The Struts hitched up with Harley-Davidson for a California mini-run, aptly dubbed the “Tour de California 2020.” Along with openers Starcrawler, Super Tuesday found them at San Francisco’s Warfield for a welcome reprieve from the relentless barrage of politics.
Opener Starcrawler kicked things off in front of a crowd that was clearly hip to what was about to go down, having not only arrived early but staked out a spot on the barricade. Simply stated, Starcrawler is a band that must be seen to be appreciated. All arms and legs, the waif-thin Arrow de Wilde commands the stage and demands attention with not only her vocals but, with her bodily contortions that are only accentuated by her 6’ 3” frame.
While this night’s set was arguably tame by Starcrawler standards (much to the appreciation of the germophobes in the photo pit), the band surely impressed in no small part due to guitarist Henri Cash’s shredding which didn’t miss a note even as he hopped into the crowd during the set closer “Bet My Brains” before hanging his guitar around a befuddled fan’s neck while he walked off the stage and the crew began to pack up.
By the time The Struts took the stage, the floor of the Warfield was packed and San Francisco was ready to party. So it was a good thing that compared to their last visit to San Francisco (The Fillmore, November, 2018), The Struts kicked things up a notch in terms of production—taking full advantage of the larger stage.
The band was clearly up to the task and be-fringed frontman Luke Spiller had a little more flounce in his bounce as they busted into “Primadonna Like Me” followed by “Body Talks.” The setlist pulled heavily from 2018’s Young & Dangerous, much to the apparent delight of the San Francisco crowd which was more than happy to sing along. With only two full-lengths under their belt, that doesn’t mean that the night was without its surprises, “Nobody Does It Like You” being a recent addition to their live repertoire as of this run.
The evening ended pretty much where things started for The Struts—with their 2013 breakthrough hit, “Could Have Been Me.” Thanks to The Struts for making Tuesday truly “super.”
STARCRAWLER
THE STRUTS
SETLIST
Primadonna Like Me
Body Talks
Kiss This
In Love With a Camera
Nobody Does It Like You
Fire (Part 1)
One Night Only
Dirty Sexy Money
Tatler Magazine
The Ol’ Switcheroo / Black Swan / Roll Up / Young Stars
I Do It So Well
Lowkey in Love
Put Your Money on Me
Where Did She Go
ENCORE
Somebody New (unplugged)
Ashes (Part 2)
Could Have Been Me
