Photos and review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

To say that Fontaines D.C. was one of the most anticipated shows in the Bay Area this month is a wild understatement, and the sold out, crowdsurfing crowd on September 24^th at The Warfield in San Francisco was happy to prove it.

NYC-based Been Stellar played the first set and got everybody more than warm for Fontaines, with a 7-song set that included tracks like “All In One,” “Passing Judgement,” and “I Have the Answer.” They spent time at the merch booth after their show, selling t-shirts and talking to fans, and the people who hadn’t heard them before became instant fans.

Fontaines D.C. kept the crowd on their toes as the clock clicked past nine, anticipation mounting, fans eager to hear their favorite tracks from the Ireland-based band (“Fontaines” comes from a character in the Godfather movie, Johnny Fontaine, and DC refs “Dublin City” as a differentiator from a Los Angeles band called The Fontaines). The crowd was ready to go when Grian Chatten and mates took the stage and burst right into “Romance,” “Jackie Down the Line,” and “Televised Mind.”

Energy stayed high throughout the 17-song set, with “Hero’s Death” and “A Lucid Dream,” worked in, plus Chatten on acoustic guitar for “Sundowner.” Before the encore they played “Favourite” to a big fan response, then came back and got into “In the Modern World,” and then finished off the night with “Starburster” which everyone went crazy over.

Merch was flowing fast out of boxes so you’ll probably see some fans repping around town for the next few weeks, everyone ecstatic that their favorites kicked off their tour in San Francisco (Seattle and Portland delayed because of Chatten’s throat issues), and I wouldn’t be surprised if some diehards traveled around catching shows going town to town. If you’re a fan this show is no-miss, and you can get all the latest tour info at www.fontainesdc.com.