Eddie Vedder’s surprise cameo lit up Stephen Wilson Jr.’s set, while Jon Batiste, Alabama Shakes, and Tyler Childers carried Ohana’s second day into the night.
If Friday at Doheny State Beach belonged to punk and Latin rock, Saturday swung toward country, soul, and Americana. The day moved from the laid-back sound of Alice Phoebe Lou to Jon Batiste‘s lively set and the force of Alabama Shakes. A large part of the top slots went to country acts, and the crowd embraced the shift.
The morning crowd had plenty of reasons to arrive on time. Jake Wesley Rogers got things started not with the theatrical or glam-leaning pop he’s known for, or all big piano and bigger feelings. Instead, it was just him, a stool, and an acoustic guitar, which suited the bright sun and open sky. Introduced by Vedder himself, Rogers brought out Vedder’s daughter Olivia to sing a duet of “Pluto.”
Ellery Harper followed with a set that gave the early arrivals something to talk about as the lawn began to fill. The son of musician Ben Harper and actor Laura Dern brought his flavor of folk, Americana, and ethereal rock to the Saturday afternoon fans.
In a wild swing of genres, P.E.S.T., the Jeff Ament side project, added a jolt of Montana Punk rock/skateboard energy to the afternoon, moving the day in a livelier direction before the mellow stretch ahead.
Marlon Funaki kept the early momentum going, a good fit for a festival that blends California ease with Hawaiian-island warmth.
Alice Phoebe Lou brought the hush, with a gentle, unhurried set that let the ocean breeze do part of the work.
Indie flavor arrived in the form of The Front Bottoms. They brought the loudest singalong of the early shift, and the crowd knew every word.
The moment everyone will talk about came in the afternoon, and it belonged to Stephen Wilson Jr. The Nashville songwriter, a former microbiologist, was already having a standout set. He took a playful jab at AI before launching into his working-class salute, “Gary.” Wilson has long mined the grunge era, and a Seattle-flavored finale made sense.
He closed with a detuned version of Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger Strike,” and midway through the song Eddie Vedder himself appeared onstage. Wilson sang Cornell’s opening verse, then Vedder emerged to handle his own part. The crowd roared. The festival’s founder showing up without warning to sing the song that first put his voice on record is the kind of moment a festival can’t schedule. Fully aware that a rare moment for all in attendance and for himself had just passed, and still trying to process the moment, Wilson Jr upon leaving the stage looked at his band and said giddily, “What the f**k just happened?”
What made it work is that Wilson didn’t treat the song as a one-off. He had already recorded his own studio version for his 2025 EP Blankets. Cornell’s part sits high in the vocal range and is punishing, and Wilson more than capably handled it, reaching for the stratosphere on the song’s big refrain. The two voices blended less like a guest spot than a conversation. Phones went up across the lawn, and with a younger artist carrying Cornell’s part, the performance felt like both a tribute and a passing of the torch. It was truly an unforgettable moment for those lucky enough to have witnessed it.
Jon Batiste performed a joyful celebration of freedom to Southern California, via New Orleans. His set was the day’s most overtly festive and encouraged, no demanded, the overtly laid-back SoCal crowd to get involved and move to the music.
Alabama Shakes were a force, with Brittany Howard’s voice as commanding as ever. She also spoke out against ICE and urged Americans to protect one another. Politics and activism have always mixed at Ohana, and her remarks fit that tradition.
Florence Road then delivered one of the day’s best stories. The band had been unable to play Friday after their gear was stolen. When Eddie Vedder heard, he helped get them instruments and gave them a prime-time slot between Alabama Shakes and Tyler Childers. It was a big spot to fill, sandwiched between two heavyweights, and they did not disappoint. The crowd, many of them hearing the band for the first time, stayed and cheered. A bad break turned into a showcase, and it spoke to the spirit Vedder brings to the festival.
Tyler Childers closed the night, and the slot carried extra weight: it was his headlining debut at the festival. The Kentucky songwriter is Grammy-nominated and one of the leading voices in rootsy, Appalachian-flavored country. He was an apt choice for the final slot on a day that leaned heavily toward country and Americana. Childers brought the wild, and that fits his reputation for raw, unfiltered, unvarnished live shows rather than polished spectacle. His set offered a very different mood from the day’s earlier peaks. Where Wilson’s duet was a surprise and Batiste’s set was a party, Childers’ headline slot felt like a long exhale, a late-night gathering on the sand, with the Pacific in the dark just behind the crowd. It suited an audience that had spent the day moving between big emotions. His set brought day two to a warm finish, giving the weekend a rootsy, wild-hearted center between Friday’s loud opening and Sunday’s closing night. For a festival that has increasingly embraced country, putting him in the top slot felt both overdue and right. His debut as a headliner earned the spot.
Ohana’s tenth year has been defined by Vedder’s generosity, and Saturday showed it again: a surprise duet, a stranded band given a second chance, and a lineup built to feel like a gathering of friends. Day two offered a reminder that the best festival moments are often the ones nobody saw coming.
