Walk The Moon Fox Theater, Oakland February 10, 2018 Photos by Briar Burns. The tension in the Fox Theater was palpable as throngs of fans shuffled into the venue and dashed to cluster at the foot of the stage, ready for the Oakland date of the Press Restart Tour. After over a year and a half of silence, Walk the Moon are still able to draw sold-out crowds to their shows–something that can be difficult for the most successful of bands. Walk the Moon consists of of frontman Nicholas Petricca on vocals, keyboard and synth, Kevin Ray on bass, Sean…
Author: Briar Burns
Briar Burns
Briar Burns is a twenty-something music fanatic. She’s photographed a huge variety of artists, from Vance Joy, Twenty One Pilots, and Snoop Dogg, in the likes of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and NYC. Born and raised in a tiny town in the mountains of Northern California, she’s now pursuing a career in the music industry here in San Francisco. You can catch her every weekend either photographing a band, sleeping in front of venues so she’s first to the barrier, working part time at one of San Francisco’s biggest alternative radio stations, or knitting sweaters for her dog.
LANY The Fillmore October 29, 2017 All photos by Briar Burns. ‘The pre-show playlist faded to silence, the lights went down, and the screaming began. From the get go it was obvious that LANY, a three piece hailing from Nashville, was a band there to put on a performance. Their arrival was heralded by a pre-recorded message instructing the audience that their enthusiastic, ecstatic participation was not only encouraged but necessary; a fundamental piece of the puzzle that the show would turn out to be. A carefully thought out mini-monologue in the voice of a brisk mystery woman emphasizing the…
The 1975 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium April 29, 2017 All photos by Briar Burns. The 1975 brought the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium back to ’80s England recently. A group that can be considered ‘aesthetic incarnate,’ they inspired a boy-band level of fanaticism in the crowd of flower toting girls and reluctant boyfriends. Consisting of Matty Healy on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Adam Hann on lead guitar, Ross Macdonald on bass, and George Daniel on drums; The 1975 are a band that is hard to define. They are polarizing; with juxtaposition a foundation of their image and their music. In essence; a band you hate,…
The Fray The Masonic Auditorium October 18, 2016 All photos by Raymond Ahner. Shuffling into the Masonic this past Wednesday to see a seated venue was the singular disappointment of the night. As much as completely seated shows are frustrating and seem downright pointless (everyone is gonna stand up anyways!), the performances were well worth the irritation. Be wary of seeing either of these bands at shows with no general admission pit; you will dance and you will end up with a fascinating (and painful) collection of bruises from smashing not-so-elegantly into the chairs around you. The Fray The moment…
Conor Oberst The Fillmore October 1, 2016 The Fillmore was reverently quiet as Conor Oberst and his fellow musicians took the stage. The warmth inside the shuffling mass of bodies was a stark and welcome contrast to the damp chill of the San Francisco Saturday night. The twangs of final instrument tunings and hushed coughs from the crowd were the only sounds as the everyone waited for the music to begin, only sparingly interrupted with an urgent and slightly embarrassed ‘I love you, Conor!’ Taking a glance around at all the faces upturned toward the ghoulish lights of the stage,…