LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: Island Rhodes Music Festival Day One in Pawtucket, RI (08.15.26)
The inaugural Island Rhodes Festival brought two days of reggae, rock, hip-hop and summer vibes to Centreville Stadium in Pawtucket, RI, this past weekend. The first-year festival assembled an ambitious lineup spread across two days, with Saturday featuring Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Iration, Action Bronson, Denm, Bumpin Uglies, Grateful Dub and Beach Fly.
I was only able to catch the final three acts on Saturday, arriving in time for Iration, Slightly Stoopid and Sublime. Earlier sound issues pushed Iration’s start back by a little more than an hour, but once things got rolling, the breezy summer vibes they have become known for settled over the stadium.
The layout of Centreville Stadium worked surprisingly well. Sitting right alongside the river, the venue benefited from a steady breeze, while the large grassy area surrounding the stage gave people plenty of room to stretch out beyond the pit. There was a distinctly family-friendly atmosphere, with plenty of parents setting up blankets and picnic-style camps with their kids. The festival’s single-stage format was unusual, especially for a lineup this large, but it also meant there was no sprinting between stages. You could actually grab some food or hit the bathroom without worrying about missing another band.
Slightly Stoopid was the highlight of Saturday for me. The band sounded incredibly tight and looked like they were having an absolute blast onstage. Their mix of reggae, punk, rock, funk and dub has always made them one of the best live bands in this scene, and they delivered a stellar set. Their horn section was a little smaller than I’m accustomed to seeing, without Karl Denson and the additional horns that have rounded out the band in the past, but Della more than held his own. For a seven-piece, the sound was remarkably full. “Bandelero,” “Sweet Honey” and “Collie Man” were definite highlights, and once again reminded me that no summer is quite complete without a Slightly Stoopid soundtrack somewhere in the mix.
Sublime closed out Saturday with a visually loaded production featuring enormous inflatable Dalmatians flanking the stage and a series of psychedelic, 90s-inspired animated visuals. The cartoon sequences, filled with references to the band’s history and increasingly bizarre transformations, added a fun dose of nostalgia and occasionally veered into some wonderfully weird, Pink Floyd’s The Wall-style territory.
At the center of it all was Jacob Nowell, Bradley Nowell’s son, who was an animated and enthusiastic frontman throughout the set. He seemed genuinely humbled to be standing on that stage performing these songs alongside Sublime’s two remaining original members, while also giving the crowd a taste of the band’s new material, including “Before the Sun Explodes,” “Ensenada” and “F.T.R.” It was a fitting way to close out the festival’s first day.
Saturday was a strong opening chapter for Island Rhodes, and the festival had already managed to find a nice balance between a big-event atmosphere and the laid-back feel you’d expect from a summer reggae festival. But if Day 1 was any indication, there was plenty more to come. Day 2 featured another seriously stacked lineup, including The Roots, Rebelution, SOJA, The Original Wailers, The Expendables and Hirie.
Photos – Island Rhodes Music Festival at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI on August 15th:
