May 31

May 31 Show Review: The Carousel Tour Brings Anthony Green, Lauren Jane Grace, Tim Kasher Together in San Francisco

The Carousel Tour
Anthony Green, Laura Jane Grace, and Tim Kasher
w/ Oceanator
May 24th, 2022
August Hall
San Francisco, CA

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

It feels like centuries ago, but last Tuesday marked yet another mass shooting in the United States, this time at an elementary school in Texas. There was a heaviness in the air at this Tuesday night show, with several artists on The Carousel Tour bringing it up throughout the evening, remarking how horrific this situation was. But all three of these artists (Circa Survive’s Anthony Green, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, and Cursive’s Tim Kasher) offered not just their music, but a brief intermission from the bullshit going on outside the venue’s doors. It was hard for me not to check the news and try to find out information about what was happening outside. But every time one of those artists took the stage for one of the most unique tours trekking across North America today, I managed to keep my phone down and get lost in their words, their chords, the brief respite that was being offered at San Francisco’s August Hall that evening.

The Carousel Tour finds all three of the aforementioned vocalists (along with one opener) performing forty-minute sets of solo music, often joined throughout their performance by the other artists on the tour. For example, Tim Kasherperformed several songs, but would then be joined by Green and Grace for a song or two. Laura Jane Grace kicked off her set with Anthony Green behind the drums before taking the stage with just herself and an acoustic guitar. You get the picture. It featured a rotation of three musicians from different yet similar areas of the scene coming together for an unforgettable evening of music. All musicians were backed by an excellent rhythm section comprised of bassist Megan Seibe and drummer Alex Kerns.

The show was opened by Oceanator (also known as Elise Okusami), a talented singer-songwriter that set the perfect tone for the forthcoming show. Armed with just an electric guitar and a microphone, Oceanator brought blissful, emotional songs to life for a half hour as the crowd made its way in. Tim Kasher took the stage next for an energetic and fun-filled set, bringing Green out for a performance of “No Secret” and Grace out for the closing number, “Forever of the Living Dead”. At one point, Kasher started goofing around, taunting the crowd with the idea of playing Smash Mouth covers. The songs began, but nothing really came after the first verse.

The best set of the night, hands down, went to Laura Jane Grace. It is truly amazing to watch Grace play, whether on her own or with Against Me!. A majority of the set was comprised of just her and an acoustic guitar, and it was incredible to see the power that she could bring to the stage. There is such a passion and mysticism that she brings to her music, and it’s prevalent ever since the early days of Against Me! For nearly twenty songs, Grace captivated the audience, leading singalongs, telling stories, and switching between serious and tongue-in-cheek lyricism. Her performance is worth the price of admission alone.

The evening concluded with a powerful finale from Anthony Green. We’ve covered Green many times over the years, whether on his own, in Circa Survive, or even in Saosin. An absolute powerhouse of a vocalist, Green did not disappoint as he navigated the crowd through a generous helping of material from his extensive solo career. There was even a Deftones cover throw in for good measure, as well as a made-up song teasing Tim Kasher. The final number was comprised of all three vocalists together on stage, along with the band, playing The Lemonheads’ “My Drug Buddy”. As they took their bows and left the stage, we all realized that we had to return to the 24/7 news cycle that awaited us outside the doors. But it was nice to get away and get lost in the music, even if only for a few hours.

Anthony Green Set List
I Don’t Want To Die Tonight
You’ll Be Fine
Maybe This Will Be The One
Keep Your Mouth Shut
Why Must We Wait
Miracle Sun
Magic
Diamond Eyes (Deftones cover)
Tim Eats Cereal in the Bath Tub (a short, made-up song teasing Tim Kasher)
Real Magic
Don’t Dance
Dear Child (I’ve Been Dying To Reach You (joined by Laura Jane Grace)

Encore:
My Drug Buddy (The Lemonheads cover with Laura Jane Grace and Tim Kasher)

Laura Jane Grace Set List
Electro-Static Sweep
The Swimming Pool Song
Pints of Guinness Make You Strong (Against Me! song)
Sink, Florida Sink (Against Me! song)
We Did It All For Don (Against Me! song)
I Hate Chicago (Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers song)
Dysphoria Hoodie
Smug FuckFace
True Trans Soul Rebel (Against Me! song)
The Mountain Song
The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton (The Mountain Goats cover)
Harsh Realms
Lolo 13 (joined by Anthony Green)
M*A*S*H (joined by Tim Kasher and Anthony Green)
Keep Yer Wheels Straight
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Fuck Off
Black Me Out (Against Me! song)

Tim Kasher Set List
Life Coach
Cold Love
What Are We Doing
Notes In His Pocket (The Good Life song)
Strays
Truly Freaking Out
No Secret (joined by Anthony Green)
All Star/Walking on the Sun (Smash Mouth cover, portions played)
I Don’t Think About You
Sierra (Cursive song)
Forever of the Living Dead (joined by Laura Jane Grace)