The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), producers of the SEMA Show, the major trade-only automotive aftermarket event held annually in Las Vegas, capped off another successful year with the second annual SEMA Fest. Held on Friday, November 8 on the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) campus directly adjacent to the SEMA Show, SEMA Fest 2024 offered fans high-energy rock performances from Cage The Elephant, Sublime, featuring OG members alongside Jakob Nowell, Fitz And The Tantrums and Petey. The grounds also showcased exciting high-octane drifting exhibitions from the talented crew at OPTIMA Unleashed.

SEMA Fest–which was touted by The Hollywood Reporter as a ‘Sin City experience not to miss’–serves as a natural evolution of the passion for all things automotive exemplified at the SEMA Show. The Association started to further highlight and share that passion with the enthusiast public in 2011 with the SEMA Cruise, a parade of the most creative and innovative vehicles on the planet as they roll out from the SEMA Show campus, which evolved in 2014 with SEMA Ignited, the official Friday night after-party for the SEMA Show. It’s since evolved again with this new music festival format, SEMA Fest, that celebrates the relationship between motorsports, music and car culture.

SEMA Show, which has primarily served the automotive aftermarket industry exclusively, is now opening its doors even further for the enthusiast public to enjoy all that it has to offer. By day, SEMA Show Friday Enthusiast Experience attendees experienced all the motorsports and automotive activations that take place inside and out of the LVCC, including 2,400+ exhibiting vendors, thousands of show cars, various motorsports demonstrations, including the Shell Performance Unbound Experience, Nitro Circus, OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Challenge, the Overland Experience, Battle of the Builders, and the SEMA Cruise.

At the conclusion of the SEMA Show, right next door SEMA Fest kicked off promising concert ticket holders an unforgettable night of entertainment. First up on stage was Chicago-bred and Los Angeles-based Petey, a singer/songwriter who muses on everything from masculinity to anxiety to the very nature of human existence, drifting between warmhearted sincerity and delightfully warped humor. Soulful pop rockers Fitz And The Tantrums followed to keep the energy and vibes high, jamming through a set filled with their hits including “Out of My League,” “The Walker,” and “MoneyGrabber” before closing out with crowd-favorite “HandClap.”

After a brief break to take in adrenaline pumping stunts from the OPTIMA Unleashed team, rock legends Sublime took the stage. Featuring original members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson with Jakob Nowell, the son of Bradley Nowell, the band’s original lead singer, Sublime was greeted by an excited crowd ready to sing along and they weren’t disappointed. The band delivered a hit-packed show performing “Garden Grove,” “What I Got,” “Badfish,” “Santeria,” “Wrong Way,” “Date Rape,” “Doin’ Time,” among others.

Last to take over the stage was Cage The Elephant, who earlier in the day found out they were nominated for another career GRAMMY Award. Lead singer Matt Shultz shared that he was recovering from both a foot and shoulder injury (visibly wearing a boot and sling) but that he has never missed a show and was ready to give his all. His energy and passion were infectious as the crowd was electrified and ready for a rock show. Coming off the recent release of Neon Pill, their first album after five years without releasing new music, Cage The Elephant launched into “Broken Boy” accompanied by an impressive pyro display. Mixing in pyro and lasers, the show nailed crowd-favorites “Cold Cold Cold,” “Ready To Let Go,” “Mess Around,” “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked,” “Shake Me Down,” “Cigarette Daydreams,” and show closer “Come A Little Closer.”

Between sets from Sublime, Fitz And The Tantrums and Petey, OPTIMA Batteries demoed out of this world drifting and stunt bike exhibitions by some of the biggest industry stars as a part of the OPTIMA Unleashed show at SEMA. Set in the forefront of the iconic Las Vegas skyline, including the glow from the Sphere, a fire breathing Megasaurus served as the perfect centerpiece as cars glided along the asphalt, filling the air with smoke and the smell of burning rubber; a dream for any car loving enthusiast.

Look for the SEMA Show to return to Las Vegas November 4-7, 2025.

About SEMA Fest

SEMA Fest is an exciting event celebrating music, car culture and all things automotive. In 2024, the event merges the musical elements of SEMA Fest with the SEMA Show’s high-energy automotive atmosphere, creating the ultimate experience for car and music lovers alike. SEMA Show Friday Enthusiast Experience attendees will experience motorsports demos, show car displays, and brand activations, followed by an evening of top musical acts on the SEMA Fest Stage, including headliners Cage the Elephant and Sublime, with Fitz And The Tantrums and Petey.

Follow SEMA Fest:

Website: http://www.semafest.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semafestofficial/