Baroness
Great American Music Hall
September 17, 2025
Photos by Steve Roby
Baroness turned the clock back to their early days last Wednesday night at the Great American Music Hall, ripping through a set comprised solely of their first two albums: Red and Blue.
First up was the rampaging sludge metal of Red, which began with a calm, clean guitar intro before picking up steam. Between the jackhammer guitar riffing of Gina Gleason and John Baizley, and the latter’s bellowing baritone voice, the song was the perfect way to kick off the night.
At this point, the connection between Gleason and Baizley is almost telepathic, as the two guitarists weaved intricate twin-guitar harmonies through most of Red’s tracklist. This was particularly apparent during the next song, the winding “The Birthing,” which featured a gorgeous mid-song harmony section.
Drummer Sebastian Thomson and bassist Nick Jost got plenty of chances to stretch their own musical muscles during the stomping “Isak,” another sludgy blast of groove metal. The only respite from the metal onslaught was during the country-tinged acoustic instrumental “Cockroach En Fleur,” which saw Gleason show off her rapid-fire finger-picking style.
Following the album-closing “Grad,” Baroness took a short break to change instruments before coming back to play through all of Blue Record. The second set began with the instrumental “Bullhead’s Psalm,” before launching into the surging “The Sweetest Curse.” Baizley’s singing voice has improved considerably since those early records, so he sounded much more tuneful and melodic on this night.
The biggest highlight of the evening came in a storming rendition of “A Horse Called Golgotha,” one of the band’s signature songs. It was during this time that Baizley took to the mic to thank the entire Bay Area for coming out to the show, and he reminisced about how much the extreme metal/punk scene in the region influenced him. He mentioned many of the old (and now defunct) underground venues that the band played during their early tours, such as the infamous Burnt Ramen in Richmond.
Baroness closed out the night with the final vocal-driven track, the rollicking “The Gnashing,” which featured plenty of dense guitar riffs and another soaring vocal performance from Baizley. After the tender closing instrumental, “Bullhead’s Lament,” the entirety of Blue was done, and the band walked off stage.
Normally, when a band revisits their old material, it lacks the driving power and energy of the youth that created it. However, Baroness clearly did their homework, making sure that these old songs sounded even bigger and more powerful than their original studio versions.
Weedeater opened the night with some loud and sludgy doom metal. The sheer volume level of the band made you think there were at least 6 people on stage, not 3. Between piercing guitars, booming bass, and thunderous drums, the band sounded absolutely massive. One of the main highlights of the set was the blazing doom of “Jason…and the Dragon,” which featured some of the most pummeling guitar riffs from Dave “Shep” Shepherd and an inspired vocal performance from bassist Dave “Dixie” Collins.
Baroness setlist:
Rays on Pinion | The Birthing | Isak | Wailing Wintry Wind | Cockroach En Fleur | Wanderlust | Aleph | Teeth of a Cogwheel | O’Appalachia | Grad | Bullhead’s Psalm | The Sweetest Curse | Jake Leg | Steel That Sleeps the Eye | Swollen and Halo | Ogeechee Hymnal | A Horse Called Golgotha | O’er Hell and Hide | War, Wisdom and Rhyme | Blackpowder Orchard | The Gnashing | Bullhead’s Lament
