Concert Review: Santigold - Warfield SF, CA 5/21/09
Santigold’s sound is difficult to pin down, but it has been described as a mix of dub, electronic, hip-hop, reggae, indie rock, new wave, and punk rock (to name a few). Last night’s show at The Warfield in San Francisco highlighted all of these influences and by the end of the night I was floored by her high energy and perfect sound quality. I’ve read reviews of some of Santigold’s other live shows and in the past she has performed with just a DJ using back up tracks. As luck would have it Santigold decided to debut her new band at this concert and they sounded flawless and well rehearsed.
Thirty-two-year-old Santigold , aka Santi White, began her set with “You’ll Find A Way,” which paved the way for her pulsing 40-minute set. Her crowd pleasing track “Say Aha” started with a reggae beat and grabbed the hipster crowd instantly creating a bouncing frenzy. When the first guitar strums of “Lights Out” were played the tiny venue turned into an 80’s dance party with whole audience singing along. Afterwards Santigold announced that it was the first time she had ever performed the original version in the USA.
When “L.E.S. Artistes” started she continued to work the crowd into a lather high fiving the front row. Santigold had the voice, dance moves, and the best back up singers I have ever seen. She even invited people on stage with her to dance to the closer “Creator”. Everything she did redefined what it means to see a live rock show. The high energy, crisp vocals and almost militant timing of her dancers made this one of the best unpredictable performances I have ever seen. Santigold is hope for pop music and a “must see” live in concert for any music fan.
WATCH MY VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM SANTIGOLD’S MAY 21ST SHOW @ THE WARFIELD IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA BELOW!
SANTIGOLD PERFORMING “LIGHTS OUT”
SANTIGOLD PERFORMING “SAY AHA”
SANTIGOLD PERFORMING “LES ARTISTES”
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
great review! i agree totally! this was an amazing show with great energy! you’re right, her sound is difficult to pin down…but sometimes she sounds like nelly furtado singing ska to me. whatever it is, i love it.
p.s. and your video quality is CRAZY good!!!!!