Finneas brought his limited date Optimist Tour to a very excited, sold-out crowd at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco.
The tour named after his latest album, which he released last month, will conclude in Toronto later this month. It is just a short tour and all future dates are already sold out.
To start his set, Finneas performed “A Concert Six Months From Now,” the second single from his Optimist album and the first track. From the title of the song, you can guess there is a deeper meaning to the tune. The lyrics indict that Finneas pictures himself at the Hollywood Bowl with his off-again, on-again love. Inspiration also comes from the COVID-era experience of wagering whether the show you are hoping to attend will happen. The lyrics state, “Your favorite band is back on the road, and this fall they’re playin’ the Hollywood Bowl,” Finneas sings. “I’ve already purchased two seats for their show; I guess I’m an optimist.”
While offering a tremendous vocal performance throughout the show, Finneas also played both the guitar and piano. The piano was unique, with small holes cut out of it and a light placed inside which shone through the holes. This gave a beautiful, dream-like light effect to accompany the soft piano playing.
During his set, Finneas took the time to thank everyone for being there, as it’s been almost two years since he was last in San Francisco. He was also very appreciative that everyone was wearing masks and being considerate of others so musicians could continue to perform live in venues.
During the show, he sang “Claudia,” which he wrote first to woo his long-term girlfriend, Claudia. Even though this was a tour for his new album, he also played many songs from his debut album Blood Harmony, released in late 2019, such as “I Lost a Friend,” “Partners in Crime,” “Shelter” and “Break My Heart Again.”
The stagging for the show displayed colorful lights; also, on stage was an entertaining backup band. While the crowd was waiting for Finneas to appear on stage, the group was entertained with relaxing bird and forest ambient sounds playing in the background, making you forget you were even at a concert.
To conclude the show, Finneas performed “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night,” another song from his debut album which the die-hard fans in the room knew all the words to and sang along. Because the concert was sold-out, as is Fillmore tradition, the concert attendees got to take home a unique custom-made Finneas poster to represent the show and prove that they were there.
