almost monday brought the THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY tour to San Francisco’s iconic Castro Theatre fittingly on a Monday night. Excitement was palpable before the band even took the stage.
Outside, fans stopped to take photos with the almost monday branded tour van. Inside, they lined up for an impressive variety of merch beneath the Castro’s ornate ceilings. When the curtain dropped to reveal the enormous “THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY” backdrop, loud cheers filled the theater. Somehow, they grew even louder when the band walked out.
The San Diego trio of vocalist Dawson Daugherty, guitarist Cole Clisby and bassist Luke Fabry arrived just weeks after releasing their second album. Following their 2024 debut DIVE, the new record expands on their bright, danceable indie-pop while making room for the more complicated experiences that have come with their rise.
Daugherty was a magnetic presence - rarely standing still as he danced across the stage and reached out to the crowd. The fans there matched his energy and sang along the whole night.
Between songs, he took moments to reflect on how surreal it all felt. A band that started out playing in a San Diego surf shop was now headlining a tour behind its second album, standing before what he described as their biggest headline show yet. His excitement gave the night a personal thread, a sense that the band was taking in the occasion alongside everyone watching.
That openness also carried into his introductions to the newer material. Daugherty explained that the past year had been amazing in many ways and challenging in others, offering some insight into the experiences behind the album’s more emotional songs.
The set slowed for “losing streak” and “leaving is easy” giving those reflections room to settle. Across the audience, phone lights came out, changing the feel of the theater as the crowd got a chance to hear another side of almost monday.
When the energy picked back up, the crowd came right with it. The band’s infectious rhythms kept the whole room rocking through a run of fan favorites, including “skinny dip” “cough drops” and “can’t slow down”. They closed with “better late than never,” rounding out a set that spanned their catalog and went for an hour and fifteen minutes.
For all the excitement surrounding a milestone show, some of the most memorable moments were Daugherty simply stopping to acknowledge it. Looking out at fans cheering beneath the Castro’s elaborate ceiling, it was easy to understand why he kept coming back to how far they had come.
Setlist: Thank God Its Almost Monday, Delicate, Class A, No More Regrets, Life Goes By, Only Wanna Dance, Enjoy the Ride, Jupiter, Lost, Sunburn, Superprism, You Get What You Give (cover) , Losing Streak, Leaving Is Easy, Fade, Never Enough, French Kids, Sports, Sequoia, Skinny Dip, Cough Drops, Better Late Than Never.
Our full live show photo gallery coming soon!
