Cal Vibes Music Festival Recap – Part One

February marked the return of Cali Vibes Festival in the port town of Long Beach. Located in southern California between Orange County and downtown LA, the city is rich with its own music cultural heritage and known for spawning legendary acts such as Sublime, who performed that weekend.

A true gathering of West Coast music fans transpired over a three-day period. Legendary acts like Shaggy, Sean Paul, The Roots, Ice Cube, and Gwen Stefani all performed. The festival appeals to a wide span of genres including reggae, ska, hip hop, rap, dancehall, reggaeton, and more.

The all-ages event was held in an open air parking area adjacent to a public park down town. Dozens of local food trucks, vendors, bars, and other amenities were available. I found there was a better-than-average food selection with a large sampling of Hawaiian and various island cuisines present. Additionally, the comfortable VIP rooftop bar was a huge added plus.

Little Stranger – The Vibes Stage

I first saw South Carolina based duo Little Stranger at Bottlerock Festival in the Bay Area while wandering over to the side stage. Immediately struck by their jovial presence and whimsical, reggae-inspired set of hip hop-laced, laid back island jams, they were one of the artists who stood out the most to me that entire weekend, offering a fresh take on several well-known and beloved genres. Fast forward to nine months later—Kevin and John Shields (who are unrelated despite sharing the same last name) were already saddled up on the main stage on Saturday of the three-day music festival.

After a rapid succession those unfamiliar with the band wouldn’t have expected, the duo looked perfectly at home on the gigantic monitors straddling either side. It was no surprise to me, however, that they’d find themselves graduating up to taking up main stage real estate. Despite it being just the two of them up there, they made up for the lack of backing band frills and other touring theatrics with their larger-than-life personalities, pinging off of each other’s energies like twin radio towers.

As always, their setup was sparse, with John’s midi keyboard and acoustic guitar set up on stage right and Kevin’s melodica perched stage left. Providing a unique and throwback sound to an assortment of their tracks, the wind-powered “mouth keyboard” is a little more precise than a harmonica, providing a whimsical sound and a signature element to their live shows.

Highly inspired by dub, roots reggae, island folk, and early hip hop acts like The Roots, Little Stranger has been touring their proverbial asses off for the past five years, and the refinement of their showmanship over time was obvious that Saturday afternoon in Long Beach. The crowd was fully captivated and engrossed, singing and rapping along with banger after banger of hit singles. Many of their west coast fans came early just to catch their set—One held up a sign that read: “Little Stranger opening for Gwen Stefani?! That shit is BANANAS!”

As they sailed through a mini festival length setlist including songs like “Red Rover,” “Cool Kids,” their cover of Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood,” and their brand new track, “Karmasumatra.” As the beach balls and weed smoke in the air interchangeably drifted past my head, Kevin invited all their friends watching from the wings to join them onstage. Fifteen-ish homies immediately came running out to dance.

It’s quite incredible that an act consisting of two childhood friends who met in Philadelphia bring the same concentrated energy a full, multi-piece band would bring onstage. In the days leading up to the festival, I had wondered to myself if they had taken to touring with a full band behind them. Despite it still being just John and Kevin up there they held strong, leading a party of thousands of ecstatic fans through their vivacious list of songs.

One thing’s for sure: They definitely made the entire afternoon a “Little Stranger” for us all.

The Interrupters – The Vibes Stage

Mid-day, I made it out of an interview just in time to catch the last half of The Interrupters‘ set back on the main stage. The sun was high in the afternoon sky, beaming down on a crowd in the throes of that special brand of enthusiasm that can only be found at a punk rock show.

Lead singer Aimee Interrupter was zig-zagging across the stage, bookmarked by her husband/guitarist Kevin Sweatshop and his brother, bass player Justin Bivona. Pogoing and scissor kicking in suit shirts and thin ties, the energy in the air was palpable for one of the most energy packed sets of the entire weekend.

The Interrupters seem almost like they were born to be on festival main stages, as the five-piece, Southern California-based band were in their element playing in front of a home crowd on familiar turf. Many audience members were sporting their various concert t-shirts, pins, and cloth patches haphazardly hand sewn onto home made denim vests.

The band gave the crowd exactly what they wanted with a set list of hits spanning their album catalogue, opening up with “Take Back the Power” and gliding through other favorites like “Title Holder,” “On a Turntable,” “She Got Arrested,” and Billie Eilish cover “Bad Guy.” Seemingly saving the best for last, by the time “Gave You Everything” came on, every audience member knew the words to every lyric as they crammed themselves towards the front.

Despite the vastness of the outdoor setup, I felt transported back to pre-pandemic days when I saw this band in smaller club venues; the energy was similar and just as electric. Stooping down to be eye level with the crowd, Aimee Interrupter has this way of connecting with every audience member in the front row, using her fierce eye contact and bright-red, lipstick-slicked smile to engage even those dog piled within the thickest points of the crowd.

By the time the familiarly beloved double guitar downstroke intro of their final song, “She’s Kerosene” started up, the volume of the lyrics being sung in the pit were equal to that of the giant speakers surrounding the stage. Right on beat, everyone chanted and squealed along to the chorus, gleefully belting “Time! Time! Time!” and “Wooooo-ooooaaah!” right on cue. It was almost as if we were at a punk rock show right in the middle of a reggae festival; the energy the band brought was unmatched throughout the rest of the afternoon despite being followed by super star level performers.

I always love catching an Interrupters gig, and despite seeing them multiple times throughout the course of their career, it was the first time seeing them in a festival setting. Sometimes a band stands out to you because they’re one of your favorite bands, other times because they were some of the best performers of the day. In this case it was both, as The Interrupters were true upsetters that day. They gave the festival a much-needed jolt of punk rock intensity with their electric stage show, unshakable positivity, and unstoppable determination.

Wiz Khalifa – The Vibes Stage

As golden hour approached, not even fifteen minutes passed by before the next performer, Wiz Khalifa took the stage. Excited to take in my first rapper of the weekend, the Pittsburg legend signaled the start of his set with the twinkling, opening notes of “Black and Yellow,” and the audience immediately knew that something completely brand-new was about happen.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Khalifa was mesmerizing from the jump. The 36-year-old hip hop and trap star was clearly ready to perform during one of the best set times of the entire weekend, just as the skies were shifting from blue to a pinky golden tone and the vibes had settled down from the punk rock tenacity left over from The Interrupters’ set just moments before.

Clad casually in Dickies style pants and a t-shirt with several gold chains of various gauges adorning his neck, the tall and lanky rap impresario had a happy go lucky vibe about him that day, smiling broadly while leading the crowd’s hands in a gentle sway back and forth along to his music.

A bit more pop-fueled and melodic than some of the West Coast rappers billed along side him that weekend, Khalifa was indeed ahead of his time when he first bust out onto the scene a dozen or so years ago. The founder of the Taylor Gang collective of artists and namesake label, his music has always beamed with hometown pride, flexing lyrics filled with love for his crew, chosen families, and an obvious taste for the good life.

This being my first time seeing Khalifa live, I was taken aback for a moment realizing just how many hit singles he actually has, as nearly every song on his set list was instantly recognizable. Sailing through hits like “Work Hard, Play Hard,” “We Dem Boyz,” “On My Level,” and “23,” aka the outrageously popular  “J’s On My Feet” track he released with Miley Cyrus and Mike Will Made It back in 2013, I was far more entertained than I initially thought I’d be, even watching throughout the wait in line at the wood fired pizza food truck near the stage.

For 45 straight minutes of nonstop swagger, Khalifa proved one of the best entertainers of the entire day, with a radiant positive energy and a polished stage presence embellishing his obvious love of performing live. It was honestly hard to discern who was having more fun: him, or the audience.

His essence proves that you don’t have to have a hard facade to put out music that goes absolutely crazy and appeals to the taste spectrums of many. I walked away a fan after experiencing the Whiz Khalifa vibe in person, and for an artist originally from Pittsburg, he fits into California hip hop culture perfectly.

Sublime with Rome – The Vibes Stage

Despite being on the road for the past 15 years, this was the first time I’ve managed to catch Sublime with Rome live in concert. It might be my last time too, as Rome is officially stepping down to, rumor has it, front a soul band, leaving room for original singer Bradley Nowell’s son Jakob to step in by the time Coachella comes around in the spring.

Unsure of what to expect, I joined the massive crowd that had gathered in both the VIP and GA sections of the main Vibes stage, choosing to position myself about half way back in order to take in the entirety of set and lighting design, which I correctly assumed would be fun to watch.

The sun had finally gone down, and the stage was pitch black by the time the three piece emerged for their almost hour long set, playing Sublime’s 1992 album 40 Oz. to Freedom in full, straight through. It took me a beat to realize what was happening, but by the time songs two and three, “40 Oz to Freedom” and “Smoke Two Joints” had played back to back, I was onto them.

Immediately Googling the album, I eyeballed the 22-song track list and wondered if they’d be able to pull it off within the hour-long time slot they were given, and miraculously, they did. It was a very low/no frills set in that sense as they cruised from one song to the next with few pauses, but that being said, it was an extremely entertaining concept.

Rome is a brilliant entertainer with a voice that eerily resembles Bradley Nowell’s, sung with a giant, Cheshire Cat-sized smile on his face. The fact that he was truly enjoying himself up there was apparent to all, and by the time “Santeria” came on, everyone, including the security guards, were singing along.

Surrounded by par-for-the-course psychedelic graphics on the giant screen monitors with tons of smoke blasted onto the stage, the set flew by in the blink of an eye. Rome paused only once or twice to engage with the audience, thanking them and the band for “the best 15 years of his life” touring with Sublime. His emotion was obvious but well-contained; it seemed he was taking it all in for one of the very last times. And with good reason, with this set bearing evidence that he was leaving on a high note.

“Date Rape” signaled the beginning of the end, and the crowd finally picked up a bit, crowd surfing and politely circle pitting in the background as Rome belted out the comical story-song. I always forget that Sublime covers an old Descendants track, “Hope” on this album and they absolutely hit it out of the park, with excellently annunciated vocals especially shining in this Sublime with Rome-covering Sublime-covering The Descendants Inception-type moment.

For a band with very casual yet tight collective energy, they were still show stoppers that night in Long Beach. They clearly had nothing to prove, but in the same manner it was apparent that they wanted to give us all as good a show as possible playing in their home town region.

Something tells me that despite me not seeing them for all these years, this was indeed the right time to catch them live. One era was slowly not ending, but more like gently blending with the beginning of another, in the way that water color paints merge together on paper. I left feeling equal parts satisfied and curious about Sublime’s next and third major chapter as a band.

Hirie – The Greens Stage

I wish I would have known about Hirie sooner and got to see more than the last few songs of her set but she was so impressive on the Greens Stage that I felt compelled to give her an honorable mention. The Phillipines born, Hawaii residing, reggae pop star was absolutely electric onstage, stunning with a combination of tracks lightly EDM infused, with sickening drop beats and a sensational stage show backed by a full band.

Clad in a strapless leather asymmetrical dress and platform knee boots, I was so glad my photographer had suggested we run over to the second stage located on the opposite side of the compound after Sublime because I was left rather speechless by her performance.

There aren’t that many female fronted acts in reggae today, much less a solo female artist holding ground among a very male-centered and dominated genre. It’s quite obvious, however, to see why her popularity is quickly accelerating. Her unmatchable energy, abundant amounts of charisma, and lyrical content preaching positivity, empathy, and love are a message that touch many far and wide.

What surprised me most were some of the mid-song breakdowns that obviously had electronica elements to them, creating a far more dynamic stage show then some of the more mellow, toned down acts that played alongside her that weekend. As the saying goes, she’s a true “fire girl,” jumping, skipping, and sprinting across the stage with no less than seven band members backing her.

A good portion of her songs are soft and romantic, heavy with the island vibes true to the nature of her chosen hometown. Her faster tracks are an absolute testimony to her spunky personality, one with a insatiable sort of passionate engulfment for her craft, bringing an energy that was unmatched throughout the weekend.

I wish I could have caught more of her set because Hirie was a hands-down party onstage and one of the few acts that weekend that you could really get down, let loose, and dance hard to. I walked away utterly fascinated by her, not to mention craving more. If she’s setting the pace for solo female reggae artists in 2024, then the future is bright—for Hirie, and for us all.

Sean Paul – The Greens Stage

“Oh Sean Paul is playing, how fun!” I thought to myself when I first saw his name on the festival lineup. “He’s been around forever. I wonder if he’s any good live?” Boy was I not prepared for the stunner of a show I was in for when the Jamaican-born reggaeton artist took the stage. Coming in hot with a full backing band and two outrageously talented dancers, Sean Paul exceeded any expectations I had that mild southern California Saturday night, with a fire performance proving why he’s had consistent success as a recording artist since the early ’00s.

First coming onto the scene in 2000, his album Dutty Rock was received with critical acclaim shortly thereafter in 2002, with singles like “Get Busy” almost immediately landing him on the Billboard Top 100 charts and snagging him a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Collaborating with household names like Beyonce, Blu Cantrell, Gwen Stefani, Clean Bandit, DJ Snake, Anne Marie, and more have kept him busy and on the road throughout the past 20 some years. His polished stage performance and swaggy demeanor didn’t miss once his entire set.

What was most impressive to me was his incredible vocal ability—despite having a thick accent, his annunciation was crystal clear. You could understand every word he was rapping, and his voice translated live to sound exactly the same way it does on the radio. With a unique tone and distinctive quality to his style, it’s almost as if any music fan could instantaneously recognize his voice without any context as to who they were listening to. Moreover, to say he sounds even better live is an understatement.

Sean Paul played almost every one of his hit singles during the hour he had on stage, including “Get Busy,” “Give it All to Me,” “Baby Boy,” “Shake That Thing,” and “Temperature.” The crowd was well prepped after Hirie’s stunner of a set just moments before, everyone was charged up and ready to dance. Additionally, the two phenomenal backup dancers touring with him made the occasion even more exciting. I normally don’t comment on backup dancers, but these young ladies were so talented it’s hard not to give them an honorable mention.

They danced—and hard, to about 80 percent of the set list with complicated choreography I can best describe as one part competitive cheerleader, one part music video vixen, and one part strip club baddie. It was hard not to get distracted by their high kicks, back bends, low dips, booty shaking, and death drop-style splits. I’m not used to seeing choreography with such a high difficulty level, despite all the concerts I attend. Extremely impressive.

Also impressive was the backing band Sean Paul had, each musician flexing impressive chops, particularly the bass player, who was sort of in his own world up there with his rig hoisted up high on his body, fingertips to plucking away while grooving to the music with his eyes closed. I wasn’t expecting a full band, but it was clear that Sean Paul came to give us a real show, and he delivered.

The last thing I would have expected was for me to walk away saying that Sean Paul was my favorite act of the entire weekend, but the impact of the show was undeniable, and I left the stage feeling a mixture of impressed, confused, and stunned because of what I had just witnessed.

I would absolutely pay good money to see him again I was so entertained, and for an artist who is probably 25 years into his career to still be blowing folks away and garnering new fans from all walks of life is quite an impressive achievement regardless of genre. I can firmly say that I am a Sean Paul fan now, and look forward to seeing him live again.

Gwen Stefani – The Vibes Stage

The excitement in the air was palpable as the festival crowd gathered to see that night’s headlining act, superstar ska-pop diva Gwen Stefani. I’ve seen both her and No Doubt a number of times over the past 25 years or so and knew the probability of being in for a super fun performance was high, as she always delivers with incredible stage shows, costumes, and set lists.

While her more recent venture into the pop country realm hasn’t been one I’ve kept close track of nor has it entirely appealed to me, I missed her recent Las Vegas residency and figured this would be the closest I’d get to experiencing it, especially considering that most of her shows over the past six months or so have been at places like the Super Bowl and the APEC convention—events even I don’t have access to.

Her set was a combination of singles from her solo career and old, favorite No Doubt songs spanning the catalogue of her three-decade-plus career. Every song was both popular and recognizable, there was only one or two tracks I didn’t know every single word to, which added an extra interactive element.

Starting off strong with “Sweet Escape,” she flowed into “Sunday Morning” off the Tragic Kingdom album into “Hey Baby” and No Doubt’s Talk Talk cover, “It’s My Life.” Wearing a vibrant purple, cowboy-inspired outfit consisting of chaps with a checkerboard belt and long sparkly metal fringe flying every direction, Stefani was every bit of the seasoned stage performer, hitting the all the same notes, albeit with a slightly lower register, and more mature vocal quality.

Notably, country music star Blake Shelton, her husband and The Voice co host appeared onstage to perform their new duet “Purple Irises.” The song was fine, but admittedly if there was any point where I had to run and use the restroom it would have been then because it just seemed a little displaced from the rest of the show and thus brought the energy down a bit. Attention wandering, I found myself paying more attention to the crowd in that moment then on the performance.

Moreover, I did suspect that there might be more surprises in for us all after catching Sean Paul’s set, and my intuition was 100% correct, as he appeared from the wings to sing their duet “Light My Fire” during the second half of the show. Their chemistry was phenomenal together, so much so that it makes me wish she’d go back to the dancehall-infused style from the Rocksteady album that took the world by storm. The incredible amount of nostalgia infused with her more modern elements was truly the best part of the overall show experience.

Speaking of super star collaborations, the crowd went wild when “Let Me Blow Your Mind,” her duet with hip hop star Eve came on in the 45 seconds she took to make a quick costume change into a checkerboard suit fully encrusted with head-to-toe rhinestones. I liked this ensemble much better than the first one, as it was way more classic Gwen than the Jessie from Toy Story-goes-disco feel of her last outfit.

By the time “What You Waiting For?” and “Don’t Speak” came on, I knew the end was nearing but the energy never slowed down. Gwen has the same onstage prowess she had 20 years ago. If you watch old concert footage of her performing with No Doubt—darting from one side of the stage to the next, back bending for high notes, momentarily freezing to make quirky expressions, it was still all there.

Her female guitar player was also a stand-out of the evening. Obviously a seasoned touring hard rock musician, she positively shredded throughout the night. Often dropping to her knees during her solos, she exuded her own obvious star quality. In my opinion, standing out while sharing the stage with Gwen Stefani is a huge feat, and she definitely added an extra layer of fireworks to the show that I enjoyed very much.

My only real complaints were at the end when she sung “Hollaback Girl” and her background dancers reappeared with giant plastic bananas they hoisted up in the air along with their choreography. They honestly could have done without them. They were kind of cheap looking as were the dancer’s costumes, which had a Forever 21 kind of look about them.

To say that something cheesy happened at a Gwen Stefani show would it come as a surprise to most folks as its not really that off brand for her, but there was such a severe difference between the quality of Gwen’s costumes as opposed to her dancers’ that I looked at my photographer at one point and joked, “Did they bring those clothes from home?”

Overall, it was a great set. I’ve always enjoyed following Gwen Stefani’s career and going to her shows over the years, even though I haven’t liked 100% of everything she’s released. This was all the better at a festival set within her home turf, which she acknowledged stating how happy she was to be in Long Beach, and not far from her home town of Anaheim.

Ever iconic, Gwen Stefani is a generation-defining superstar who’s still killing it onstage. Running around and singing her head off, she still performs like a 25-year-old despite being in her early 50s. I’m so glad I caught this set and appreciate her for all the countless others out there who consider themselves to be, well, just a girl.

Conclusion

There was “No Doubt” that Saturday was the most action packed day at Cali Vibes Festival. The various stages were dense with performers who ran the gamut from ska to punk to reggae to hip hop. The spacious layout assured every moment could be spent either relaxing, or exploring one of it’s various amenities.

Subsequently, I do have to say that it was a little bizarre having to stand inside of landscaped road dividers while watching a band or trying to eat some food as the location was, well, a parking lot. Although they were shorn low and well manicured, I found myself literally standing in the bushes a few times, which took some getting used to.

The VIP set up at the main stage is great for those who like their personal space, but the very front barricade area was reserved for the upgraded “Beach Club” level ticket holders. In my opinion, if you tough it out you could be right up front on the opposite, GA side with a basic ticket if you don’t mind getting knocked around by the crowd a bit. It is a music festival after all.

The VIP area itself was close to the beer, food, and restrooms. I found it particularly nice to be able to grab a drink and be back within one song. That sort of efficiency is unheard of at some other festivals, even with upgrades. The overall thoughtfulness put into both artist curation and festival goer experience made for a great first day at Cali Vibes Festival.

Photos courtesy of Rose Eden