Some Californians may have been caught off-guard by last month’s tsunami warnings along the northern coast. However, those who knew The Elovaters were coming to the iconic Warfield Theater in San Francisco were already well-prepared to ride the waves long into the night! What caused these emergency alerts, you might ask? Let me explain… A strong Drapht from Western Australia blew in and caused things to heat up a little more than usual in the Bay Area. This is exactly what caused things to get a *Little Stranger* on a seemingly ordinary Thursday.
Okay, enough of the wordplay — let’s dive into what really went down, shall we?
Familiar faces started rolling through the theater doors around 6:30pm: some rushing to the rail to be right in the action, while others mingled, shared hugs, laughed, and even exchanged bar tabs. Drapht took the stage shortly after and did not disappoint. There’s definitely a reason Drapht is so well-known down under… With clever lyrics, catchy beats, and solid stage presence, they set the bar high right out of the gate!
Now that the bar was set ‘high’, the walls of this absolutely mesmerizing theater started to melt. It was Little Stranger next who got the crowd’s vocals fired up, performing fan-favorites such as “Coffee & a Joint”, “I’m Fine”, “Hollywood Not”, and “Brain Fog”. Kevin and John Shields brought out a flutist and a saxophonist to round out their self-described “quirky, indie, hip hop” vibe. To elevate things to the next level, Little Stranger closed their set in typical fashion with “Red Rover”, which had people dancing like nobody was watching!
With the lights shining bright white and the fog machines set to max, silhouettes of familiar band members began to emerge.
When the fog cleared, many noticed that Johnny Blaze was still “MIA” during the group’s first show back on U.S. soil after being forced to miss a section of the tour through Australia and New Zealand due to a minor visa issue. He did return for the band’s run at Closer to the Sun in Mexico this week, though!
This didn’t stop the Elovater boys and their newest stand-in member from absolutely tearing up the stage, though the crowd surely missed Johnny’s unique sound and soulful presence. The Elovaters’ lengthy setlist spanned 20 songs, including many from their latest album, Endless Summer. Everywhere you turned, fans were singing along to “Wind on My Back”, “Red Wine”, “Gardenia”, and my personal favorite, “Criminal”.
With a limited run down the west coast, The Elovaters are a band not to be missed — especially at a theater as historic as The Warfield! Keep crushing it, fellas, and we’ll see you all “Down the Road”. We hope you continue to “Come and Get It”, send yourselves “Sky High”, and soar over the “Moon”. We’ll be reminiscing about this “Nostalgia” for years to come! (Okay, I’m officially done now.)
Photography by Brandon “Waldo” Pettit
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