HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — The inaugural Darker Waves turned out to be totally tubular, as thousands of fans – who still deeply love the ‘80s – turned out to see Tears for Fears, New Order, Human League and several other survivors from the MTV decade.

The lineup was nothing short of intense – and immense – as more than 30 acts performed on three stages over the course of 10 hours on Saturday.

And the setting was incredible, with the festival taking place right on the sand on Huntington Beach. That translated to a view of both the ocean and the palm trees that dot that section of the Pacific Coast Highway (basically stretching the two lengthy blocks from Huntington Street to Beach Boulevard, for those who know the area).

The turnout matched the lineup and setting, with a capacity crowd of folks in mostly black band T-shirts turning out to the beach. The shirts were telling, signaling that these folks all belonged to the same (musical) tribe, with seemingly the same dozen or so bands showing up again and again on the T’s.

At one point, I conducted an informal count to see if there were more Smiths or Cure shirts in the crowd. The answer, of course, turned out to be Joy Division. (Chalk it up as further proof that people in SoCal have excellent taste in music.)

Joy Division is always a good choice for attire, but, in this case, there was also the New Order tie-in that certainly factored into the outcome of the polling.

The British synth-pop outfit – featuring former Joy Division greats Bernard Sumner on lead vocals and guitar and Stephen Morris on drums – was a huge highlight of the day, turning the festival into one big beach dance party as it cranked out “Bizarre Love Triangle,” “Blue Monday” and other feet-friendly numbers.

New Order’s set closed with what was one of the two best moments of the day, as Sumner and Morris revisited Joy Division’s best-known song, “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” in powerful fashion. I would have loved to have also heard their versions of Joy Division’s “Isolation” and “Atmosphere” – like they played at the YouTube Theater in nearby Inglewood on Wednesday – but this was an abbreviated 75-minute set.

The other top moment of the day, oddly enough, came from what was arguably the worst set of the day. And as far as the latter half of that previous sentence goes, it’s probably no surprise that the poor showing came courtesy of Echo and the Bunnymen.

Echo has a well-earned reputation of being a major disappointment in the live arena, something that was only strengthened this week in SoCal as it canceled one show in the area on Friday (Nov. 17) and then delivered only a marginally professional show at Darker Waves.

Much of it comes down to Ian McCulloch, who told the Darker Waves crowd he was suffering from laryngitis this time around, but really hasn’t been in peak vocal shape in ages. Indeed, you could go to pretty much any karaoke bar in America and find someone better suited to croon this material than McCulloch.

There’s pretty much no reason to see Echo in concert these days – no reason, that is, unless there happens to be a certain special guest appearing in the band. Thankfully that indeed turned out be the case on Saturday, as McCulloch called out to the stage Doors guitarist Robby Krieger.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer – who ranks among the genre’s all-time greatest fret men – sat in with McCulloch and company for a wonderfully memorable version of Echo’s acclaimed cover of the Doors’ “People Are Strange.”

Most of the artists on the bill, of course, are decades removed from their time on the Billboard charts. And some have certainly weathered the years better than others.

In the former camp would be Philip Oakey of the Human League, who showcased his strong, versatile singing voice as he led the band through old favorites like “Heart Like a Wheel,” “Human,” “(Keep Feeling),” Fascination” and, of course, “Don’t You Want Me.”

Others weren’t quite as on top of their games on Saturday, with English Beat delivering a set that never really jelled and Marc Almond of Soft Cell sounding a bit strained as he tried (unsuccessfully) to reach his former heights on the likes of “Chips On My Shoulder,” “Tainted Love” and “Where Did Our Love Go.”

Of the newer acts on the bill, London After Midnight once again impressed with its updated mix of industrial, new wave, metal and goth-rock sounds. The band – which actually hails from Los Angeles, not London – delivered a terrific 30-minute set that concluded with a transcendent version of “Sacrifice.”

U.K. rockers Blossoms were another big hit from the newer band category, even though the rumors that Rick Astley might make a guest appearance and again sing Smiths songs with the British indie-rock act (a la Glastonbury festival early this year) never came true.

In all, it was a fine way to kick-start a new festival. And as Tears for Fears brought the inaugural Darker Waves festival to a close on Saturday, fans seemed ready to return to Huntington Beach in 2024 for a possible second year.