When Iration, the reggae and alternative rock band, first announced its 2022 tour, one of the bands that would’ve been opening was Katastro. But on May 12, Katastro’s lead singer, Andy Chavez, was killed in a car accident.
Some fans who attended Wednesday night’s concert were still saddened by the news. They originally hoped to see the band perform at Fresno before the news broke out.
After what seemed like its closing song, the lead singer of the Californian-based band Iration, Micah Pueschel, took a moment to honor the late Chavez with a message to him to “rest in peace” and saying the band will “forever miss” him.
The band then performed an encore with a cover of Katastro’s “The Way I Feel,” with a packed crowd jumping up and down inches away from them.
On Wednesday night, Iration hosted its “Sunshine & Summer Nights Tour” with Atmosphere at the Rotary Amphitheater at Woodward Park from 4 to 8 p.m. Fresno fans ate, drank and enjoyed a diverse setlist from reggae, rock and hip-hop.
Alternative rock and reggae band Passafire opened the show, replacing Katastro’s spot. It began with its song “Down That Road” with a smooth reggae rhythm, powerful vocals from Ted Browne and hard-hitting drumming from Nick Kubley.
Although the band is based in Georgia, Passafire incorporated its appreciation for Fresno throughout the performance. They shouted out a recently opened cannabis shop in Fresno, “The Artist Tree.”
It then performed other hit songs like “Dimming Sky,” “Just Bid” and “Leave The Lights On.” Pianist and guitarist Mike DeGuzman was a standout performer, playing catchy guitar melodies, utilizing a talk box on the piano and playing the bass guitar behind his back.
Passafire brought well-needed energy to the crowd during 100-degree heat, but the following act did not slow things down.
Setting up his Mac and carrying a giant, red turntable around his neck with his name plastered across from it, DJ Fresh started his set with some crowd work. The hip-hop producer from Detroit brought out his signature jazz samples with 808 drums that shook the amphitheater.
This was all to introduce the rapper with whom he created one of his “Tonight Show” mixtapes with, The Grouch.
The Grouch entered the stage rapping “Never Die” with the crowd swaying left and right to DJ Fresh’s production. The Hawaiian rapper, based in The Bay, performed each bar with ease, showing his mastery in delivery thanks to his almost 30-year-long career.
He performed fan favorites “Put Up Your 1s” and “The Bay to LA.” The Grouch also brought out his Living Legend rap group member Sunspot Jonzs. The Oakland rapper brought the energy with his dancing, unique voice and hype-man delivery.
During one of the songs, he commented on how all women are beautiful and deserve control of their bodies, commenting on the reversal of the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade.
Sunspot Jonz also emphasized the importance of “our lives,” he said, referring to the Black Lives Matter movement. While sitting down, Sunspot Jonz and The Grouch performed with each of them raising their fists in the air as a protest.
They finished with a song from their Living Legend group, “Never Fall.”
By this point, the stadium was at its fullest with fans as they awaited the headliner, Iration.
They started with an unreleased song called “Nose Dive,” and although most fans were not familiar with the track, the audience did not waver in energy.
The instrumentation from the horn section, comically named “The Horny Boys,” to the guitars, bass and drums filled the amphitheater with melody.
Songs like “Falling” and “We Hail from the 808 State of Hawaii,” a callback to the band’s origin, fused reggae and rock, and each member showed focus and passion the entire performance.
The band consists of Pueschel as lead vocalist/guitarist, Adam Taylor on bass, Joe Dickens as the drummer, Cayson Peterson on keyboard/synth and Micah Brown also on guitar/vocals.
A news release for the tour explains: “[Iration] is touring in support of their latest full-length album “Coastin’”, which debuted at number two on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart upon its June 2020 release. A record about being thankful for the moments that we have.”
According to the news release, the final act of the night, Atmosphere, was also celebrating the 20th anniversary of its sophomore album, “Lucy Ford.”
Rapper, Slug, and DJ Ant capped the night with beautiful visuals from the lighting and video art. Slug provided humor with his jokes and explicit lyrics in his songs, but it did not sacrifice the levity of his performance. Like The Grouch, his vocal delivery showed only pristineness.
He performed songs like “Where the Road Forks” and “Puppets.”
Before his performance, Atmosphere member, Slug, also showed his gratitude for being able to perform alongside bands like Iration, and he also showed condolences for Katastro.
The best way to honor him was an enjoyable night of reggae, rock and hip-hop music.
See photo essay here.