great american music hall (san francisco, ca)
11/16/22
Echosmith, a band consisting of trio of siblings Sydney, Noah, and Graham Sierota, played an intimate show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. The show was part of their 25-stop headlining tour celebrating their recent single, “Hang Around,” and the new era it kicked off. They opened their show with Graham, the youngest sibling, coming onstage to start the drum beat, then Noah, the eldest, adding in the synth and bassline, and finally Sydney, as she came in with the vocals to their newest song, “Gelato.” In between songs, Sydney thanked the crowd for coming to hang out with them on a Wednesday night.
The rest of the setlist consisted of earlier releases, including several songs from their 2020 sophomore album, Lonely Generation, and many songs from their 2013 debut album, Talking Dreams. They book-ended it with their second-most-recent single, “Hang Around,” as their second-to-last song of the night. The final song was, of course, reserved for their breakout hit that also resurged as a viral sound on TikTok this year, “Cool Kids.” Instead of the original version, they played an updated version, deemed “Cool Kids (our version)” - which was redone and released earlier this year in response to its refound popularity. The new version preserves the original lyrics, has a fresh new instrumental still reminiscent of the original, but adds a new bridge that is a reflection on where they are now, nearly 10 years since its original release.
Illustrated perfectly by the rerecording of “Cool Kids,” Echosmith is truly a band that has matured alongside their music. Sydney called this out as she introduced “Bright,” another hit from their Talking Dreams. She recalled how they wrote “Bright” when she was 15 and had never been in a relationship and had only experienced theoretical scenarios in her head. Now at 25, the song itself means so much more to her, as she is now married and has tangible experiences, and playing the song live is a drastically different experience for her now as compared to when it was first released.
Even when performing in a packed venue, Echosmith conveys such a sense of intimacy - from the band sharing personal and sincere thoughts to them interacting directly with individuals in the crowd. It felt as if every single person in the room was seen, as Sydney noticed and explicitly appreciated people dancing, especially those in the back of the venue. This headlining tour has only begun the new era of Echosmith, and we are really looking forward to what comes next for this band.
