Ethel Cain @ Castro Theater - San Francisco
October 23rd, 2023: Ethel Cain @ Castro Theater - San Francisco, CA
Ethel Cain - Photos Courtesy of: Sabrina Poei
The iconic Castro Theater in San Francisco was set with raw energy as Ethel Cain took the stage for a captivating performance that will surely be etched in the memories of all those lucky enough to attend. The atmosphere in the theater was charged with anticipation, and Ethel Cain did not disappoint, delivering a show that was nothing short of mesmerizing.
As the lights dimmed, a palpable sense of excitement filled the air. The stage was bathed in soft, ethereal lighting, setting the mood for what was to come. Ethel Cain made an understated but grand entrance, clad in a white lace and pearl dress that contrasted the blend of avant-garde and vulnerability that defines her music. The visuals were a perfect compliment to Cain's ethereal and moody sound. A mesmerizing interplay of colors and shadows enhanced the emotional impact of each song, making for a truly immersive experience.
The performance began with the haunting opening notes of "Strangers," an emotional track that instantly connected with the audience. The intimacy of the venue allowed for those in the front row to get up close & personal during “A House in Nebraska” and “American Teenager.” Ethel Cain's voice, at times soft and fragile, and at other times, soaring and powerful, resonated throughout the theater, captivating the crowd. Her ability to weave a narrative through her music was nothing short of extraordinary. Each song told a story, often drawing from her personal experiences. During "Gibson Girl," a deeply emotional and introspective song, she crouched down and sat on the edge of the stage grabbed the hand of an audience member, and sang, making it one of the standout moments of the evening. Her vulnerability on stage was genuine, and it was clear that she was sharing a piece of herself with everyone in attendance.
The evening came to an end with a performance of "Crush," a poignant and powerful song that left the audience in awe and fans erupted in applause as she took her final bow, visibly touched by the warmth and energy of San Francisco. It was a night filled with haunting melodies, introspective lyrics, and a powerful sense of shared emotion. After a long year of touring filled with firsts, like playing Coachella, Ethel’s final performance of the tour at Castro Theater was an extraordinary and emotionally charged experience.
flipturn @ The UC Theatre - Berkeley
October 4th, 2023: flipturn @ The UC Theatre - Berkeley, CA
flipturn - Photos Courtesy of: Sabrina Poei
Indie-rock sensation flipturn took the stage at The UC Theatre, leaving the audience in awe with their electric performance. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as fans gathered to witness this Florida-based band's live act. The venue itself, the UC Theater, with its historic charm and excellent acoustics, provided the perfect backdrop for what would be an unforgettable evening.
The evening kicked off with the vibrant opening act Finish Ticket, setting the stage for flipturn's performance. As the lights dimmed, the unmistakable energy of flipturn surged through the theater, and the audience erupted in cheers. The band wasted no time launching into their setlist, starting with some of their fan-favorite tracks like “The Fall,” “Sad Disco,” and “Burn.” Lead singer Dillon Basse's voice was nothing short of powerful and emotive, effortlessly transitioning from soulful melodies to high-energy anthems. The band's chemistry was evident as they moved effortlessly through each song, feeding off the energy of the crowd and clearly enjoying every moment on stage. Guitarist Tristan Duncan and bassist Madeline Jarman's intricate riffs and grooves had the audience dancing non-stop, while drummer Devon VonBalson and keyboardist Mitch Fountain provided the pulsating rhythms that elevated flipturn's sound to a whole new level. Their music transcended genres, their energy was contagious, and their connection with the audience was undeniable.
CHAI @ Warsaw - Brooklyn
October 6th, 2023: CHAI, Font @ Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY
CHAI - Photos Courtesy of: Edwina Hay
On Friday, October 6th, CHAI’s, “We the CHAI” tour came to Brooklyn, NY for an evening at Warsaw.
The openers for this tour are Austin, TX’s Font, and the five-member act which only formed in 2022 went on promptly at 8 PM. Before the show, I tried to check out their music but could only find one single available on their Bandcamp page, so I was very curious what their full set would be like. The post-punk quintet put on an energetic and fun performance, and the audience seemed to enjoy it.
Chai came on stage at 9:15 PM, dressed in matching pink costumes. Their infectious songs, high energy, and synchronized dance moves had the Brooklyn crowd screaming and dancing along all throughout their extremely enjoyable set. Predictably, their setlist included their single (“PARA PARA”) from their Sub Pop Records debut, CHAI, released last month. They also performed older material such as “E.N.D.,” “N.E.O.,” plus a few moments of a song from one of their influences, Basement Jaxx (“Where’s Your Head At?”). Their joyful set is truly what I needed at the end of a busy week and I felt a small wave of sadness when I realized it was over as most people filed out of Warsaw, while others remained behind to meet the band at the merchandise table.
Font
The Darkness @ Masonic Auditorium - San Francisco
October 3rd, 2023: The Darkness, The Comancheros @ Masonic Auditorium - San Francisco, CA
The Darkness - Photos Courtesy of: Vanessa Solis
The Darkness kicked off their Permission To Land 20th Anniversary US Tour in San Francisco at the Masonic Auditorium on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. The Comancheros from Columbia, MO for the West Coast dates.
The Comancheros are a band that you don’t want to miss. They brought out so much energy, which was the best way to get the crowd going. Their music is considered heavy Western with bellowing vocals by Tanner Jones, who is also on lead guitar. Drummer, Michael “Bobcat” Cook, is primal on the drums. Bassist John “Deere” Green appeared to constantly whip around his hair, while not skipping a note and singing vocals. They played a great set with both old and new songs.
When The Darkness took the stage, the crowd was ready! The band was in top form, with Justin Hawkins smiling throughout the entire show and his vocals soaring over the crowd. You felt that he was happy to be there and he let his fans know it. Always the showman with high kicks, headstands, and his 5-octave range. Justin never showed signs of slowing down!
The band played a wide range of songs from their discography including classics, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," "Get Your Hands Off My Woman," and "Bald." The crowd was on their feet from the start, singing along and dancing to every song. During the encore, they ended the show with "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)," for the first time in North America.
It was a night of pure rock and roll, and the Darkness delivered everything fans could have hoped for. The band started the show at 100% and ended it at 110. The Darkness is a band to see. You are guaranteed a brilliant show.
The Comancheros
Maisie Peters @ House of Blues - Houston
October 5th, 2023: Maisie Peters, Grace Enger @ House of Blues - Houston, TX
Maisie Peters - Photos Courtesy of: Brittaney Penney
Maisie Peters brought The Good Witch Tour to Houston, Texas last week and it was a beautiful day filled with incredible energy.
Grace Enger opened up the show and she was so lovely. With just herself and her guitar, she took us on a journey with her beautiful vocals. She even deviated from her setlist, when a fan in the crowd asked for a demo she made while in college. In shock that someone knew the song, she played it and the entire crowd was mesmerized. We will be keeping an eye out for more releases from Grace in the future. We can see her going very far in her career as a singer/songwriter.
Maisie Peters was up next and boy, was the crowd ready! Maisie’s setlist started out with the tour’s namesake, The Good Witch, and immediately got the crowd on their feet. The energy that was exchanged from the crowd to Maisie up on stage throughout the entire show was an incredible thing to witness. Everyone in the crowd either came as a fan or they for sure left as one.
Standout tracks of the night: Her medley of older songs, BSC, and History of Man (with Grace Enger) coming out on stage to sing with Maisie.
Grace Enger
Lil Yachty @ Old National Centre - Indianapolis
October 8th, 2023: Lil Yachty, Stoop Lauren, The Concrete Family, and Nick Hakim - Indianapolis, IN
Lil Yachty - Photos Courtesy of: Asia Austin
Miles Parks McCollum, better known as Lil Yachty, had a sold-out show at the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, IN on Sunday night during his Field Trip Tour. His DJ who goes by the name of ‘Anthony Somebody’, had the crowd fired up by playing both older and newer rap hits including “Meltdown” by Travis Scott and Drake, which Drake made a special appearance at Yachty’s Toronto show a few days prior.
Before he graced the stage, Lil Yachty had three openers which included rapper Stoop Lauren, The Concrete Family, and R&B singer Nick Hakim. All of which collectively kept the audience alive and enthusiastic until it was time for the main event.
Wearing Tomás Vokoun’s Nashville Predators Jersey, Lil Yachty took the stage opening with his song, “drive Me Crazy!”. Tensions were high and the energy of the crowd could be felt from the front to the back as Yachty also had an all-female band and choir backing him up. Performing hits such as Poland, Broccoli, iSpy, and Strike (Holster), fans sang along and rapped every single word as the show continued. With Lil Yachty only being about halfway through the North American portion of his tour, this is definitely a show you do not want to miss out on.
Royal Blood @ The Fillmore - Philadelphia
September 30th 2023: Royal Blood @ The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA
Royal Blood - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
UK’s Royal Blood made their triumphant return to the States in celebration of their latest album Back to the Water Below. I for one have been patiently waiting for them to have a proper Philly show since their last venue show here in 2017. Royal Blood packed out The Fillmore, giving fans a perfect mix of new and old tunes, including the live debut of “Tell Me When It’s Too Late”. The night flew by quickly and the set was flawless, with very little dialogue to go with it.
Setlist
Mountains at Midnight
Boilermaker
Come on Over
Lights Out
Triggers
Trouble's Coming
Typhoons
Pull Me Through
Little Monster
How Did We Get So Dark?
Tell Me When It's Too Late
Loose Change
Out of the Black
Encore:
Waves (ft. Will Phillipson from Bad Nerves on guitar)
Shiner in the Dark
Figure It Out
Noah Cyrus @ Mercury Ballroom - Louisville
September 30th, 2023: Noah Cyrus with Anna Bates @ Mercury Ballroom - Louisville, KY
Noah Cyrus brought her The Hardest Part Tour to Mercury Ballroom on September 30th, supporting her new album The Hardest Part, to a sold-out crowd. She and her band came out on stage to cheers and screams of excitement from the crowd, who sang along with Cyrus throughout the set. The sold-out crowd of fans filled every facet of the venue, from the floor to the front and sides of the balcony, and filled the venue with fun and warm energy. For the first few songs, Cyrus was wearing a black, shimmery dress with a large black bow on the front and a mask of sorts covered in holes and made of a shimmery black mesh-like material that fit over her face and head. She later took the mask off. Starting her set out with 3 tracks from the album, “Noah (Stand Still)”, “Mr. Percoset”, and “Unfinished”, she also performed some older songs from her first album, including “Liar”, “Ghost”, “I Got So High That I Saw Jesus”, and “July”. She was having fun on stage with her band and with the crowd, engaging often with her fans and band members. She chatted a bit between songs, talking about her new album and telling a couple of stories, but mostly she let her music do the talking and led the crowd in a couple of sing-alongs! She talked about how much she loved the guys in her band and thanked the crowd for all of their support and how her bandmates had become like family to her. Leaving the stage at the end of the set, she and her band soon came out for their 3-song encore, with Cyrus again wearing the mesh-like mask! She ended the evening with “Lonely”, “Make Me (Cry)”, and “The End of Everything”. It is clear that Cyrus loves her fans and they love her just as much, with the mutual excitement and enthusiasm making for a really fun night!
Opening the show this evening was Los Angeles/Nashville singer-songwriter Anna Bates, who along with her boyfriend and bandmate Van Andrew Berkemeyer, sang some beautiful songs and created beautiful harmonies. She started writing and releasing music mid-pandemic in 2020, having amassed a nice collection of songs, several of which she and Van performed this evening. Chatting a bit with the crowd and sharing some funny stories from the road, they thanked everyone for coming out and Noah Cyrus for bringing them out on the road with her and her band and saying how lovely and welcoming they had been. It was a nice way to start out the evening and get the crowd warmed up. I have no doubt that they made plenty of new fans this evening!
ANNA BATES
