While in California a few weeks back, I ended up extending my trip and visited San Francisco to see the great Frank Turner. Frank is one of my absolute favorites. He's been no stranger to The Only Music Blog this year, receiving high praise for a Jacksonville gig earlier this year, and solid placement in the Shaky Knees Music Fest power rankings.
Frank was on a US tour supporting his newly released 6th studio album - Positive Songs for Negative People. The album is classic Frank, finding a pleasant combination between punk rock and acoustic folk. The theme of the album seems to be getting over a relationship, and keeping an optimistic outlook while recovering. It's very uplifting at times and is towards the top of the list for my favorite albums of the year.
Aside from Frank, one of the other reasons that brought me to this show was the venue. The Fillmore is a legendary room, almost always found at the top of lists for best indoor venues in the US. I was very impressed. The many chandeliers suspended from the ceiling gave the room an iconic look.
Prior to Frank taking the stage were two fellow British acts in 'Skinny Lister' and 'Beans on Toast.' Both were entertaining, and filled the void until Turner took the stage with his backing band 'The Sleeping Souls.' Frank opened with his lead single from the new album, appropriately titled 'Get Better.' This was just the start of a ferocious opening, that included 'If Ever I Stray,' 'Losing Days,' and 'Long Live the Queen' to get the crowd singing early.
One of the most impressive things about Turner is his speed and energy on stage. The guy barely ever takes a breath. He fit 29 songs into his two hour set at the Fillmore. I never once saw him take a drink of water, and his longest break between songs may have been 30 seconds tops. They guy is just an absolute machine, working the full size of the stage, and singing with great effort.Frank's work ethic on stage correlates perfectly to his schedule in real life. I recently read his autobiography, entitled The Road Beneath My Feet. Turner keeps a very busy life on the road, constantly touring across the globe. This was Frank's third run of US dates in 2015, and that's a year in which he also released a new album. It's clear why he's received multiple awards dubbing him 'the hardest working man in music.'
While 'The Sleeping Souls' took a break midway through the set, Frank continued to play a couple songs acoustically. This included 'Time Machine' (performed on Back to the Future Day) and 'Sunshine State,' which was originally written for someone from the Bay Area. This is just one of the ways Frank always tries to connect to the local audience.
I thought the best action of the night was the closing section of the set, where Frank performed two of his strongest songs. 'Mittens' is off PSFNP and tells the sad story of never feeling like his relationship with a certain someone was quite right, citing that they fit like mittens rather than gloves. The emotion displayed by Turner in this tune is second to none. I also must give praise to Frank's personal anthem with 'I Still Believe.'
After a brief break, Turner encored with 'Song for Josh,' a quiet and personal number that Frank wrote for a friend of his that took his life last year. It's chilling to hear live, and really elevates Frank as a songwriter. This led to three more songs on the night, including fan favorite 'Love Ire and Song.'
In conclusion, I believe this was the best Frank Turner show I've seen to date. I think this guy is at his best right now, and fans acknowledge it. I'm always impressed with the crowd at Frank shows, going crazy at the appropriate times but always being respectful when needed. It was an epic night at an even more epic venue.
CONCERT RATING: 4 Stars
SETLIST:
1. Get Better
2. If Ever I Stray
3. Losing Days
4. Long Live the Queen
5. Out of Breath
6. Sons of Liberty
7. Peggy Sang the Blues
8. Josephine
9. Polaroid Picture
10. I Am Disappeared
11. The Opening Act of Spring
Frank Solo:
12. The Ballad of Me and My Friends
13. Time Machine (First time live since 2012)
14. Sunshine State
Full Band:
15. The Way I Tend to Be
16. Photosynthesis
17. Plain Sailing Weather
18. Glory Hallelujah
19. Reasons Not to Be an Idiot
20. Mittens
21. Recovery
22. The Road
23. The Next Storm
24. I Still Believe
25. The Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News cover)
ENCORE:
26. Song for Josh
27. Love Ire and Song
28. Try This at Home
29. Four Simple Words
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