Princess Goes and Light Asylum at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco

Princess Goes (fka Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum) is on the road supporting their latest release, Come of Age, including one of two California dates at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall with opener Light Asylum (aka Shannon Funchess) kicking things off. The fact that it was a Sunday night likely kept some of the curiosity seekers at bay, but those that did attend pushed to the stage for Funchess’ powerful 40 minute set that primed the San Francisco crowd for what was to follow.

A fog machine was put on overdrive and filled the room as the crew executed a fast turn-over that had Princess Goes’ vocalist Michael C Hall taking the stage promptly at 9 pm and launching right into fan favorite “Bombed Out Sites” from 2021’s Thanks for Coming as the rest of the band geared up beside him. From there, the band moved on into the new material which the crowd was clearly already familiar with, many up front gleefully singing along loudly while the rest of the room grooved with tunes.

While many fans may have become aware of Princess Goes due to the celebrity of their frontman, this band is more than just legit … they’re pretty damn good. Their eclectic style skirts synthwave but ventures far beyond and Hall’s vocals absolutely shine live. Yanowitz (drums) and Katz-Bohen (keys), both seasoned musicians, made the kaleidoscope of musical textures look easy.

The biggest question of the night … why don’t more people know about this band? Given the increased industry and fan attention around the genre with festivals like Cruel World and Darker Waves drawing tens of thousands to sold out events, it’s likely only a matter of time before Princess Goes isn’t playing 500 cap venues … and you likely already missed the chance to see them when they did. Maybe Come of Age will end up being prophetic for the band…

Setlist: