Empire of the Sun are walking on more than just a dream after selling out three straight shows in SF

Empire of the Sun //
The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco
June 25th, 2019 //

As they continue to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut album Walking on a Dream, Australian synthpop outfit Empire of the Sun hit the West Coast hard during the latter half of June with three-night stands in three different cities, including a trio of sold-out shows in SF at The Regency Ballroom.

We showed up for the second of three Bay Area performances only to find the crowd anxiously awaiting the group’s arrival onstage. When lead vocalist/guitarist Luke Steele finally emerged through all the smoke donning his usual headdress and face paint however, it quickly came to life. Complemented by a pair of backup dancers and plenty of eye-catching on-screen visuals, Empire of the Sun kicked things off appropriately with “Standing on the Shore” and between multiple costume changes and instrument swaps, completely blew us away before uncorking the LP’s title track to close their headlining set.

With fans screaming for more music during a short break, Steele and his cohorts returned to the stage for a two-song encore. Of course, how could they call it a night without performing “Alive” from 2013’s Ice on the Dune?

Naturally, Empire of the Sun couldn’t so they delivered one last taste of Walking on a Dream with “Tiger by My Side” and then sent us home feeling totally “Alive” after only 90 minutes, further proving that they have been walking on more than just a dream for the past decade.

Setlist:
Intro (video segment)
Standing on the Shore
Old Flavours
Half Mast
Breakdown
We Are the People
Way to Go
The World
Chrysalis
High and Low
Delta Bay
(Unknown) (instrumental)
Between Me and You (Brandon Flowers cover)
This Land Is Your Land
Swordfish Hotkiss Night
Without You
Walking on a Dream