On a Thursday night in San Francisco the Great American Music Hall was packed with good vibes and smiles all around when the lights dimmed and the groovy tones of Roy Ayres’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” began playing. Happy applause began as giant cardboard sunshine drifted across the stage, and then erupted into cheers of delight as the sun dropped to the stage revealing all four members of the now obviously beloved La Luz.
Before officially beginning their set, La Luz invited the audience to let loose: scream, laugh, sing (recite poetry!) and release some pent up emotions. After shaking the rafters for a good twenty seconds alongside their audience, La Luz took the crowd for an hour long sonic ride of throbbing highs and gentle lows set to a backdrop of original videos. The videos touched on some of the themes from their latest album, namely outer space, and there was in fact an onstage appearance from their “5th member” – an inflatable green alien which made the cross country journey with the band and found itself out in the audience a couple of times.
Most of the La Luz members hail from in and around the Bay Area, and this show certainly felt like a very warm homecoming. Especially touching was the encore set which lead singer Shana Cleveland began alone on stage. Performing solo, Cleveland played a beautiful rendition of “Blue Jay”, the last song off their most recent release, and shared that this is a lullaby which she wrote for her child. The rest of the band rejoined after this lovely and intimate moment, ending on joyous and uplifting note.
If you missed the live show, don’t sleep on the album. News of the Universe [Sub Pop Records] is available everywhere you get great music. And be sure to also give a listen to La Luz’s fantastic tour mates, Tele Novella.
Review by Maria Yates, photography by Slava Starikov
