Tedeschi Trucks Vedder: Ohana Festival’s Collaborative 2025 Weekend

Photo: Geoff Tischman

This past weekend, the Eddie Vedder-founded Ohana Festival returned to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, Calif. The annual beachfront gathering, which originated in 2016, featured high-profile collaborations between the event’s founding father and select acts over the course of three days and ranging from country-informed Lukas Nelson to blues-rock troubadours Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, and more. 

Friday, September 26, included a promising assortment of talent, such as afternoon participant Lukas Nelson. The pair revived the Pearl Jam cut, “Just Breathe.” The track was a feature of Nelson’s dad’s 2012 LP Heroes, and served as a gentle union between two talents. The two players had previously covered the Backspacer track on August 22, 2024, which provided a foundation for them to work off during their latest gig. 

Vedder served as the evening’s headliner and dug deep in his bag of tricks, pulling out previously shelved songs, “Setting Forth” for the first time since 2017, and to a similar effect, “No Ceiling,” which ended a six-year gap in performances, last played on June 25, 2025. Tucked at the set’s center was a cover of The Who’s “I’m One,” played for the first time in three years, and followed by a rarity, The Mono Men’s original, “Watch Outside.” 

Later on, Vedder introduced a first-time cover into his arsenal, Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy fixture, “The Song Remains.” He completed the number before turning in “Rearviewmirror,” followed by George Harrison’s “Isn’t It a Pity,” complete with a “Hey Jude” outro. While Vedded nodded to his Pearl Jam salad days on “Porch,” it was his set-ending cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” that stole the night. 

Saturday, September 27, maintained the event’s collaborative charge, which sparked and hissed during Vedder’s arrival during Tedeschi Trucks Band’s festival set. The group turned in “The Seeker” by The Who. Susan Tedeschi began the Pete Townshend lines before passing the task to Vedder; the lyrical back and forth came before big guitar riffs from Derek Trucks. The exchange was a compelling exchange between some of rock’s greatest contributors.

The final day saw headliners Green Day take the festival’s last slot, bringing a wave of nostalgia to the venue. They invited Vedder to sit in during ‘90s radio staple, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” providing a satisfying and memorable conclusion to the festival.