Public Image Ltd Refuse to Be a Nostalgia Act at The Fillmore

Public Image Ltd
The Fillmore
September 12, 2026

Hitting the shores of North America for the first time since 2018, icons Public Image Ltd (PiL) brought their multi-leg tour to The Fillmore in San Francisco last weekend and showed that they are far from a nostalgia act. They are just as relevant today as they have ever been. The packed room seemed to agree, cheering along not only to the bands most well known songs but their deeper cuts as well.

Fronted by the unmistakable and still legendary John Lydon, the band walked onto the stage with little interest in nostalgia and every intention of proving that their particular brand of post-punk confrontation remains as potent as ever. From the opening notes of “Public Image,” it was quite clear that the band were going to be in top form.

With his notorious lifelong snarky-yet-cheeky sense of humor still intact, Lydon kept the crowd in the palm of his hand from the word go. When the power to the backline went out early in the set, Lydon remained cool as a cucumber, engaging the crowd with a brief sing-along of “A Horse With No Name.” Once the voltage was restored to the amps, the band picked up right where they left off.

Highlights from their 12-song set included “Poptones,” “Death Disco,” and “This Is Not a Love Song.” But the crowd favorite of the night was “Word Destruction,” during which John’s voice sounded just as robust as it did when he recorded the song with Afrika Bambaataa way back in 1984. After closing their set with the 1993 track “Leftfield” and Lydon classic “Open Up,” the band left the stage with the crowd demanding more. They did not disappoint, returning for a two-song encore of “Rise” and “Chant,” which proved to be the perfect way to end the evening.

Public Image Ltd have made mention of a new record sometime in the not so distant future, so here’s hoping the “This Is Not… The Final PiL Tour” will live up to its name.

Support for PiL on this tour came from Plague Vendor, a highly energetic band from Southern California. With their raw energy and unmistakable showmanship, they proved to be the perfect band to get the crowd pumped for the headliners.

See the images from the show, by Raymond Ahner, here.

Public Image Ltd