concert_goer | Robyn Hitchcock @ The Chapel, San Francisco, CA, USA, 05/22/2025 (Reply)

Kelley Stoltz and his band opened the night, delivering a set of sharp, guitar-forward rock full of energy and riffs. The sound had a punk edge and touches of psychedelia and power pop. I especially enjoyed the new track Watts Moon Starr, a tribute to legendary rock drummers. It will appear on Stoltz's upcoming album, which will be his nineteenth. The set closer, Competitive Bastard, was a real treat too. A great warm-up act all around!

Robyn Hitchcock followed with a themed show of cover songs from 1967. Kelley Stoltz moved over to the drums, Rusty Miller from his band switched from drums to keyboard, Pete Straus stayed on bass, and Kurt Bloch joined in on guitar. They launched straight into Baby You're a Rich Man by the Beatles. I just heard that song the night before, performed by John Craigie, so getting it again felt like a wild coincidence! More British classics came, with tunes by Pink Floyd and The Kinks, and after that they shifted into American territory. Soul Kitchen by The Doors really got the crowd going. Luther Russell came out to help on Love's Andmoreagain, playing a twelve-string. Two Captain Beefheart covers were especially powerful, both featuring guitar work by Allyson Baker. Zig Zag Wanderer in particular completely blew me away! They also played I'm Waiting for the Man by The Velvet Underground and closed the set with I Am the Walrus and Rain, both by the Fab Four.

But that was not the end. Robyn stepped off the stage and into the crowd, playing A Day in the Life on his acoustic guitar as he walked through the room. Wow! The whole concert experience went far beyond my expectations. Robyn is a brilliant impersonator. When he sings John Lennon's songs, he sounds like John. When he sings Syd Barrett's, he sounds like Syd. But that was not the only great thing. I was not very impressed by Robyn's recent album 1967: Vacations in the Past because its track list felt a bit weak, but he picked exactly the right songs to play live Thursday night at the Chapel!

Set list (Kelley Stoltz, 8:05 PM — 8:48 PM): Are You My Love, Reni's Car, I Don't Get That, Watts Moon Starr, Seventeen Lines, Destroyers & Drones, Dodged a Bullet, Your Name Escapes Me, Aches & Pains of Middle Age, Competitive Bastard

Set list (Robyn Hitchcock, 9:21 PM — 10:55 PM): Baby You're a Rich Man, Only a Northern Song, Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, See Emily Play, Waterloo Sunset, Soul Kitchen, The Crystal Ship, No Face No Name No Number, Andmoreagain, Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine > Sunshine Superman > Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine, Electricity, Zig Zag Wanderer, I'm Waiting for the Man, The End, I Am the Walrus, Rain (with Emma Swift), A Day in the Life (solo acoustic, in the audience)