Rebelution and Pepper Lead the Good Vibes Cali Tour into Sacramento This Fall
When the first notes echo across Sacramento’s Heart Health Park on Sunday, October 12, 2025, it will feel less like just another concert and more like a community reunion. The Good Vibes Cali Tour 2025 brings together one of the west coast reggae-rock genre’s most enduring and iconic bands, Rebelution, alongside longtime collaborators Pepper, as well as an impressive selection of supporting talent, for a night designed to celebrate the genre’s California spirit while looking toward its future.
The lineup is a vibrant mix: Rebelution, the Santa Barbara-born reggae-rock torchbearers with nearly two decades of accolades; Pepper, the Hawaiian trio who turned West Coast stages into their second home; The Elovators, fast-rising voices from Boston’s burgeoning reggae scene; Aurorawave, a fresh act pushing the sound into dreamier, more atmospheric territory; and DJ Mackle, who sets the tone with genre-bending beats.
It is a tour that is more than a collection of bands. It is a snapshot of how reggae, rock, and island-inspired music have continued to evolve in America, and how Sacramento, with its growing appetite for large-scale live events, is ready to embrace it.
Rebelution: Two Decades of Roots and Reach
For Rebelution, headlining this tour is a victory lap of sorts. Formed in 2004 in Isla Vista, the small college-town community next to UC Santa Barbara, the band quickly became a local favorite before breaking out nationally with Courage to Grow in 2007. That debut album was recorded on a shoestring budget. Its based authenticity struck a nerve with fans who craved uplifting lyrics and grooves that honored reggae’s roots while feeling distinctly modern.
Since then, Rebelution has charted a path few others in the genre can match: five consecutive albums topping the Billboard Reggae Chart, a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Reggae Album in 2017, and a relentless touring schedule that has seen them headline Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Greek Theatre, and festivals from Bonnaroo to Glastonbury.
Their music has evolved over time, folding in pop hooks, hip-hop rhythms, and alt-rock grit without losing their grounding in reggae. Albums like In the Moment (2021) showed their willingness to stretch sonically, while their newest release Reflections finds them back in a contemplative, roots-driven mode.
Yet it is on stage where Rebelution truly thrives. Fans know the communal energy of a Rebelution show. Frontman Eric Rachmany’s vocals floating over a sea of singalongs, a horn section that can switch from laid-back groove to driving funk, and the band’s uncanny ability to turn an outdoor venue into a collective dance floor. The greater Sacramento region, with its rich population diversity that includes a mix of college students and young people, reggae diehards and chill vibe foothill hippies, urban and suburban families, and people from just about every walk of life, offers the perfect crowd for that atmosphere.
Pepper: Hawaiian Soul, California Spirit
If Rebelution provides the gravitas, Pepper brings the party. Born out of Kona, on the Big Island of Hawai’i, Pepper emerged in the late 1990s. the band is made up of Bret Bollinger on vocals and bass, Kaleo Wassman on guitar, and Yesod Williams on drums. They made their way to California in the early 2000s and quickly earned a reputation for rowdy, joy-filled performances.
Pepper’s music is often described as a cocktail of reggae, rock, and punk, spiked with plenty of humor. Songs like “Give It Up” and “Stone Love” have become staples for fans who come as much for the vibe as the music. The band has also been an anchor of the modern reggae-rock touring circuit, sharing bills with Slightly Stoopid, 311, and Sublime with Rome, while consistently headlining in their own right.
History of Sound: How It All Came Together
Around the time Sublime’s independent release, 40oz. to Freedom, was circulating widely in 1992, another Southern California band, The Ziggens, was also wowing crowds on the West Coast. Signed to Sublime’s Skunk Records, The Ziggens called their quirky blend of surf rock, punk, and country “cowpunksurfabilly.” They were contemporaries of Sublime and expanded the reggae-punk sound in their own irreverent way, delighting fans in small clubs and coastal venues.
Shortly after Sublime achieved national prominence with the release of their self-titled album, Sublime, frontman Bradley Nowell passed away. That was 1996. It left a shocking void in the scene. Slightly Stoopid, a young band from Ocean Beach signed to Skunk in 1994 by Nowell himself, began carrying the torch, but the loss was deeply felt.
Then, in 1997, Pepper emerged from Kona, Hawaii, bringing island reggae into the mix. Their arrival added a new flavor and a surge of energy to the post-Sublime era. While The Ziggens never entirely disappeared, they receded from the spotlight for periods of time, leaving bands like Pepper, Slightly Stoopid, and eventually Long Beach Dub Allstars to define the next wave.
Step forward in time and Sublime with Rome (Ramirez) kept the sound alive. Scott Woodruff and Stick Figure formed in 2006 in Duxbury, Massachusetts and released several albums full of soulful reggae-rock infused with blues and dub, thus opening the door to the reggae-rock sound coming from somewhere other than the west coast. Jakob Nowell – son of Bradley – emerged to form his own band, and more recently stepped up to revive Sublime, but with perhaps greater emphasis on a slightly harder rock edge. That leads back to Pepper.
Pepper’s unique live shows offer something different and remain famously unpredictable. They are part concert and part comedy routine. Frontman Bret Bollinger often acts as ringleader. It is warm, funny, inclusive, and interactive. It makes the audience bond with the band and connect more with each other. Musically, they blend smooth melodic island reggae with a harder rock edge like what can now be found in some of the other bands’ recordings. For fans, Pepper offers pure release: a chance to let loose, sing loud, and soak in the band’s blend of aloha spirit and West Coast energy.
The Elovators: East Coast Ambassadors
While the reggae-rock sound is often associated with California and island roots, Boston-based The Elovators prove the genre’s reach is nationwide. Formed in 2014, less than a decade after Stick Figure emerged on the scene coming out of Massachusetts, the band has steadily built a following through relentless touring and a series of albums that blend soulful vocals with slick, modern production.
Fronted by Jackson Wetherbee, The Elovators have distinguished themselves with lyrics that lean into heartfelt storytelling. There are songs about love, resilience, and navigating life’s ups and downs, and each one is both poetic justice and sonic brilliance. Their polished style appeals to younger fans discovering reggae for the first time, while their dedication to live performance has earned them respect from veteran acts.
On a bill dominated by California mainstays, The Elovators provide an intriguing contrast: proof that reggae’s message of positivity and connection resonates far beyond the Pacific coast.
Aurorawave: New Horizons
One of the most exciting aspects of the Good Vibes Cali Tour is its willingness to spotlight new voices, and Aurorawave fits the bill perfectly. The band has been turning heads for its atmospheric approach. Their sound may be best described as being the layered confluence of shimmering guitars, synth textures, and dreamlike melodies over reggae-inspired beats.
Aurorawave does not fit neatly into any one genre box, and that’s part of their appeal. Their live performances are often described as immersive, almost cinematic, with songs that ebb and flow between quiet introspection and full-bodied dance grooves. For audiences, it is an opportunity to discover a sound that pushes the boundaries of reggae-rock while staying rooted in its essence.
DJ Mackle: The Connector
Before the bands hit the stage, DJ Mackle will prime the crowd with a high-energy set that bridges reggae, hip-hop, and electronic music. A longtime fixture in the scene, Mackle has shared stages with artists like Rebelution and Slightly Stoopid, known for curating mixes that not only get audiences moving but also connect the dots between different strands of the genre.
In a way, Mackle embodies the spirit of the tour: eclectic, open, and celebratory, bringing people together through sound.
The Setting: Sacramento’s Heart Health Park
Sacramento may not have the coastal setting of Santa Barbara or San Diego, but in recent years the City of Trees has emerged as a reliable stop for major tours. Heart Health Park, located on the California Exposition Center grounds, has played a big part in that rise.
An outdoor venue with the capacity to host thousands, Heart Health Park balances size with intimacy. It is large enough for the spectacle of a Rebelution headline set, but open and welcoming in a way that suits reggae’s communal ethos. Concertgoers can expect a festival-like atmosphere: blankets spread on the grass, fans swaying to the beat, and a diverse crowd united by a love for good music and good vibes.
For Sacramento, hosting the Good Vibes Cali Tour is also a marker of the city’s growing cultural profile. Once seen as a secondary stop between the Bay Area and Tahoe, the capital has increasingly carved out its own identity as a live music hub.
More Than Just Music
What makes the Good Vibes Cali Tour special is not only the music, but the ethos it carries. Rebelution, Pepper, and their peers have built careers around messages of positivity, resilience, and community—values that resonate in turbulent times.
Fans do not just come for a night out; they come for connection. They come to dance shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, to sing lyrics that affirm hope, and to leave feeling lighter than when they arrived. That communal spirit has always been the heartbeat of reggae, and in Sacramento this October, it will be on full display. Rebelution will be the anchor, Pepper the spark, The Elovators the fresh perspective, Aurorawave the explorers, and DJ Mackle the unifier. Together, they will transform Heart Health Park into a living, breathing embodiment of what reggae has always promised: joy, togetherness; and most of all, good vibes.
Event Details
Good Vibes Cali Tour 2025
📍 Heart Health Park, California Exposition Center, Sacramento, CA
📅 Sunday, October 12, 2025
🎶 Rebelution, Pepper, The Elovators, Aurorawave, DJ Mackle
🎟️ Tickets available via Ticketmaster
About the Author
Ahsan Awan has been covering stage performances and live events for over two decades and has been covering concerts since 2005. He began concert photography, videography, pre-show PR, and post-show review writing in Sacramento for shows booked and produced by SBL Entertainment and Image Punch. That grew into regional coverage of shows put on by Mateel, PR Entertainment, Live Nation, AEG, and others. More recently, He has been covering shows and performances, including professional opera, in Alaska, Idaho, and other places around the country and around the world.
Ahsan Awan can be found on X as @quackarazzi and on Instagram as @quackarazzi. American Presswire can be found on X as @ampresswire and on Instagram as @ampresswire. Images used with permission; © 2025 Nederlandrer Concerts; Rebelution Music; Pepper; Keith Zacharski / In The Barrel Photo.
