The three-day festival held on the Long Beach shoreline featured a diversely talented lineup led by SoCal natives Gwen Stefani, Ice Cube and Rebelution.
Rocksteady rhythms, cannabis smoke and masses of Dodgers hats and Lakers jerseys enveloped the Long Beach shoreline as Cali Vibes returned for its third annual iteration at Marina Green Park.
This three-day extravaganza of reggae, ska, dancehall, and weed-friendly rap kicked off Friday afternoon, blazed through the weekend and was a feel-good sight to behold.
Upon entry, concertgoers were greeted by an assortment of holistic, wellness, and weed vendors. Plus, several local nonprofit partners that talked up the festival’s ambitious eco-friendly initiatives.
Festival fans who earned the munchies were tempted by scents of barbecued meat and tasty treats that wafted through the air, cutting through puffs of smoke. Concertgoers had their pick of several cuisines, plus acclaimed L.A. eats like Dave’s Hot Chicken, Kogi BBQ, and D.R.E.A.M. Donut Truck.
The lineup of musicians, consisting of an intriguing mix of well-known local and international artists, were slated to embody the “Cali Vibes” lifestyle.
But I couldn’t help but wonder what “Cali Vibes” means anyway.
Nostalgia, Regional Pride and Laidback Music
As someone born just days before the new millennium, I could still understand the magnitude of local artists whose heydays were in the ‘90s and 2000s getting their time under the Southern California sun once again. Though mid-February in Long Beach doesn’t exactly scream “Let’s hit the beach!” weather, the turnout at Cali Vibes was substantial yet mellow.
Crowds created seas of millennials and twenty-somethings in BORN X RAISED jackets, Dodgers hats and Lakers jerseys, Gen Xers rocking tie-dye apparel and tour T-shirts dating as far back as the early ‘90s. Through the haze of marijuana vapor and occasional sprinkling rain, it was clear that Cali Vibes drew a somewhat older festival crowd — a bit more seasoned than the mass of influencers who descend on the desert for Coachella.
Also in the air was the omnipresent feeling of SoCal pride. Whether it was Gwen Stefani shouting out Fender’s Ballroom in LB as the site of No Doubt’s debut concert, or Ice Cube recalling his career origins in South LA, Cali Vibes turned Ocean Boulevard into both a stroll down memory lane and a beacon of regional spirit.
In an age where festival lineups can resemble AI-generated madness, with artists who have little in common besides good streaming numbers, Cali Vibes felt well orchestrated. For the amount of work that went into arranging a festival of this magnitude, it successfully managed to maintain an all-encompassing laidback feeling in true SoCal fashion.
Gwen Stefani, on the heels of an imminent No Doubt reunion at Coachella in April, delivered several of her essential solo hits (such as “Cool” and “Hollaback Girl”) and No Doubt classics (like “Don’t Speak” and “Spiderwebs”) during her Saturday headlining moment. She also brought out her husband, country superstar Blake Shelton, for a romantic duet — although the twangy ballad failed to fit within the wide-ranging “Cali Vibes” criteria. I heard at least a few audible groans from the fans in my section.
As the penultimate performer on Sunday, Ice Cube went through his collection of timeless anthems, from “Check Yo Self (Remix)” to “It Was a Good Day,” reminding audiences that before he became a family-friendly movie star, he built a legendary rap career across the 110 freeway.
Another standout Sunday set came from The Roots, known by mass audiences as the house band on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Though they may not fit as snuggly into the “Cali Vibes” as the other rap performers, The Roots brought uplifting energy to the stage with ensemble medleys and spirited covers of songs like “Move on Up” and “Apache (Jump On It).”
The weekend also highlighted several underrated figures of West Coast hip-hop: The Pharcyde provided some elite South Central representation, L.A. natives B. Real and Chali 2na stood out from the rest of Slightly Stoopid’s star-studded performance and Ice Cube brought out WC for a partial reunion of the rap trio Westside Connection — sending the crowd into animated elation.
Resembling the crux of Cali Vibes — a 420 friendly paradise where artists encouraged fans to spark up and comically large inflatable joints drifted above the crowd — were the sounds of island music.
Jamaica was represented all over the festival, from the dancehall DJs tearing it up on the Boomyard stage to Sean Paul raising the “Temperature” and livening up the crowd. Hawaiian artists HIRIE and Kolohe Kai, as well as Long Beach native J Boog, had crowds swaying and singing to their luscious grooves. Santa Barbara roots reggae group Rebelution closed out the festival with an hour and change of smooth-sounding tunes and an abundance of positive zeal.
Though the overall mood stayed sufficiently chill, there were occasional charged-up moments, as Sublime with Rome and Slightly Stoopid infused the festival with punk and reggae rock during back-to-back sets Saturday evening.
These loud and vibrant tempos were melodically balanced by a healthy dose of head-nodding (rather than head-banging) music by other festival artists’ slow and steady stylings — bridging together numerous genres for a harmonious weekend of beloved SoCal music.
With year three down and new festivals popping up all the time — the recently announced soul-themed Fool in Love Festival comes to mind — it will be intriguing to see if Cali Vibes can remain as memorable for years to come. If it is ultimately lost in the shuffle of the California festival circuit, then the Cali Vibes pride will have to come from somewhere else.
