On Sunday August 27, 2023, I was back at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, California. The drive down was awesome and the weather was perfect. On the agenda was Boris from Tokyo, Japan with (The) Melvins and Mr. Phylzzz.
Mr. Phylzzz (pronounced Flyzzz) was up first. This duo is so much fun, Opening with “Pretend Friends”, they had the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands instantly. With only a guitar and drums, they still managed a full sound. Clinton came out on stage with a suit on with a short little tie. Between they 4th and 5th song he handed his guitar to a guy in the front row so he could take his suit coat off. From there, it was game on again.
Mr. Phylzzz members are:
Clinton Jacobs – vocals/guitar
Danny Sein – drums
Setlist:
1). Pretend Friends
2). Kitty
3). Dirty Hands
4). Pontiac Grand Am
5). Damp
6). Mr. Entertainer
7). Modern Life
8). Insisting
(The) Melvins were up next and they never disappoint. Melvins have been consistently good every time I have seen them, except Sick New World where they lost power half way through and even then they were really good. . This time though was a little different though. Dale Crover, their drummer, had to have emergency spinal surgery. So, Coady Willis stepped in to fill his shoes and he did it with style.
The came out to A-ha‘s “Take on Me” then broke into “Ligature” which set the pace for the set. The first six songs of the set came off of the 1991 Bullhead album which made the crowd happy. Everyone loves classic Melvins tunes. From there they went in to two songs off the Houdini album. Before they went in to the last song, they dedicated the tour to Dale and said he was on the road to recovery. They finished up the set with the fitting “Boris”.
(The) Melvins are:
Buzz Osborne – vocals/guitar
Coady Willis – drums
Steven Shane McDonald– bass/backing vocals
Setlist:
1). Ligature
2). Your Blessened
3). It’s Shoved
4). Anaconda
5). Zodiac
6). Cow
7). A History of Bad Men
8). Honey Bucket
9). Revolve
10). Night Goat
11). Boris
When Boris hit the stage I was blown away. It was the first time I had seen them and I didn’t know what to expect other than everyone said they are loud. Well, they are amazing! Takeshi played double duty playing bass and guitar on a double neck. Wata is nothing short of a shredder. The world should know how good this lady is. I found myself getting lost in her playing. Atsuo is an utter madman on the drums and is a showman as well. He often stood up to either point out to the crowd or, play that massive gong behind him.
They played the entire Heavy Rocks album for this set only adding in “Dronevil” off the album with the same title. Their eleven song set was over way too soon, not only for me but for the rest of the audience. After a short break, they came back out on stage and did the Melvins song “Boris”. It was cool hearing the two different versions in the same night.
Fortunately for all of you, this was the beginning of the tour. You still have a chance to experience this show in person. I am certain you will be as blown away that I was.
Boris members are:
Takeshi – vocals/bass/guitar
Wata – vocals/guitar/keyboards/accordion/echo
Atsuo – vocals/drums/percussion/electronics
Setlist:
1). Heavy Friends
2). Korosu
3). Dyna-Soar
4). Wareruraido
5). Soft Edge
6). Rattlesnake
7). Dronevil
8). Death Valley
9). Koei
10). Kane-The Bell Tower of a Sign-
11). 1970
Encore
12). Boris (Melvins cover)
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Photographer of about 10 years, I have been shooting concerts for about 8 of those years. I started to get serious about concert photography about 6 or 7 years ago and now try to shoot as many as I can. I shoot mostly rock but, have done some country and big band stuff. I love music and since I am nowhere close to being a musician, this is a way I can be a small part of what, in the words of Henry Rollins, “gets me through the highs, the lows and everything in between”.
