quiet reflection before the mood lifted again with “Better Days” and “Forever Home,” which captured the essence of Ohana itself: friendship, family, and belonging. For the encore, “Wave Goodbye” washed over the beach like a benediction, Vedder’s voice carrying into the night air as the final chord lingered over the Pacific. It was a closing both intimate and expansive—Eddie Vedder at his most powerful, at home in the music and on the shore where it all began.
