Getting irie with Iration, Pepper, DENM & more in Orange County

On August 23rd, Iration headlined the first of two nights at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California, supported by Artikal Sound System, DENM, and Pepper. It was one of the last shows of the season for 2024’s OC Fair Summer Concert Series.

And Artikal Sound System started things off for the night. 

At the start of the set, frontwoman Logan Rex came out and let everyone know that due to a rib injury, she would not be able to perform that night. Instead, the band put together a fun set of songs, including covers of Sublime songs and others; they even did a fun Elton John one! Next came DENM, heating things up and getting the crowd moving. I have really enjoyed watching him and his bandmates grow over the last few years.

After DENM came the boys from Kona Town. Pepper is probably one of the highest energy fun bands I’ve had the pleasure to cover over the last 11 years… I have never seen them have a bad set and this night was no different. The Pepper boys raged across the stage, playing favorites and getting the crowd involved. After their set was over and the crew was everything breaking down, the boys got the whole crowd singing along to the house music playing the Dirty Dancing hit “I’ve Had the Time of My Life”.

If only they did the lift…

Finally, it was time for Iration to hit the stage. They immediately launched into favorites like “Time Bomb” and “Summer Nights”, as well as doing some covers like “Seven Nation Army” from The White Stripes. They even closed the night out with “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy with all the other bands onstage at once! Overall, it was a great night and I can’t wait till the next time these energetic bands intersect again.

Photography by Sean McCracken

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