On a cold late-August night in San Francisco, I entered the Masonic for the first time. Historic, gorgeous, and wonderfully intimate; I instantly fell in love with the unique circular balcony and 4-story endomosaic window towering over the concert goers as they entered. The space felt cozy, with people packed into the center to catch a good view, despite the fact that there wasn’t a bad view in the house.
The night started with the self-proclaimed “aggressive elevator soul” indie artist Ginger Root, who surprised the entire crowd with an electric performance with heart, endless dance-ability, and great comedic timing. Two giant retro television sets as screens bookended the stage, hooked up to a giant camcorder held by his cameraman adorned in a bright red jumpsuit. Mr. Root invited us into his ‘cinematic universe,’ where in between every couple songs included a short video skit bringing us further into the Root-iverse. All of this wonderfully accented with an 80’s Japanese television visual language; VHS glitches and choreographed camera movements and all.
After the exciting opening set, the audience was perfectly primed for the headlining act: Philadelphia’s own Japanese Breakfast. As the lights went down, and the fog machines poured out enough for the entire city, a mythical energy was created. Frontwoman Michelle Zauner appeared on stage, holding a lantern and a long white dress (that she affectionately compared to that of Ebeneezer Scrooge), sat upon a beautiful clam shell center stage. Opening the show with the first three tracks from her newest album For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), it set a precedent for an ethereal, fantastical, and borderline theatrical performance. All that softness came crashing down by song three, with the heavy hitter “Honey Water,” a shoegaze epic that almost distracted me from getting photos I needed for this page, for I was deeply entranced by screeching guitars and her commanding presence. The flow between soft acoustic guitars and her gentle voice on “Leda,” to the euphoric dance tracks like “Slide Tackle,” to the blaring psychedelia of “Posing for Cars;” we truly had a feast from the setlist, top to bottom. The stage design felt like a storybook fantasy: painted cloud backdrops, curly winged shapes on either side, and right in the center was the clamshell — and she was the beautiful protagonist, taking us on an introspective journey through her inner world.
For her encore, which felt more like a victory lap for such an invigorating show, we danced our hearts out to the mega-hit “Be Sweet.” For the last song, she brought Ginger Root back out for “Everybody Wants to Love You,” leaving everyone in the building dancing and singing along. Personally, getting to hear that song live after listening to her first album Psychopomp back in high school nine years ago, it felt like the sweet sweet cherry on top. I walked out in a daze, trying to savor the beautiful set I just experienced, and drove back over the Bay Bridge blasting the setlist all over again.
Review and photography by Jaida Berkheimer
