Ohana Festival 2026 Review feat. Pearl Jam, Billy Idol, Fontaines D.C., Pixies, more

Ismael Quintanilla III for Ohana

When Ohana Festival, curated by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder (pictured) and his team, returned for the 10^th edition in Dana Point, Calif. last Friday, the question of who would be behind the band’s drum kit for its first 2026 gig as Sunday headliner was a leading topic among fans.

Turns out longtime Paul McCartney touring musician - and studio contributor to Vedder’s 2022 album Earthling - Abe Laboriel Jr. handled rhythm duties on Friday (a surprise Pearl Jam set billed as Eddie Vedder & Friends) and Sunday.  

Onstage Sunday night, Vedder thanked the Beatle for allowing them to “borrow” Laboriel, citing “an old music adage that…you cannot be a great band without a great drummer,” and then dedicated “Better Man” to Laboriel (Vedder’s official Instagram post on Monday also appreciated the drummer for “sitting in” with them over the weekend).  

George A. Paul

Drawing an estimated 15,000 people daily and hosting nearly three dozen acts over three days, Ohana stands apart from other local music festivals. There’s a more laid-back atmosphere, an emphasis on beach culture and just two stages where performances are staggered so attendees don’t have to miss anyone. Ohana also allows people to purchase single day tickets (a commendable rarity).

Merch lines were long throughout the weekend because Pearl Jam fans absolutely must have the limited-edition skateboard decks, posters and more than one t-shirt, from which they had plenty to choose from.

Over at the Storytellers stage at The Cove area, talks about oceans, environmental justice, activism, art, community and indigenous voices were done by Pearl Jam members, renowned conservationist Capt. Paul Watson and others. The Cove Gallery contained an impressive array of live photos of past and present Ohana performers, beach-themed artwork and beyond for sale.

As Vedder welcomed the Day 1 crowd at the Ohana Stage, he said that while looking over the gallery, someone anonymously gifted him a photo that he was seen admiring. Vedder held up what seemed to be a backstage pass to possibly determine the benefactor.  

Then he expressed gratitude his music festival could still take place considering ones in New York City and Maryland (CBGB Festival, Global Citizen, All Things Go, Oceans Calling) were called off last week due to inclement weather. Vedder proceeded to play and sing The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” acoustically on ukelele.

Here is a selected rundown of the festivities:

FRIDAY

Eddie Vedder & Friends’ five song set saw Billy Idol turn up for a version of The Who’s “I’m One,” and Vedder paid tribute to the late Glen Hansard (The Frames, Swell Season) by covering his “Song of Good Hope.” Then Pearl Jam appeared to do a surprise 15-song performance including “Corduroy,” “Wish List,” “Do the Evolution,” “I Got ID,” covers of Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer,” The Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” and more.

Judging by daily chatter and t-shirts, veteran Mexican rock band Mana was a big draw. 

Dusana Karam for Ohana

Nowadays, Billy Idol (pictured) seems to be everywhere. Dream Into It, the English rocker’s solid first album in over a decade arrived last year. The well-received documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead is currently streaming. Idol did some nifty U.S. Open promos amid the televised match coverage and of course will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame soon.

Looking and sounding great, Idol, 70, took the Ohana stage wearing a studded leather jacket (the first of several clothing changes). He immediately stood on a platform, did those trademark sneers and fist pumps to a rousing “Still Dancing.” Longtime sideman Steve Stevens constantly raised the set’s excitement level with his guitar pyrotechnics. “Cradle of Love” and “Flesh for Fantasy” remained strong as Idol engaged with his two leather clad female background singers.

Colorful videogame-styled cityscapes (and classic Idol music video clips) were used to good effect. Before the sumptuous ballad “Eyes Without a Face,” Stevens briefly sat down for a short flamenco-type intro. The ladies did a humorous tug of war for Idol’s affections on a spirited “Mony Mony.” For the racing “Blue Highway,” the guitarist segued into a bit of his “Anthem” theme from “Top Gun.”

Later, Idol told the story about how he came up with the title “Rebel Yell” after partying with the Rolling Stones in New York. That signature ‘80s song, along with “Dancing with Myself” and “White Wedding” proved there’s still plenty of life left in the veteran rocker.

Melodic hardcore mainstay Bad Religion arrived to an eerie synth sound before going full bore into the title track to 1993’s Recipe for Hate. The frequently short songs flew by at a dizzying pace. “21^st Century (Digital Boy)” and other 1990s/2000s alt-radio staples like “Infected” and “Sorrow” prompted occasional crowd surfing. 

Bassist Jay Bentley was smiling ear to ear, while studious frontman Greg Graffin (who has a PhD and has lectured at universities) barked the thought-provoking lyrics. He remarked how “1989 was a hell of a year” before going into a hard hitting “No Control.” The harrowing and still applicable closer “American Jesus,” which explores the dangers of nationalism, was a standout made even better by Eddie Vedder joining for the chant ending.

Aussie indie rocker Courtney Barnett and her two-piece band thrilled Ohana watchers from the get-go with a hard charging “Stay in Your Lane,” a recent top 10 Triple A radio hit from her terrific new fifth album Creature of Habit.

“One Thing at a Time,” with her blazing guitar solo, and the dreamy “Mantis” from that release also were impressive. Three older tunes from the 2010s – the spacey “Avant Gardener,” an insistent, noisy “Pedestrian at Best,” and kick-out-the-jams finish of “History Eraser” were riveting, at times recalling early Pretenders.

Ismael Quintanilla III for Ohana

This past spring’s live reunion of Sugar (pictured) singer/guitarist Bob Mould’s short-lived noisy Nineties alt-rock band, has been drawing raves. A mini-documentary just debuted on YouTube, and the Minneapolis trio has several U.S. shows scheduled through October.

In a taut, satisfying set, Mould’s guitarwork was still totally abrasive, while his harmonies with bassist Dave Barbe (who also took two lead turns) were seamless. They really meshed well on “Changes,” where Mould played the life out of his guitar and did a Pete Townshend-type windmill, the jangly old MTV “120 Minutes” staple “If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” “Helpless” (a top 5 modern rock radio hit) and cascading “Gee Angel.”

Hailing from Mexico, Midnight Generation’s brand of electro-pop and funk defined “fun,” especially on the aptly named “Energy” and “Don’t Wait Up” off latest album Tender Love (think: Daft Punk-meets-Zapp, with bits of Chic and Kraftwerk thrown in). 

All five members wore matching white attire, a few sang in falsetto. They did synchronised moves at one point and the singer/guitarist engaged in plenty of talk box action. A few attendees near me marveled when one member used a coffee cup as percussion.

LA-based male singer Muttlee followed with some aggressive Rage Against the Machine-inspired alt-rock such as “Let the Metal Sing” and a cover of Fontaines D.C.’s “Boys in the Better Land.”

Mereba, a female singer from Alabama, opened the Tiki Stage with soul and rap-inflected tunes including a nice cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.”

SATURDAY

Americana singer/songwriter Tyler Childers headlined and surprisingly didn’t play his biggest country single – 2023’s platinum-selling “In Your Love.” The bill also included Alabama Shakes, Jon Batiste, Stephen Wilson Jr., and Men I Trust, among others. One late addition was female Irish indie rock band Florence Road which had its gear stolen, couldn’t perform Friday, but ended up with a primo Saturday slot instead. Eddie Vedder generously lent his instruments. 

SUNDAY

A touching video tribute to Glen Hansard prefaced Pearl Jam’s powerful 18-song headline set. The montage showed the Irish singer/songwriter’s frequent regular and guest appearances at Ohana. Pearl Jam followed it by playing “Long Road.”

Many well-known Pearl Jam hits were offered up in vigorous fashion, including “Given to Fly,” an extended “Daughter” (plus bits of U2’s “Bad” and Hansard’s “Down on Our Knees”), “Even Flow” (Vedder admitted, “We started out pretty good as a band; then we got better”), the brawny “Jeremy” (Mike McCready and Stone Gossard played side-by-side), “Black” (McCready pulled out all the stops on a psychedelic solo) and set closer “Alive.” Another standout was the thoughtful, more recent “Wreckage.”

Eddie Vedder heeded first verse vocal duties for “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” to guest Billy Strings, the award-winning Americana/bluegrass artist and Ohana ’22 alum. They played it on acoustic guitars after Vedder recounted how Strings won his elementary school talent show with the same song. The Pearl Jam singer pointed out a harvest moon overhead and said, “We’re thinking about our Uncle Neil (Young). Maybe we can get him out here next year.”

Strings and the band covered “Throw Your Hatred Down,” off 1995’s Neil Young with Pearl Jam album Mirror Ball and the lyrics really hit home considering current world events. McCready and Strings did some fine tandem electric guitar work together. Later, in the encore, Strings returned for Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

George A. Paul

Fontaines D.C. turned in a captivating sunset performance that affirmed why it is one of the most exciting rock bands to emerge from Ireland in a long time. The Dublin post-punk quintet previewed its exceptional upcoming James Ford-produced fifth album Dopamine Chamber (due Oct. 16) with a haunting synth-laden “Six Shot Morning,” sung by frontman Grian Chatten (pictured) in his lower register, and the keening wonder “Marianne.”

Launching the set with “Nabokov,” they provided a claustrophobic sonic sheen as Chatten, clad in a Dropkick Murphys shirt, hunched over a monitor. He veered from aloofness (saying “you don’t want to get to know me”) to urging fans to sing along by holding out the microphone at various points during the performance.

The frantic “Boys in the Better Land” was an adrenaline rush; so was “Jackie Down the Line.” But the best moments came as the guitarists and keyboardists - extended to a six-piece in concert - combined chiming and jangle textures that evoked The Smiths during “It’s Amazing to Be Young” and “Favourite” (both off the deluxe edition of 2024’s Romance).

Bassist Conor Deegan added prominent backing vocals throughout. Chatten frequently paced the stage, gestured and raised his hands in the air, adding dramatic emphasis. Prior to the lead singer’s passionate delivery on a stirring “In the Modern World,” he said “Free Palestine.”

Ismael Quintanilla III for Ohana

Vedder introduced Pixies (pictured) by saying that the ocean’s high tides stopping at 9:30 a.m. must have been a sign of “good karma” and how this band was a favorite. Early in the set, Vedder proved it by joining the musicians for “Wave of Mutilation.”

Black Francis was manic as ever, caterwauling through popular live and alt-radio selections like the ominous “Gouge Away,” “Debaser,” and “Where is My Mind” (often still synched for TV, movies and commercial use). Pixies got really loud crowd responses for big alt-rock radio hits “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” ‘Here Comes Your Man,” and a ferocious “Head On.” Guitarist Joey Santiago’s influence was proved time and again, especially when he took the guitar jack out and made quivering sounds.

In 2025, Rilo Kiley reunited after 15+ years apart. The LA indie pop band still sounded tight onstage. Sporting a leopard print dress, classy singer Jenny Lewis, moved between bass and keyboards. She mostly let the music do the talking. Lewis’ gorgeous vocals shined most during “Spectacular Views,” a seductive “The Moneymaker,” the throwback pop stylings of “I Never” and snappy “Silver Lining.” Unfortunately, a crowd emergency cut the set short, but Rilo Kiley did get to close with endearing, xylophone-accented gem “With Arms Outstretched.”

Dusana Karam for Ohana

Another welcome indie rock reunion from the 2000s came via Arizona’s The Format (pictured), which put out Boycott Heaven, its first studio album in 20 years last January. Gregarious singer Nate Ruess (ex-fun.) projected a genuine, vulnerable presence onstage. He and multi-instrumentalist Sam Means, plus three touring musicians fared best on a joyous, yet anguished “Tie the Rope,” the acoustic guitar-driven “The First Single (You Know Me),” and the music hall dynamic of “Dog Problems.”

All three newer tunes – a high flying “Holy Roller” - recently top 20 at alt-radio – the totally relevant “Leave it Alone” (key lyric: “when all the kids in Gaza are dying to go home”) and direct title track were highlights.

Villanelle, led by Gene Gallagher, kicked off Sunday’s Ohana stage proceedings with some cool grunge/heavy alternative rock-leaning tunes that recalled Nirvana and Foo Fighters, especially during “Hinge” and “Measly Means.” Gallagher’s delivery bore traces of his famous father Liam’s penchant for drawing out vowels. The melodic “Squeeze” was a highlight.

Photos courtesy of Ohana Fest/C3 Presents.