 |
| Princess Goes' Michael C. Hall @ the Great American Music Hall (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
The past Sunday night, the modern synth-pop trio Princess Goes fluttered into the Great American Music Hall. This was their first visit to San Francisco since visiting the Starline Social Club in Oakland back in 2022. Long gone is their original and extended name, 'Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum'. The more succinct Princess Goes was a metamorphosis and timed in conjunction with the October 2023 release of their latest album, Come of Age. The release follows their self-titled Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum 6-song EP that was released back in 2020. For those not familiar with the 3-piece, the band was formed by Peter Yanowitz (drums), Matt Katz-Bohen (keyboards/guitar), and the more recognizable Michael C. Hall (vocals) after performing together in the off-Broadway musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Michael C. Hall’s diverse talents have been on full display over the past 20 years, having starred in the breakout HBO/Showtime hits Six Feet Under and Dexter before breaking out with his star power on Broadway with Hedwig and the Bowie production, Lazarus. Hall was a perfect fit for the Bowie stage production, and I can personally hear Bowie’s vocal diversity, range, and delivery embodied within Hall’s vocals throughout much of the Princess Goes repertoire so far.
 |
| Michael C. Hall of Princess Goes @ the Great American Music Hall (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
With that introduction, the band was joined by solo artist Light Asylum as the show opener. Light’s set started shortly after 8 pm, and she instantly drew the crowd in with her passionate vocals layered on top of a cacophony of electronic beats. One of her last songs of her set reminded me of early ‘80s electronic body music (EBM) by Nitzer Ebb, although I can’t say for sure if it was actually a cover or potentially influenced by the classic duo. Light relinquished the stage after a 40-minute set and easily got the crowd at the Great American amped-up and ready for the headliners of the night.
 |
| Princess Goes' Michael C. Hall @ the Great American Music Hall (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
Michael C. Hall took the stage just after 9pm and kicked off the show with the haunting intro vocals of “Bombed Out Sites.” He performed the first half of the song solo with just a drum and synth loops as his backdrop. Then Matt made his way to his keyboard rig on the right of the stage just in time to join in with his own keyboard parts. Peter was the last to join and instead of taking his position behind his drum kit, he picked up a guitar to accompany the band. The song wrapped up with Matt’s keyboard synths transitioning to the piano intro of “Let It Go,” an up-tempo anthem and one of the band’s earlier singles that definitely got the crowd dancing and singing along.
 |
| Michael C. Hall of Princess Goes @ the Great American Music Hall (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
The 75-minute set mainly consisted of tracks from their latest release, “Come of Age,” but the band blended songs from their 2020 EP into the mix as well, including one of my favorites from the night – “Eat an Eraser.” The song is best described as a funky 70’s synth dance track with a tremendous bass line and one of the tracks where Hall truly channels his inner Bowie.
 |
| Michael C. Hall of Princess Goes @ the Great American Music Hall (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
The band didn’t engage in much banter with the crowd throughout the set, instead staying focused on the music and quickly moving from song to song. Michael closed the set by thanking the crowd for coming out on a Sunday night just before the appropriately named “Thanks for Coming.” The band then took a quick break before coming back out to the stage for a three-song encore.
 |
| Princess Goes @ the Great American Music Hall (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out their latest album, “Come of Age,” which has been well-received by critics. And be sure to catch Princess Goes the next time they return to the Bay Area!
Thanks for reading and while you're at it, you can follow us as well here: Instagram | Facebook.
