Monday night brought us back to the historic Warfield Theater in San Francisco for the much anticipated Grandson and K.Flay show. This was the Mrs.’ “birthday” show and we’ve been sitting on the tickets for months, so the excitement levels were off the charts and it turned out to be an awesome night!
Opening act Jack Kays was already on stage when we got to our seats and he was OK. Nothing surprising or spectacular, but solid. I wasn’t familiar with his work and what I heard gave me an early 00’s “Emo” vibe. Not really my thing, but I’ve certainly heard worse. At the very least he seemed to be engaging and enjoying himself.
Next up was K.Flay. All I can say is WOW! She came out swinging and delivered an amazing, high energy set that was just off the charts. Her band was outstanding; energetic, technical prowess and just great tone. Her guitarist, who’s name I just couldn’t catch unfortunately, was OUTSTANDING. Really a top-notch, stellar performance. These guys, and K.Flay herself earned my highest regards. This was our 3rd time seeing her show, and it just keeps getting better!!
Grandson’s set was a mixed bag to be honest. Jordan (who essentially IS grandson) was great. He is so enigmatic and enthusiastic it’s impossible to NOT dig what he’s doing. He’s a little creepy and comes off as a little dangerous, but in the best possible way. His performance was certainly as strong as ever before, but the song selection for the set was a bit lacking. And if I’m being perfectly honest, his band was not up to the level we’ve come to expect. His guitar player was good, really good even. But not great. The bass player has been replaced by backing tracks, and the lack of real, interactive bass was noticeable. And his new drummer… I’m not saying he was bad – quite the contrary. He was actually extremely proficient and had chops for days, but he was NOT the right drummer for this band. Yes, I’m highly biased and critical of drummers – 45 years behind the kit will do thst to a guy. Now, I don’t know who this guy is, but I kept hearing gospel drumming throughout the set. Don’t get me wrong, gospel drummers are some of the hottest guys out there, it just didn’t work for me in the context of Grandson. Overall though, it was still a great set.
In the end I’d have to say that K. Flay stole the show, but it was a great night of high energy and excellent musicianship. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend both artists!
Thanks for stopping by!
The Boring Old Man 