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.
Next up was Artikal Sound System from Florida. The South Florida crew, founded by guitarist Chris Montague and bassist Fabian Acuña and fronted by vocalist Logan Rex, has been grinding it out on the road for over a decade, and it shows in how tight they sound live. The band has such a great presence and really gets the crowd hyped up, with Rex’s jazz-influenced vocals dancing over the top of some seriously heavy grooves.
They played so many favorites like “Self Sabotage,” “Spiritual Broadcaster,” and “Batshit Crazy,” plus a great cover of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” that they had a sing-along to. Covering a SoCal classic like that in Orange County is a bold move for a Florida band, and they absolutely pulled it off.
Co-headliner Tribal Seeds was up after them, and the San Diego band really had everyone belting out song after song. Formed in 2005 by brothers Steven Jacobo and Tony-Ray Jacobo, Tribal Seeds have always leaned into a deeper, roots-driven sound than a lot of their West Coast peers, and hearing those spiritually charged songs roll through an outdoor amphitheatre at dusk was something special.
With so many great songs like “The Garden,” “In Your Eyes,” “Ancient Blood,” and “Vampire,” they had an amazing set. “In Your Eyes” remains one of the biggest songs in the genre, and the whole place sang it back word for word, while the title track from their latest album, Ancient Blood, showed just how strong their newer material is. Two decades in, they sound as powerful as ever.
Finally, Iration took the stage, and they did not disappoint. Led by singer and guitarist Micah Pueschel, the band has racked up over a billion streams and multiple number one reggae albums by perfecting their sunny mix of reggae, rock, and pop, and this set was a reminder of exactly how they did it. They played new songs off Where It All Began like “My Kinda Vibe,” “State of Mind,” and “Roots,” as well as old songs including “Automatic,” “Summer Nights,” and their Gold-certified classic “Time Bomb.”
The new album is the band’s eleventh, and the new material fits right in alongside the fan favorites, which says a lot. By the time those familiar opening notes of “Time Bomb” hit, the whole amphitheatre was on its feet and stayed there for the rest of the night.
Overall, it was a great night at the Pacific Amphitheatre. Four bands, zero weak links, and a crowd that sang until the very last note. If the Where It All Began tour rolls through your town, do yourself a favor and go.
TUNNEL VISION
ARTIKAL SOUND SYSTEM
TRIBAL SEEDS
IRATION
