Ohana Festival 2022 closes out its final day with an all-female headliner one-two punch of St.Vincent and pop superstar P!nk.
Sunday’s Ohana Festival had notable performances from several acts with the start of the afternoon sets coming from upbeat pop rockers and local Los Angeles band Grouplove. The band’s very danceable upbeat high-energy set had their fans dancing on the beach for their short 40-minute run. Frontwoman Hannah Hooper gave a very physical performance. Though the set was short, it was as if the band were in a sprint to give as much as they could in the short window they had to work with. Band co-founders lead vocalist Hannah Hooper and guitarist Chris Zucconi enthusiastically led the band through their Ohana debut.
Mid-afternoon saw the Canadian multi-instrumentalist indie octet from Toronto, Broken Social Scene, make their Ohana debut as part of their 20th-anniversary You Forgot it in People Tour. Sonically, they are an interesting mix of horns and guitar-driven rock with many songs having both elements as members often switch between stringed instruments, horns, and keys during their set. Broken Social Scene’s debut was an enthusiastic well-received hour-long performance fitting in well with the pop-rock heavy lineup.
Alt-rocker and performance artist Annie Clark AKA St. Vincent got things going properly in anticipation of the Ohana Festival Day two headliner. Clark’s hour-long high-energy set began with her classic “Digital Witness.” Clad all in pink, the guitar-slinging performer’s set drew heavily from her last album Daddy’s Home. During the title track, Clark came down off the stage to sing to her fans in the crowd. St. Vincent’s sometimes electronic groove, sometimes heavy industrial Devo-like, rock set delighted the crowd, many of who were there to see P!nk‘s set immediately after.
St. Vincent’s live set is as much a performance art piece as it is a showcase of her considerable vocal and guitar talents. St. Vincent was a perfect warm-up to the evening’s headliner. But judging by the reception St. Vincent was given from the crowd, there’s little argument that the Ohana attendees who didn’t know St. Vincent’s music or weren’t fans beforehand, can be put in that category now.
Pop superstar P!nk closed out the night with her hardcore following out in mass for her performance. The pop diva left her fans very happy after giving her usual fantastic super lung-powered and yet intimate performance. The diverse set covered many of her mega hits, starting things off appropriately enough with “Get The Party Started” before winding her way through some of her greatest hits. She weaved in and out of covering songs such as Bishop Briggs’ soulful smash hit, “River.” Fresh off her appearance at Taylor Hawkins’ tribute concert where she performed with Queen, P!nk executed a rousing rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a song she regularly performs on tour. She then went on to cover Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” At the end of her hit “Cover Me in Sunshine,” her daughter Willow came out on stage to help finish out the song. The set included more covers such as Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up”, the Joan Baez/Led Zeppelin smash “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” and Hearts’ “Barracuda.”
Despite a successful sellout weekend one this year, the Ohana festival canceled weekend two. Hopefully, next year it can return to full strength. There just isn’t another festival with the location and size in combination with all the other California amenities, not the least of which is a mild climate, that combines to create the Ohana Festival. This year was well-executed and festival fans seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, despite some long lines for food and beverage. The festival had happy and mellow vibes, reflected in everyone including volunteers, security, and festival staff, that also seemed to be having a great time, dedicated to giving the fans a great Ohana festival experience. Ohana Festival is a unique experience in a very unique and beautiful location.Be sure to check out our coverage of day one and two.
