Photos and review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

Alan Sparhawk came onto the stage jumping and singing, a whirl of motion, instantly pulling the crowd into his world, and the fans stayed locked on him for the next hour and a half as they were moved and mesmerized. The storied Great American Music Hall in San Francisco played host this January 20^th for Sparhawk’s White Roses, My God tour, and it was the perfect venue– perfect size, perfect vibe– to let band and fans dig deep into the emotion that happened on stage.

Complimenting Sparhawk were his son Cyrus Sparhawk on bass and Eric Pollard on drums, with a full throttle sound coming from the three of them, each bringing their own experience and expertise from the multitude of projects they’ve played in. The fourth unattributed member was Sparhawk’s voice modulator, a device used to change his vocals on the White Roses, My God album, and which he sang into live for part of the evening. The fifth member, not present but present, was Mimi Parker, partner with Sparhawk in the band Low, and partner in real life, and also Cyrus’ mom, who died of cancer in 2022.

Grief was in the air during the show, because Mimi is much beloved and is remembered and missed, and because Sparhawk wears mourning on his sleeve as he sings lyrics like “When you flew out the window and into the sunset, I thought that I would never stop screaming.” Midway through the show in between songs he asked the crowd what they needed. Someone yelled “What do we do?” The question-thrower could have meant anything: Trump had been inaugurated earlier in the day, the fires in Los Angeles were barely under control, people you love die. Sparhawk, who provides catharsis, was prepared. He read a quote by David Lynch: “Don’t fight the darkness. Don’t even worry about the darkness. Turn on the light and the darkness goes.”

The band played around 19 songs, including a few Derecho Rhythm Section tracks, a Retribution Gospel Choir song, and a Roy Ayers cover called “Liquid Love,” which Sparhawk said Cyrus had brought to him and which made him realize he needed to “work harder.” At some point Sparhawk took off his shirt and sang and played guitar wearing overalls and a bare torso, and his stripped-down sinewy form complimented the stripped down songs late in the set, like “No More Darkness” (dedicated to David Lynch,) and two Low songs, “White Horses,” and “Days Like These.”

The 80% male and over 45 crowd was rapt the whole show, and the vibe was reverent and respectful, and I didn’t see a single person leave before the end. Sparhawk’s message was positive and encouraging during these uncertain times, and before he played the last two Low songs in the encore, he said, “I know you’re strong, you’re here, you’ve gotten through things before, and people need you whether you think it or not. Thank you all and I send you our love and gratitude.” I think everyone there if given the chance would have said the same thing back to him.

Alan Sparhawk and band continue the White Roses, My God tour through the end of January, with a hop over to the EU/UK in February. For all dates and news check out www.alansparhawk.com.