How the Grouch Stole Christmas with Legends in Santa Ana

How The Grouch Stole Christmas 2025 turned The Observatory in Santa Ana, California into a night of underground hip hop history. With the show featuring Living Legends, Souls Of Mischief, and CunninLynguists, the night felt all too familiar. The last Grouch tour I attended was in 2014 — at the exact venue with the exact lineup! That’s why I knew this show was going to be a really good night, filled with raw lyricism and decades-long catalog bangers.

Opening the night, CunninLynguists members Kno, Deacon The Villain, and Natti took the crowd back to the early 2000s, shifting their expansive discography into a 30-minute set. Tracks like “Lynguistics” from their 2001 debut Will Rap For Food sparked instant excitement, with the crowd cheering like they hadn’t heard the song in so long. They continued weaving through eras of favorites with “Drunk Dial” from Strange Journey Volume Three and the emotionally rich “Beautiful Girl” from A Piece Of Strange. 

Each throwback reignited memories. And the night had just begun.

Next up was Souls Of Mischief, another group that took me back to my roots. Tajai, A-Plus, and Phesto (who are also founding members of the legendary Hieroglyphics crew) delivered a set packed with West Coast classics. Dipping into their iconic 1993 debut 93 ’til Infinity, SOM lit up the venue with “Live and Let Live”, “Make Your Mind Up”, and of course, the album’s title track. Three decades later, the crowd was still rapping, “This is how we chill — from 93 ‘til!” Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics records still slap like brand new.

Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for had arrived as Living Legends took the stage. The Grouch (aka, the “reason” for the season) appeared with a picnic basket in hand next to Scarub, Bicaso, Sunspot Jonz, Lucky3, and special guest Reverie delivered a power hour that honored every chapter of the group’s journey, bringing half the Bay and half LA together under one roof, all coming onstage wearing Living Legends bomber jackets.

Centerstage stood a massive tribute to the late Aesop the Black Wolf.

It was a larger-than-life, inflatable wolf seated on a throne with a microphone in hand. The visual was beautiful and deeply symbolic to the crew, reminding fans that Aesop’s spirit remains forever embedded in the group’s legacy.

Living Legends performed early cuts, like songs from 2001’s Almost Famous, as well as fan-favorites from Creative Differences, Classic, all the way through to their newest release, Legendary Music, Vol. 3. Each song and album was built without major label backing, fueled instead by community, resilience, and authenticity. And that’s what hip hop is all about — honoring roots, remembering legends, and showing that underground music continues to stand strong.

Photography by Celeste Basich

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