Entering the Great American Music Hall early seemed like a good idea at the time, but what I wasn’t prepared for was the plethora of Girls fans camped out at the foot of the stage. I knew Girls had a loyal and much deserved fanbase, but I don’t think I knew its magnitude. This is me being naive and plain dumb. After all, this is Girls’ hometown show with super charming surf rockers Sonny & The Sunsets, plus an opening act that exceeded everyone’s expectations.

That opening act was none other than PAPA (in all Caps). Consisting of drummer and singer Darren Weiss, guitarist (brother) Evan Weiss, and bassist Danny Presant (they had a keyboardist too but I don’t know who that was), the group did something I haven’t seen an opening act do since I saw Damien Suomi open for Builders & Butchers at the Bottom of the Hill this past winter. Their upbeat communal feel instantly grabbed the young (way younger than I expected) crowd and within the first song. Mainly because their recorded material translates flawlessly live, much like LA’s Local Natives.

Not to mention very entertaining to watch as Darren was able to provide expert drumming on top of sharply poignant vocals. Even after listening to their debut EP, A Good Woman Is Hard To Find for the past week, it was clear that despite their un-Googlable band name, PAPA could be the next best indie-pop band to emerge this 2012.

Check out our Kuestionnaire with PAPA here.

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[mp3] PAPA – Ain’t It So from A Good Woman Is Hard To Find (2011)

Up next was the San Francisco summer treat, Sonny & The Sunsets. Lead singer Sonny Smith looked like an aging drifter just barely aware of how many people were in the room that night. I am always surprised that he’s only been performing music since 2002 as his stage persona is lax and magnetic. While Sonny and his Sunsets whisked through the newer songs from this year’s Hit After Hit, it was last year’s Tomorrow is Alright that brought a bright and childish feel to venue.

Joining Sonny as the usual Kelley Stoltz, Tahlia Harbour and Ryan Browne who exuded the same laid-back beach vibe the band is known for. While I would’ve liked to hear Planet of Women, it was nice to hear alternate versions of Too Young to Burn and Stranded. The crowd was noticeably captivated by Sonny and his Jack Sparrow-like stage banter.

I’m not even sure he was intending laughs from the audience with some of the things he was mumbling on stage but he seemed pleased with the response. It’s always a joy to see these guys and hope some Girls fans walked away with one of his records.

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[mp3] Sonny & The Sunsets – I Wanna Do It from Hit After Hit (2011)

Before Girls and Co took the stage, the stage hands placed bouquets of flowers all over the stage. The mic stands, drum kit, keyboards, etc were all covered by Autumn-themed floral displays that set a very special feel to the hometown showcase.

The crowd went understandably batshit when Christopher Owens and Chet “JR” Whitetook took the stage with PAPA brothers Darren and Evan Weiss and a trio of voluptuous back-up singers took the now colorful stage of the Great American Music Hall. Kicking off with Honey Bunny from this year’s Father, Son, Holy Ghost, the band demanded high energy from the ecstatic audience who hung onto every word from the blonde and vulnerable frontman. While I expected the older tunes to receive the highest amount of feedback but it was songs like Alex, Forgiveness, and particularly Vomit when one of the busty back-up singers joined Chris at the mic and was greeted to rousing applause (and for good reason).

You can’t deny Girls’ affect on the local crowd even with the heavy hype behind Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Hype can only go so far when it comes to bands like Girls, who have tested their base with the diversity of 2009’s Album and this year’s critically acclaimed LP (Not to mention their Broken Dreams Club EP). This isn’t just a band that drifted onto the scene to change things or shake up the “indie rock” genre or even put the Bay Area on the map as a breeding ground for original thinking rock bands. Chris has always said that they set out to create music that was fun and simple. Now if this first show of two at the Great American Music Hall was any indication of what the band set out to do in the first place, I can safely say they have achieved a level past their intention.

Much like witnessing Bon Iver this year, I saw a band that never catered toward anything but their vision of a cohesive unit of professional musicians having fun on stage without the burden of artistic compromise. Definitely a show I will not soon forget.

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[mp3] Girls – Vomit from Father, Son, Holy Ghost (2011)

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[mp3] Girls – Hellhole Ratrace from Album (2009)

 

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