Photo & Review by Sophia Risin
Tucked between the bustling neighborhood of the Mission neighborhood in SF, the Chapel’s summer stage is one of the city’s best kept secrets. The spot is marked by shady trees and incredible acoustics that make for one of the most unique and incredible shows. Greta Kline, known by stage name Frankie Cosmos, was no exception. Talking to anyone who’s online enough these days, Frankie Cosmos is a name impossible to avoid. From the song “Fool,” the closer for the night, to “Aftershock,” the first number of the night and a personal favorite, the band’s discography is full of hits that are nothing but easy listening indie pop music that are the perfect beginning to a summer of sound.
The first opener for the night was the band Polkadot who I hadn’t heard of prior to the night and have become a fast fan. Their set was full of energy and infectious sounds that were a good indication of the night to come. Their current band features a former KALXer which is always a pleasant surprise.
The second opener was Stephen Steinbrink, Cole Pulice, and Taylor Vick. Steinbrink was on guitar and vocals, Pulice on tenor sax, and Vick on keys and vocals. The set was a wide departure from the energy of the first show, much more relaxed with haunting melodies, reminiscent of Haley Heynderickx and Sunday mornings with NPR in the kitchen with my family. The timing of their set coincided with sunset and so we had the pleasure of watching the light change as the music sang the night into a calm quiet.
Finally, in the early evening, once the sky had completely darkened, Frankie Cosmos took the stage. After spending the second opener’s set mostly still, I had been looking forward to a more uptempo set, but what they lacked in energy, they made up for in their overwhelmingly magical performance. The Chapel is a really unique venue where they have someone live painting a background interpretive piece that added another level of performance to the entire place. Their performance had made the entire show feel like sitting in on a friend’s backyard party with the friends of the band coming up during the show to join in on choruses and giving shoutouts. Throughout the tour, Frankie Cosmos has been playing smaller intimate sets and the Chapel’s Summer Stage was no exception. They were not the most lively performance but, it was a lovely set nevertheless and a nice night for the beginning of finals week. The show was not a standout by any metric, but the music was lovely, the fans were some of the sweetest people, and they had a very energetic and enthusiastic crowd.
