Phantogram show us at the Santa Barbara Bowl while on tour with Kings of Leon that they are primed to release their fifth album

By Josh Herwitt //

Phantogram //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
August 26th, 2024 //

It’s always strange when you receive a media credential to cover the opening act of a performance but not the headliner. This was one of those rare instances where our business at a music venue we have covered many headliners at before was to simply focus on the evening’s support.

And even though they are certainly worthy of their own headlining tour after last week’s announcement of a fifth LP, street-beat/psych-pop duo Phantogram are currently making the rounds with Kings of Leon on a 26-date jaunt all across North America that made a stop Monday at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizers, guitars, production) and Josh Carter (vocals, guitars, programming, synthesizers, drums, percussion, production) are set to drop Memory of a Day on October 18th via Neon Gold Records, but until then, show up early if you are hoping to catch them live.

Their 6:45 p.m. start in Santa Barbara before the sun had even set over the Pacific Ocean, for that matter, still drew a solid turnout despite the 4,562-person amphitheater marking the smallest venue booked for KoL’s current tour.

Barthel’s vocals proved to be just as breathy as we remember them after she stepped onstage in Zebra-patterned shorts, black leather boots and a white top. To her left or stage right, you could see that Carter was dialed into whichever guitar lick he was riffing on during their 45-minute concert.

Of course whenever I have the opportunity to see Phantogram in the flesh, it usually reminds of the time I interviewed Carter more than a decade ago for a feature story right as the New York band was starting to break out and attract larger audiences.

Now a well-oiled machine, Phantogram have also established a loyal following even if their new material such as singles “All a Mystery” and “Happy Again” stray even farther from what KoL offers. Though they might not have been tapped as a co-headliner considering KoL’s stature and overall reach these days, there’s no doubt that putting both acts together has produced one of the best double bills this summer with capacity crowds filling arenas in city after city.

Any excuse to visit the Santa Barbara Bowl is often a good one, but with Phantogram playing we didn’t need much more of a reason to spend the night at one of our favorites places in Southern California to witness live music.

Setlist:
Don’t Move
Fall in Love
All a Mystery
Pedestal
Run Run Blood
Mister Impossible
Happy Again
Answer
Black Out Days
When I’m Small