Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, plays at Brixton Academy, London in 2017. The Killers also played on Day One of the Ohana Festival. Brandon Flowers, Brixton Academy, London by Drew de F Fawkes is licensed under Licensed under CC BY 2.0 DEED. .

The Ohana Festival, founded by Pearl Jam singer, Eddie Vedder and surfing icon Kelly Slater, first debuted in 2016. “Ohana,” a Hawaiian term for family, is representative of how this festival assembles its guests with a common goal in mind. Its purpose was to bring people together by the means of music, but through Vedder’s eyes for activism. 

Vedder designed the event with the intention of creating a better, more environmentally sustainable music festival. According to The Momentum, “The Rob Machado Foundation, founded by San Diego pro surfer Rob Machado, was brought on board to promote a BYOB—Bring Your Own Bottle—a campaign that encourages attendees to use their own reusable bottles at the numerous refill stations that are located on-site.” 

The same website also displays a breakdown of the sheer amount of waste the organization has saved from going to the landfill, further demonstrating the deep impact this festival has had on its attendees and the world around them. 

This year, the Ohana Festival was bursting with excitement and thrilling music all around. Numerous bands old and new played, drawing over 14 thousand people on each of the festival’s three days.

On Day One, Sept. 29, The Killers – an American Rock band formed in 2001 – were the main event, along with other acts such as Haim, Father John Misty, Japanese Breakfast and more. 

The Pretenders play on Day Three of the Ohana Festival, preceding the Foo Fighters’ performance. The band was founded in 1978 in Hereford, England. (Photo By Lexi Thurman)

Day Two, Sept. 30, brought in Eddie Vedder himself, as well as other bands such as The Chicks (previously known as the Dixie Chicks), The War on Drugs and Goose, alongside many others. 

The third and final day kicked off the month of October. Many bands such as The Pretenders, The Backseat Lovers and Suki Waterhouse performed.

The main act, however, was the American 90s based grunge band, the Foo Fighters – arguably the best show of them all.

With the Foo Fighters’ near 30-year-long history of producing outstanding music – earning 15 Grammy awards along the way – the astounding show they put on was no surprise to fans. 

Dave Grohl in between songs during his performance on Oct. 1st, 2023 at the Ohana Festival. His iconic guitar makes its usual appearance on stage with him. (Photo By Lexi Thurman)

Fans of the band are everywhere, and quite a few of them can even be found on the Sage Creek High School campus. One fan in particular is a teacher located in the 5000s building: Mrs. Williams, Sage Creek’s photography teacher, whose favorite Foo Fighters song is “Walk.” 

With Dave Grohl, her favorite aspect of the band, it’s no wonder she had plenty of reasons ready to back up her stance. When asked about why she likes Dave Grohl, Williams’ reasons included “his musical talent,” “his longevity,” and how he “also seems like he’s a good person.” She also said, “for somebody to truly make it long term, I feel it takes something really special, and he has that.”

His words reflect similar ideas to the ones of Mrs. Williams, signifying that versatility is an obvious theme for this band. 

Paige Maruca, a junior at Sage Creek, attended Day Two of the Ohana Festival. Maruca noticed a connection between herself and Eddie Vedder, the musician she saw perform, and said, “I think that his music speaks to me personally.”

Josh Freese on stage with one of the many bands he has played with over the years: The Offspring. Freese began playing the drums at age 12. Offspring by Sven Mandal is licensed under Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Sven Mandel)

To speak more on their music as a whole, Mrs. Williams said, “Their music is so versatile.” 

“I feel like you could be angry and frustrated, or you can be in love and happy, and find a song,” she said. 

Another fan of the band at Sage Creek is Mr. Co, the Psychology, World History and Economics teacher, whose favorite Foo Fighters song is “Everlong.” 

“I think they are the representation of mid-late 90s music that transcends a lot of today’s music because you can listen to pretty much any Foo Fighters album and it’s kind of timeless. Even though their music is sometimes 30 years old, you can hear it anywhere and resonate with that song,” he said.

Although Maruca only attended Eddie Vedder’s concert at the festival, she is a passionate fan of the Foo Fighters as well, with her favorite song being “Best of You.” 

“I feel like their music can be relatable to everyone,” she said. “I just love Dave Grohl. He doesn’t feel superficial; he feels real.”

The Foo Fighters close out their performance on Day Three of the Ohana Festival with a bow. Their two hour performance wowed the crowd and left a lasting impression on all who attended. (Photo By Lexi Thurman)

Anyone who has seen the band live knows that Paige’s words reflect the truth. From the moment Grohl stepped out on stage, he was cracking jokes with the crowd. From pouring a mug of water all over himself at the beginning of the show, to burping on the mic at one point, he seems to allow his fun-loving personality to shine through during his performances – a potential key factor in why he possesses such a remarkable fan base. 

One key aspect of the Foo Fighters’ performance was that, despite the death of their drummer Taylor Hawkins, to whom they dedicated their song “Aurora” to during the show, the band is still faring well. Although Hawkins could never truly be replaced, their new drummer, Josh Freese, was able to do justice to all of the band’s legendary songs.

Another highlight of the show was witnessing the fan favorite song, which always has been and seems always will be “Everlong”. 

Although fans enjoyed the show the whole way through, as soon as the lauded melody was played as the final song, it was clear that even after all these years, it is still the track that touches the hearts of fans the most.

The Ohana Festival held an outstanding lineup this year and, given the excellent bands the event has housed in the past, such as the Pixies, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cavetown, and Incubus, it is without a doubt that even more great bands are to come for Ohana’s future festivals.