Category: Concert Photography

Ella Mai brought her sold-out “Do You Still Love Me?” tour stop to San Francisco.

Her band opened with an instrumental before the black curtain dropped. She arrived with her band and supporting vocalists. She was lying on a lawn chair, beginning with the song “There Goes My Heart” from her album Do You Still Love Me?.

After a segment of her newer songs, she asked the audience, “Should we throw it back to like 2020-ish?” and proceeded to sing “Not Another Love Song,” “Shotclock,” and “DMFU”. Following these three songs, she then took the audience back a few more years into her 2016-2018 era, playing “10,000 hours” and “naked”.

While she had a quick intermission, they rolled out a yellow telephone booth, and then she came out, saying, “San Francisco, are we having a good time here?” and sang “Luckiest Man.” She also sang “Tell Her” and “Outside” in the telephone booth while using the yellow wired phone as a mic.

As her 90-minute set was coming to an end, playing her two most popular songs, “Boo’d up” and “Trip,” her fans were on their feet and singing passionately. She then shared with her fans, “Tonight feels that much more special because this show tonight is the most tickets I’ve sold on tour. I wouldn’t be able to stand up here and sing if you guys didn’t listen, if you guys didn’t show up tonight.” She then wrapped up her show with “Little Things.”

Metal…to the core. Served up for your ears to feast on at The Pageant, Jinjer brought their North American Tour through St Louis last week to the delight of death and metalcore fans alike.   

Opening for the tour, Entheos blanketed the crowd with death metal thunder as lead singer Chaney Crabb leaned towards the crowd, growling her dark vocals. A quick 30-minute set primed the crowd, ending with cell phone lights bathing the stage in a dying light. 

Japanese metalore band, Crystal Lake, was up next. High energy doesn’t even start to cover them and their gutteral vocals, high kicks, spins and abounding thrashes.  Drummer Gaku Taura took the cake, though, as he reveled in the heavy beat this deathcore band brings.   The energy was engaging and the songs something else. Crystal Lake are definitely a band that I will be listening to in the future.

At last, Jinjer took the stage in front of a light wall. Drummer Vladislav Ulasevich hammered away with the bands heavy sound.   Tatiania sauntered on stage, swaggering, and taunted the crowd, enthralling them. They kicked off with “Duel,” the title track of their latest studio album – one steeped in a rich Ukrainian history. While other songs from their four previous albums were included, Duel would lead all night long, showcasing the band’s continued presence as cultural ambassadors for their country. Be sure to catch Jinjer on their tour before they head back to Europe, as only a few more dates remain. 

George Kusunoki Miller returned to the Bay Area for the first time since his 2023 Pandemonium Tour. This time, he is back with the Solaris Tour, starting the night with “Pixelated Kisses” from his latest album, Piss in the Wind. As the show began, a massive LED screen lit up the stage with stunning visuals. As Joji continued, he revisited fan favorites like “Ew,” “Sanctuary,” “Glimpse of Us,” and “YEAH RIGHT.”

After “LOVE YOU LESS,” a robot came onto the stage for a comedic interlude. Joji then performed “worldstar money (interlude)” while tossing T-shirts into the crowd, turning the performance into an interactive experience for fans.

Joji wrapped up his 90-minute show with “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK,” joined by a live saxophonist who added an emotional touch. Before leaving the stage, he said goodbye to the crowd, “I love you, San Francisco,” bringing the night to a memorable end.

Fresh off his Coachella performance, German DJ BUNT brought the “In The Round” tour to Ali Youssefi Square, delivering an energetic 90-minute set. Opening with “Love Tonight,” he had the crowd dancing from the very first song.

Fans erupted during “TRIPPIN’,” the viral hit that launched his career, and cheered even louder when he played it a second time. Other highlights included “Clouds,” “I Need U,” and a performance of his new single, “LIEBE.” The intimate in-the-round setup kept fans close to the action, making for a high-energy show that proved why BUNT’s tour continues to sell out.

The first act of Summer Walker’s Still Over It Tour tour began with her wearing a bridal gown, wheeling out an elderly guy while reading a monologue. She throws the man away, tears off her robe, and begins her concert with the song “Finally over it.”

While performing on the center stage, she sang songs including “Heart of a Woman” and “Potential.” These performances created a more intimate atmosphere and gave the audience a chance to connect with her before she returned to the main stage.

Overall, the concert was much more than a series of songs—it was a theatrical production filled with storytelling, impressive visuals, beautiful costumes, and incredible performances. The combination of four distinct acts, multiple stage setups, talented dancers, and stunning set pieces made it one of the most creative and memorable R&B concerts I’ve attended.

What a purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-fect night with Kittie coming to town to kick off their Legacy of Fire Tour! 30 years of metal as these Canadian metal goddesses took the stage at The Pageant treating us to some monster songs from their history.   

Spellblade opened with sludge metal mixed with shoegaze vibes, and the quartet had fantastic energy and great set. We’re looking to hear more from this local(ish) band in the future.

Then Texas stormed on stage and GORE rocketed through! Texan Metalcore ruled the venue with their “emotional gore” sound, as the weight of the heavy riffs intersected with emotional lyrics, and vocalist Haley Roughton thrashed on stage in a flowing, long black dress. The juxtaposition was magnificent as the band provided a great sampling of their two EP’s. Definitely worth a listen to in and outside the venue.  

Finally, those goddesses took stage. Kittie toured us through “Brackish,” “Vultures,” “Burning Bridges,” and more as they hit songs from 6 of their 7 albums (Funeral for Yesterday) for the ravenous fans to hear. All in all it was everything I had hoped, having waited many years for their return to the 314 area code.

Rise up! World Tour coming through! Godsmack brought the Rise of Rock tour through Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, and, to the joy of thousands, proceeded to blast the top off the venue.  

Dorothy kicked off the night with some bluesy, southern rock,   getting the crowd engaged and moving around. Lead singer Dorothy Martin engaged with various members, pointing them out and motioning as she sang. The band got into the groove quickly. It was my first time hearing the band live…and I will definitely be back for more!   

Up Next: Stone Temple Pilots! Like a comfy set of clothes, they slipped on the stage, and instantly, you were sitting back, enjoying SoCal rock like it was the 90s all over again.   Everything you could want to hear from them, live and on stage, sounding like new. From “Dead & Bloated” to “Vasoline” and “Interstate Love Song,” and even my favorite, “Crackerman,” got some play time.   

Then the curtain came up, and Sully & Godsmack took the stage. Legends rose…and rocked! They covered the bases through 15 songs, including a 4-song (yes, 4-song) encore! New stuff from Lighting Up the Sky was in the mix, as well as older stuff from the self-titled Godsmack and everything in between that you’ve loved listening to for decades.   Sam “Bam” Koltun (Dorothy, Faster Pussycat) made his hometown debut, as well, as Godsmack’s touring guitarist, eating up every moment in front of the home crowd!  The night ended with “I Stand Alone” and an exhausted crowd.       

Set lists are below:

Dorothy Set List

Stone Temple Pilots Set List

Godsmack Set List