BANKS at the Masonic in San Francisco, CA

BANKS concluded the North American leg of her The III Tour at The Masonic in San Francisco, CA.

BANKS’ sound has an R&B edge to it and is considered alternative pop. She began writing songs at the age of 15 and says that “music helps her release her emotions.” Before branching out on her own, she opened for The Weeknd in both 2013 and 2015.

BANKS was initially scheduled to appear at the Masonic earlier this month but had to postpone due to illness. But that didn’t stop her adoring fans from returning to see her perform as the show was packed. 

She started the night off with the song “Till Now” from her third album III, which was released earlier this year in July. BANKS describes the collection as “her transformation from a naive, hopeful romantic into a wise woman.” The album is her most critically acclaimed release to date and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200, as well as number three on the Top Albums Sales chart.

BANKS had two female backup dancers accompanying her on stage and displayed some intense choreography and dramatic lights to help set the mood. One of the best pieces of choreography of the evening happened during the song “Stroke,” when the dancers were waving red bandanas in a synchronized fashion. 

BANKS took a moment during her set to express how grateful she was that everyone returned and explained that she became ill the day she was expected to perform last time. She said she was thankful that everyone came back to see her.

BANKS also performed a poem, “Ode to the Grey Zone” and considered naming her album after the poem but in the end, decided against it. She still wanted to read the verse because it had helped her, and she wanted to see if it would help others. A crowd favorite of the night was the song “Propaganda,” in which BANKS directed the concert goers that she wanted to hear them scream every word of the lyrics. 

Before her song “Gemini Feed,” she asked if anyone in the crowd was the astrological sign Gemini because they would appreciate the song the most. To close out the show, she performed “Gimme,” which is also from her recent album. 

But the night wasn’t quite over yet as BANKS returned to the stage for an encore and performed “Begging For Thread” to properly end the evening. Throughout the hour and a half set, BANKS shared flawless vocals while still performing intense choreography. Accompanied by a futuristic light show and a great setlist, it was a great night, and I think the crowd thought she was worth the wait.

THE MASONIC
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