On the summer nights of the last two days of the OC Fair, the Pacific Amphitheatre was packed with reggae fans who were feeling alright.
“Count Me In,” a summer tour that kicked off in mid-June, headlined by reggae band Rebelution with supporting bands Iration and The Green, jammed for a packed Pacific Amphitheatre on the OC fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Both Saturday and Sunday shows were completely sold out.
“We’ve got to talk about a serious issue,” lead singer and guitarist Micah Pueschel of Iration said. “Smokin’ weed in the summertime.” The band then proceeded to play “Summer Nights,” and the crowd went wild.
Iration, formed in Isla Vista, Santa Barbara, but with roots in Hawaii, played a mix of their most popular older songs such as “Time Bomb” and “Falling,” as well as songs from their most recent album, “Automatic.”
While “Automatic” has influences from many genres including R&B, rock and a little country, the band is consistently faithful to its Hawaiian origin.
When the band played familiar introduction for Tom Petty’s “Last Dance With Mary Jane” as one of their closing songs, the Amphitheatre got cloudier with smoke, and the voices in the crowd united to sing the lyrics.
Rebelution came next as the headliners, and as they played their opening song the Amphitheatre filled to its capacity.
The bulk of their performance was songs from their newest album, “Count Me In,” which has received mixed reviews from fans, but ramped up the energy of an audience already energized by Iration’s performance. Songs including “De-stress” got the crowd singing along with their catchy lyrics.
Rebelution played their slow ballad and fan favorite “Suffering” with a jazzy twist present in “Count Me In.” Guest musicians on the saxophone and trumpet played passionate solos, and the predominant use of the keyboard added emotion to the already expressive song.
Although the concert was a seated show, the assign seats didn’t stick as the majority of the audience was standing and swaying, sharing drinks and smokes and soaking in the energy.
Throughout the performance series artists rotated through a position on the right side of the stage. When each band started playing, the canvas was blank, but it was filled with forms and colors as the set progressed.
Selena Zontos, an artist with Haven Art Studio, grooved with the music of The Green, a Hawaiian reggae band that opened for Iration and Rebelution. Her arm moved frantically, but deliberately, paintbrush in hand until a green tiger appeared on the canvas.
“Reggae will always be close to my heart,” Zontos said, although she said that the studio paints live during shows of various genres.
Zontos said that live painting is nothing new, but Haven Art studios has gone bigger than most groups have ever gone.
While live painting more commonly occurs in more intimate settings, Haven puts artists directly next to the vibrating speakers, at the whim of crowds of around the 15,000 fans that attended last weekend’s sold-out concert.
Haven set up a booth outside of the venue where the works of art that materialized during the show were sold.
Haven Art Studio will be touring with Rebelution and Iration for the duration of the “Count Me In” Tour, which stops next at the Santa Barbara Bowl on August 15.