Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Molly Kish
St. Lucia with Conway, benefiting Operation Gratitude //
City Hall — San Francisco
April 17th, 2014 //
Brooklyn buzz band St. Lucia took over the main lobby of City Hall this past week headlining the San Francisco edition of the Jack Daniel’s “Live at the Landmark” series. The beautiful venue accommodated an exclusive crowd of less than 200 people, providing a stunning backdrop for the electro-pop outfit and their opener, Conway. Bathed in hues of blue and purple, the setting remained in a gorgeous dusk-lit color scheme, echoing the sky-lit entry way leading you into the municipal foyer. There you were greeted by Civic Hall’s grand staircase underneath its epic dome, lined with awe-inspired crowd reveling in complementary Jack Daniels and the gorgeous stage site.
Following a short set by Conway, St. Lucia took the stage. Jean-Philip Grobler immediately commented on how excited they were to be playing such an impressive venue. Touring steadily over the past year, behind the acts’ breakout success When the Night, Grobler and his backing band members kicked directly into their performance like a well-oiled machine. Focusing on hits off the 2013 debut album, their set list ran consistent with that of most dates on their current touring schedule. Kicking things off with the building choral chant of “The Night Comes Again” straight into the tropic-themed sensory transposition of “The Old House Is Gone”, St. Lucia effortlessly prompted their crowd to start shuffling their feet and bouncing along. Grobler and crew made an extra effort to get the intimate audience involved during their mid-set crowd participation segment, consisting of a group pogo amidst back to back performances of When the Night hits “All Eyes On You”, and “Elevate”.
Known for their big sound and impassioned performances, hardcore St. Lucia fans could see that the band was struggling a bit with the limited sound equipment and confined space. Although a near perfect setting for acoustics, the speaker set up for the evening remained contentious throughout the entire concert. Although hindered by the tiny towers of pitchy speakers, Grobler and crew kept the show rolling like a pack of seasoned professionals. Exchanging sassy glances with each other throughout the entire performance, the crowd could visibly recognize that St. Lucia, despite the technical difficulties, were there to have fun. Giving an energetic show punctuated by their spot on rendition of Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody”, St. Lucia brought the party vibes to City Hall, giving the Bay Area audience a uniquely memorable evening of live music at an undeniably legendary landmark.
