After a year of anticipation, the 14th iteration of Cali Roots once again graced the historic stages of the Monterey Fairgrounds. Through the years, the annual Montereggae classic has proven time and time again to be so much more than a festival, but an annual family reunion for a worldwide community. With lines extending blocks down the street, droves of fans began lining up outside the gates hours before the festival opened, anxiously awaiting the start of another year of this momentous gathering.

Bumpin Uglies | Cali Roots | Monterey, Ca

As crowds lined up at the barricades of the Bowl stage after the gates finally opened, anticipation built by the second as technicians worked to set the stage for the first act of the day, Bumpin Uglies. After almost a half hour delay and the all clear was finally given, frontman Brandon Hardesty joked, “That was like a nightmare, except I wasn’t naked” before the band officially started the weekend with their single “All In Stride.” A poet with his words, Hardesty once again addressed the crowd midway through his set to reflect on the importance of the day in his mind, saying  “I think live music is the most powerful fucking force in this universe and I will die on that hill if I have to. It has the power to bring people from all around the world who love reggae music to Monterey, California, for three beautiful days, to get high as giraffe balls, and listen to reggae music, and I think that’s pretty fucking neat.” Following this speech appropriately enough with their single “Optimism in F#.”

Playing midday on the Bowl stage, Northern California native Rome Ramirez played what amounted to a hometown show, with family in attendance driving down from a few hours up the road. His first tour since parting ways with legendary act “Sublime” a few months prior, his years of veteran showmanship were on full display from the moment he stepped onstage and began his performance with a cover of Miike Snow’s “Animal.” Eager to reveal his newer original music to the crowd, his then lept into a passionate rendition of his latest single “Why Me.” Midway through their set, the artist took a moment to pay homage to their 15 years on the road with Sublime, and spoke to the band’s meaning to him before even becoming a musician, claiming when he first discovered the band in his youth, he believed “This is my bible, these are my people, this is my dress code, this is my everything. And no matter what… I will always look back on the days when I got to play with my favorite band… Long live Sublime, forever. Nothing but love, always.” Before covering their 1993 hit “Badfish.” Taking the mood a little slower, he closed out his performance with a string of softer and more sentimental ballads, including Sublime with Rome’s “Light on” and a cover of Lee Fields’ “Forever.”

Representing roots of the reggae genre, Kingston native and prolific dancehall performer Buju Banton took the Bowl stage for one of the most electrifying performances of the weekend. His first-ever performance at a Cali Roots festival, the Grammy winner more than lived up to the anticipation leading up to the performance from the moment he stepped onstage. Leaving little to be desired, he performed from his full catalogue of hits across the decades, including “Hills and Valleys,” “Untold Stories,” and “Bonafide Love.” Forever humble in his presentation, the artist took a moment to show his appreciation to the crowd before the band played him off, saying, “I thank you for your time, I thank you for your patience, I thank you for your love, and your love of reggae music.”

Closing out the Cali Roots stage for the day just as the sun was setting over the Monterey Bay, one of reggae’s most meteorically rising acts, The Elovaters, gave one of their most immersive performance in their tenure of the festival. As the lights dimmed in anticipation of the show, the band took their places onstage and began their set with their opening number, “Castaway.” Immediately bringing the energy up, they followed with a performance of “Roll Up,” as the momentum intensified, frontman Jackson Wetherbee’s feet hardly touched the ground while singing his way through the chorus. A set that highlighted the strides the band has made in recent years, their setlist was packed with recently recorded singles, including “Come and Get It,” “Red Wine,” and “All Her Favorite Songs.”

Cementing their legacy as Cali Roots’ in-house headliners, the California reggae icons of Rebelution closed out the night, marking a consecutive decade of the band headlining at the festival. The familiar faces proved an appropriate way to end the evening, their set putting a calming punctuation on the events of the day. Making their presence known from the opening notes, a flurry of fireworks flooded the stage as the members of the band took their places in front of the packed house. The band made sure to perform extensively from their deep list of music from the decades, including “Green to Black,” “Fade Away,” and “Lazy Afternoon,” as an extensive light and lazer show defined their visual appeal. With the full and exciting day coming to a close, fans slowly started to leave the fairgrounds with clear feelings of anticipation for the days to come.

Check out more photos from Cali Roots Day one.