Living in Russian Hill affords me few perks when it comes to showgoing around San Francisco. Sure it’s painless to get to The Hemlock or even the occasional visit to Bimbos, but getting to The Independent or Bottom Of The Hill, both of which I frequent, is a bit more cumbersome. So once I got wind of the ‘secret’ Yeasayer show that was going on Saturday evening with the location only being announced 3 hours before the show, I basically wrote it off thinking it would be more fuss than what it was worth trying to tramp across town and fight the crowds at a free show amidst other things I was trying to do with my day. Eating dinner at home that evening, I decided to browse Facebook a bit. To my surprise, I saw that the location had been revealed and it was the Longshoreman’s Hall near Fisherman’s wharf; about a 10 minute walk from my house. I finished my meal contemplating the odds that the venue had already reached capacity and that I would be turned away. I decided to take my chances and if I were turned away at the door, it would be nothing more than a stroll through the neighborhood.
Alas, the live music gods were smiling on me that day. Only minutes after I got in line to enter the venue, security guards closed the barricades behind me announcing the show had reached capacity to a few upset fans who were painfully close to making the cutoff. It wasn’t until entering, did I realize that not only was this a free show, but there were free drinks for every patron. Not too shabby of a deal.
The show was sponsored and paid for by KIN, Microsoft’s new line of phones aimed at avid users of social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Focusing on their target audience, KIN used the culture of these networks and word of mouth to promote the show, only announcing it on said networks. This tactic is reminiscent of loft parties in Brooklyn or house parties in Oakland that come about organically and often last minute. I am not a fan of large corporations pretending to be ‘hip’ only to try to sell young people some lame product, but if they are going to throw parties with Fillmore quality talent and foot the bill, I will partake. I did, though, decline the T-shirt and poster that I was asked about a dozen times if I wanted.
Yeasayer
Playing about an hour long set, Yeasayer was in top form. Similar to their performance at The Fillmore about a month ago, they provided a healthy mix of songs from their first album with many from their latest release, Odd Blood, which dropped in February on Secretly Canadian Records. The crowd was almost as good as it gets, with plenty dancing near the back of the venue and singing along up front, but the free entry and free drinks might have had something to do with the positive vibes. Also like their Fillmore show, the band emphasized their enjoyment of playing in San Francisco, noting “We say that in every city but here we actually mean it…. Sorry, Omaha.” Even though I grew up in Omaha, I was only mildly offended.
Yeasayer
Yeasayer
Yeasayer
Yeasayer
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[mp3] Yeasayer – I Remember from Odd Blood (2010)