No one in the history of ever has said “Thank God it’s almost Monday.” Unless, of course, you’re me on Sunday night, waiting for indie-pop sensation almost monday’s sophomore album tour.
The “THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY” tour brought its electric show to San Francisco’s Castro Theatre on (appropriately enough) Monday. Born and raised in San Diego, lead vocalist and guitarist Dawson Daugherty, bassist Luke Fabry and guitarist Cole Clisby came together at a surf shop to form almost monday nearly a decade ago. Since then, they’ve won hearts around the world and were nominated for Best New Artist (Alternative) at this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Their opener, indie pop-rock band Rec Hall, based right outside of Los Angeles, was the perfect setup for a high-energy, jump-and-dance kind of night. SoCal clearly knows how to jive. Rec Hall warmed up the crowd with a mix of new music alongside hits like “Back To Us” and a few comedic bits. Band members John Barry and Ben Tyrrell quipped that for the music video for “Pontiac,” they tried to rent a Pontiac but were given a Chevy instead: “[We] don’t endorse Pontiacs,” said Tyrell. As a Chevy owner, I really appreciated the sentiment.
Then almost monday took the stage, unveiling a giant banner bearing the album name and grooving onstage while playing the title track. With neon strobe lights, loose-fitting, beachy wear and the constant shout-outs of “Coming at you from San Diego,” Daugherty, Fabry and Clisby kept their San Diego roots front and center all night. The setlist leaned into it too, with tracks like “sunburn” and “sequoia” and lyrics like “take me to the beach / cuz I miss the feeling.” It was clear they’re proud to be Californian. And even as a die-hard Seattlite, for those few hours, I too felt the Cali pride.
When I’d first arrived at the venue, a fan handed me a small paper heart to hold up during “losing streak” — almost Monday’s slowest and most melancholy song — to show our love to the band. Suffice to say, when they started playing the song and looked out at a sea of paper hearts, Daugherty, Fabry and Clisby were brought to tears. Daugherty thanked the audience, expressing his “disbelief at how far [they’ve] come.”
My personal favorite song of theirs, “jupiter,” was performed against a green background and purple lights, creating a trippy, alien-like feel that Daugherty amplified by pretending to be on Mars, pointing and gasping at his surroundings. I would absolutely “rendezvous on jupiter” with these three.
As I left the venue, I overheard people gushing over Daugherty’s infectious energy and phenomenal stage presence. For a band named after everyone’s least favorite day of the week, it seems listeners “just can’t get enough” of almost monday — and neither can I.
