The industrial ‘90s buzz was still humming through my nervous system as I stepped into The Warfield on June 3rd. I was still lit from the Lords of Acid show at DNA Lounge just days prior, neon sweat, latex steam, and raunchy beats still echoing somewhere deep in my spine. Continue reading “Show Review: Ministry + My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult at The Warfield, 6/3/25”
Author: Tiffany Michelle Black
Show Review: Lords of Acid + Little Miss Nasty at DNA Lounge, 5/27/25
On May 27, the DNA Lounge in San Francisco hosted a delightfully depraved evening where industrial sleaze met burlesque grit in all the best ways. Lords of Acid, those long-reigning Belgian electro-provocateurs, headlined with a full-throttle set of old-school rave filth, and Little Miss Nasty opened the night with a stage show that doubled as a flesh-forward fever dream.
Continue reading “Show Review: Lords of Acid + Little Miss Nasty at DNA Lounge, 5/27/25”
Show Review: Simple Minds + Soft Cell @ Toyota Amphitheatre, Concord CA, 5/20/25
On a breezy spring night in Concord, the Toyota Amphitheatre filled with time travelers, goths of all generations, synth-pop disciples, and lifelong fans ready to worship at the altar of eyeliner, analog synth, and big, cinematic choruses. The lineup? A dream bill that might’ve once been scribbled in a Trapper Keeper or posted in a record store window: Modern English, Soft Cell, and Simple Minds. For anyone who ever slow-danced in combat boots or found transcendence in a John Hughes soundtrack, this was a pilgrimage. Continue reading “Show Review: Simple Minds + Soft Cell @ Toyota Amphitheatre, Concord CA, 5/20/25”
Show Review: Perfume Genius with Urika’s Bedroom at The Fillmore, 5/13/25
Walking into The Fillmore on a sold-out night is a special kind of thrill. You know you’re about to take part in a San Francisco tradition, trying your luck at what your free Fillmore poster will be and who designed it. It turned out pretty cool in fact: folk art tulips and foppish block lettering in delicate Easter pastels. It fit the mood in that uncanny Fillmore way, soft on the surface, full of intention underneath. Continue reading “Show Review: Perfume Genius with Urika’s Bedroom at The Fillmore, 5/13/25”
Show Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 5/14/25
Walking into the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium always brings a pulse of memory with it. Named for the fearless impresario who gave the Bay its psychedelic sprawl, the space has a reverent hum. But the crowd outside this time wasn’t so much buzzing as bracing. A black mass of required patience, funneled in slowly, tension rising as the early hour ticked on. This wasn’t just another show; it was the final stop of the U.S. leg of the Wild God tour. Continue reading “Show Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 5/14/25”
Human Be-In Preview: Dead & Company are Returning To Golden Gate Park
Dead & Company – Live in Golden Gate Park
August 1, 2, & 3, 2025 – San Francisco, CA
This summer, the music plays the band — and it plays right back where it all began.
Dead & Company return to Golden Gate Park for three unforgettable nights, August 1–3, bringing the spirit of the Grateful Dead home to San Francisco. Fresh off a second high-tech, mind-bending run at the Las Vegas Sphere, the band is trading LED immersion for redwoods and the warm soul of the Bay.
Each night features a 75-minute set from a different heavyweight opener, and the curation is no less than cosmic:
- August 1: Billy Strings, the face-melting space-grass prodigy, spins tradition into astral jams.
- August 2: Sturgill Simpson, the enigmatic, psychonautical outlaw, returns to the stage with rare, fire-tested fervor.
- August 3: Trey Anastasio Band, ready to rain down 75 minutes of phresh jams and phunk for all.
That’s three nights, three musical worlds, all orbiting around the gravitational pull of Dead & Company.
San Francisco and the Dead are inseparable. From Tupac’s collaboration with Bruce Hornsby, Robin Williams emceeing Jerry Day in Golden Gate Park, and the unerasable, painted imprint of Haight-Ashbury and the Panhandle, this city is part of the Dead’s DNA.
Though the lineup continues to evolve, the mission remains the same. As Jerry Garcia said, “The goal is for the music to outlive us all.” Dead & Company embodies that legacy, not just recreating it but evolving it in real time.
Dead & Company lineup:
- Bob Weir (Grateful Dead, Wolf Bros) – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead, Planet Drum) – drums, cosmic energy
- Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band, Aquarium Rescue Unit) – bass, vocals
- Jeff Chimenti (RatDog, Bob Weir & Wolf Bros) – keyboards
- Jay Lane (Primus, RatDog, Wolf Bros) – drums
- John Mayer (solo artist, Continuum, Born and Raised) – lead guitar, vocals
These are players in the band, yes — but the spirit of the Dead is bigger than any one of them. It’s in the songs. It’s in the sky above the park. It’s in the people.
Come early. Stay late. Pack water, snacks, and your weirdest shirt. This is history — one that only San Francisco could host.
Show Review: Kraftwerk at The Greek Theater, 4/18/25
When Kraftwerk played the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on April 18, 2025, it was a crystalline reminder of why they remain the architects of electronic music’s DNA. Under the open sky of one of California’s most storied venues, the night was a precise microchip and as alive as the humming bodies on the floor. Continue reading “Show Review: Kraftwerk at The Greek Theater, 4/18/25”
Show Review: Bonnie “Prince” Billy at Sebastiani Theater, 2/10/25
On February 10, 2025, the Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma hosted an evening of quiet magic as Bonnie “Prince” Billy (Will Oldham) took the stage alongside David Ferguson and friends. The historic theater, small and warmly worn-in, made for the perfect setting—where the low lights and unpretentious charm made everyone feel like they were sitting in a friend’s parlor rather than a concert hall. The staff, gracious and welcoming, kept things running smooth, with intermissions brief and timely, never pulling the audience too far from the spell being cast onstage. Continue reading “Show Review: Bonnie “Prince” Billy at Sebastiani Theater, 2/10/25″
Show Review: Alan Sparhawk with Circuit des Yeux at Great American Music Hall, 1/20/25
The Great American Music Hall, steeped in San Francisco’s history since its opening in 1907, is a venue that seems to absorb the spirit of every artist who graces its stage. Once a bordello and later a jazz hotspot, its gilded balconies and chandeliers whisper stories of the countless musical legends who’ve played there. Last Monday night, the Hall once again became a sacred ground for music, hosting Alan Sparhawk in a performance that felt both monumental and deeply intimate. Continue reading “Show Review: Alan Sparhawk with Circuit des Yeux at Great American Music Hall, 1/20/25”
Show Review: The The at The Fox Theater – Oakland, 11/7/24
On November 7, 2024, The The returned to the stage at Oakland’s historic Fox Theater, presenting a performance that transcended the boundaries of a standard rock concert—with a two-set format and no supporting act, the evening highlighted their new album, Ensoulment, and a retrospective of their catalog, offering a reflective journey that resonated profoundly with fans. Continue reading “Show Review: The The at The Fox Theater — Oakland, 11/7/24”