concert_goer | John Doe @ HopMonk Tavern, Novato, CA, USA, 02/07/2025

The sold-out concert kicked off with Jill Sobule, best known for her 1995 hit I Kissed a Girl. She opened her set with a collection of well-crafted political songs, the most striking of which was America Back, featuring the unforgettable line: "When they say they want our America back, what the fuck do they mean?" It was a bold and powerful start to the evening, and her performance only grew stronger from there. I particularly enjoyed San Francisco and Underdog Victorious, and of course, she played her signature hit. Jill's performance was an absolute delight.

After a brief intermission, John took the stage alone with his acoustic guitar, opening with the excellent Giant Step Backward from his Keeper album. Doe's rendition of Joni Mitchell's A Case of You didn't quite resonate with me, but he quickly regained momentum with the raw intensity of There's a Hole. The setlist featured plenty of fantastic solo material from John, with Little Tiger — a feline-inspired gem — standing out as a personal favorite. Ready was another highlight, its striking lyrics hitting hard: "Johnny's dead, and I know why — he stuck a needle in his eye." Doe played just two songs from the X catalog and rounded out the night with some memorable covers, including Merle Haggard's I Always Get Lucky With You, Micah Nelson's The Wheels, and an encore performance of Fred Neil's Everybody's Talkin'.

A truly exceptional concert from start to finish!

Set list (Jill Sobule, 8:01 PM — 8:47 PM): Resistance Song, America Back, Bring Back Richard Nixon (a cappella), J.D. Vance Is a Cunt (a cappella), Raleigh Blue Chopper, Strawberry Gloss, I Put My Headphones On, O-o-h Child, Cinnamon Park, San Francisco, I Kissed a Girl, A Good Life, Underdog Victorious

Set list (John Doe, 9:06 PM — 10:20 PM): Giant Step Backward, A Case of You, Lucky Penny, There's a Hole, Burning House of Love, I Always Get Lucky With You, A Little More Time, Grain of Salt, The Wheels, Little Tiger, Poor Girl, El Romance-O, Never Coming Back, Ready, I Only Have Eyes for You, The Golden State, Sweetheart (encore), Everybody's Talkin' (encore)

Jill Sobule