With the announcement of this year's Substance Festival at the Great American Music Hall, we here at SF Sonic wanted to highlight some of the bands and artists playing over

Garbage The Warfield October 24, 2025 Photos by Raymond Ahner After over three decades of defying genre lines and expectations, Garbage brought their farewell tour to San Francisco’s Warfield Theatre

Viagra Boys Fox Theater, Oakland October 23, 2025 Photos by Raymond Ahner Sweden’s Viagra Boys brought their chaotic, swaggering brand of post-punk mayhem to a beyond-sold-out Fox Theater in Oakland

Judas Priest and Alice Cooper Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View October 14, 2025 Photos by Raymond Ahner It’s a rare thing when two musical legends share the same stage, especially when

Electronic pop duo Purity Ring brought their brand of ethereal, atmospheric music to The Warfield this past October 14th, with support from artists Brett Bolton and Yuniverse opening the night.

Aftershock Festival Discovery Park, Sacramento October 2-5, 2025 The Aftershock Festival celebrated its 13th year in Sacramento with a massive weekend of nonstop music and fun. The festival, held in

Andy Summers The Presidio September 27, 2025 Photos by Steve Roby The Police’s guitarist returned to San Francisco with a compact, cinematic solo show—loop-driven guitar, road stories, and morphing photographs—ending

UK punks SOFT PLAY (formerly known as 'Slaves') brought their snarky, frenetic brand of punk to San Francisco's August Hall this past September 27th. What the audience lacked in numbers

Gary Numan The Catalyst, Santa Cruz September 20, 2025 Photos by Geoffrey Smith II Things were dire before Gary Numan even hit the stage at The Catalyst. Not only were

The Hives The Ace of Spades, Sacramento September 19, 2025 Photos by Paul Piazza  The Hives, a legendary Swedish garage rock band, played a ripping set for a sold-out crowd

Aftershock Festival Discovery Park, Sacramento October 2-5, 2025 Tickets Aftershock Festival, the nation’s largest metal, punk, and rock festival is ready for its 13th year in Sacramento. The festival will

Rick Beato Presidio Theater September 25, 2025 Photos by Steve Roby   For his sold-out Bay Area debut, Rick Beato transformed San Francisco’s Presidio Theatre into a two-hour crash course

The Who Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View September 21, 2025 Photos by Raymond Ahner Although they may be on their North American farewell tour, The Who proved once again why they

Cheap Trick Meritage Resort, Napa September 20, 2025 Photos by Raymond Ahner Playing the Meritage Resort in Napa on a recent warm Saturday evening, the legendary Cheap Trick proved once

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,

Billy Idol and Joan Jett Greek Theatre, Berkeley September 14, 2025 Photos by Raymond Ahner Billy Idol brought his signature sneer, punk roots, and rock ’n’ roll swagger to the

The Budos Band Ace of Spades, Sacramento August 24, 2025 Photos by Paul Piazza The Budos Band recently played Sacramento’s Ace of Spades in support of their seventh record entitled

The draw of Andy Summers’ one-person theater show isn’t nostalgia—it’s the way he fuses sound, vision, and memory into a live, cinematic experience that keeps shifting under your feet. "I’ve

Japanese Breakfast Masonic Auditorium August 28, 2025 Photos by Raymond Ahner After releasing their highly acclaimed new record "For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)" last Spring, indie dream-pop sensation Japanese

My Morning Jacket Greek Theatre, Berkeley August 22, 2025 Photos by Paul Piazza My Morning Jacket concluded their summer tour run in support of their excellent new album Is at