COSTA MESA, CA | There’s nothing quite like a summer reggae show in Southern California. The sun sinking behind the OC Fair & Event Center, a warm breeze drifting through the venue, and thousands of fans ready to sing along with every word—it’s the kind of night this music was made for. On Friday, June 26th, Iration’s Where It All Began tour hit the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California.
The tour celebrates nearly two decades of the Hawaiian-bred, Santa Barbara-based band’s independent success, and it shares its name with their brand new album that dropped back in May. They were supported by Tunnel Vision, Artikal Sound System, and Tribal Seeds—a stacked lineup that any West Coast reggae fan would circle on the calendar. With four bands covering everything from surf-punk to roots reggae, this was less a concert and more a full-on celebration of the SoCal reggae scene. The weather was great and the crowd was ready for a night of singing and dancing.
San Clemente band Tunnel Vision got things going with their punk/surf/reggae style, getting us all going for the night. The band famously formed back in 2012 while its founding members were working together at the Lost Surfboards factory, and their whole sound still carries that surf-and-skate DNA. Frontman Hayden Hanson and the guys grew up surfing and skating around Orange County, so this was practically a hometown show for them, and it showed.
Early crowds can be tough to win over, but the amphitheater was already filling in fast and Tunnel Vision made the most of every minute of their set. They played a lot of great songs like “Hop in the Van” off their album Days Away, which everyone was singing and dancing to. It was the perfect way to kick off the night.
