Fishbone, Strawberry Fuzz, Bite Me Bambi and Damnage at Great American Music Hall

Fishbone’s “Red-Hot Holiday Tour” hit San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall with a stacked lineup including Strawberry Fuzz, Bite Me Bambi and Damnage.

The dreary Thursday night started with a slow burn as fans trickled in even as Damnage kicked off their opening set at 7:15. Hailing from LA, the trio blasted through a heavy set with some twinges of metal that no-doubt got the crowd’s attention.

Next up, Bite Me Bambi, who rolled through the Bay Area with the Bar Stool Preachers only last month. Making the most of the shorter set time, the band tore through the fan favorites, getting the floor dancing with vocalist Tahlena Chikami’s infectious energy. With a new album (Eat This) in the hopper, Bite Me Bambi used the show as an opportunity to showcase their new material including “Too Many People,” “Girls Like You” and a crushing cover of The Offspring’s “Want You Bad.” Surely we’ll be seeing more of this band in 2025.

While BMB may be a tough act to follow, Strawberry Fuzz was more than up to the task with the support of some diehard fans in the now-crowded floor to help keep the energy high. This five-piece was pure fire, blowing minds as they blew the roof off the Great American with an energy that was impossible to ignore.

Headliners Fishbone took the stage at 9:45 and anyone who hadn’t been paying much attention to the band of late may have been surprised by some new faces but when the band immediately launched into a frenetic rendition of “Fishbone (Is Red Hot),” it became immediately clear that this reconstituted version of the band featuring only two original members (Angelo Moore and Chris Dowd) meant business. Not only reconstituted, but also clearly reinvigorated, Fishbone delivered their unique blend of punk, funk, ska, thrash and reggae to an eager audience where any initial skepticism was immediately eclipsed by the controlled chaos on stage.

The career-spanning set hit the fan favorites but included a live performance of the bands newest song, “RxPxOxSx” (aka Racist Piece of Shit), teasing what will *hopefully* be part of the band’s first full-length release of new material since 2006! Any doubt? Just ask anyone that was there to experience this show live where the room was more than happy to chant “Fishbone is red hot” before the 1-2 punch of of “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” and “Party at Ground Zero” for the encore as the house lighting guy went full-on psychedelic with the projector.

The “Red-Hot Holiday Tour” was indeed RED HOT with an absolutely stacked lineup of bands that left it all on the stage. If you missed it, there are still a few West Coast dates left … do not snooze on this tour!

Fishbone Setlist