Mar 8

Mar 8 Photos, Show Review: Turnstile Brings Craziest Show Of The Year To San Francisco

Turnstile
w/ JPEGMAFIA, Non Plus Temps
The Warfield
San Francisco, CA
March 1st, 2023

Photos by Jaime Schultz
Review by Jaime Schultz

After months of anticipation and having to reschedule, Grammy-nominated rock act Turnstile returned to the San Francisco Bay Area, performing a two-night stand of sold-out shows at some of the region’s biggest theaters. The second night found the band in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, playing host to a chaotic set at the legendary Warfield. Bringing without a doubt one of the highest energy performances of any band in the last decade, Turnstile’s Wednesday night performance was one for the books.

While shows like this often feature a heavy selection of artists, they can often bring a diverse lineup. In unpredictable fashion, the show did not begin with hardcore but with a multigenre indie band from Oakland called Non Plus Temps. The six-piece act – whose name means “not enough time” in French – brought forth a mellow performance that combined elements of indie pop, punk, post-punk, and even funk into a unique package. While their music features lyrical passages and multiple vocalists, they have more of an instrumental “jam band” vibe to them. What follows is almost a complete juxtaposition, with rapper JPEGMAFIA pushing the energy level through the roof. Whether he was running back and forth on the stage, jumping into the crowd and demanding that they start a mosh pit, or running back behind the DJ booth to change the tracks on his own, the Brooklyn-native producer/rapper did an incredible job bringing the audience into his world. He commanded the audience and fit right in with the energy that a band like Turnstile is known for bringing.

After the PA system finished blasting Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, the band wasted no time by launching into “MYSTERY”, “Real Thing”, and “Big Smile”, as stage-divers made their way up and rotated on and off the elevated stage throughout the hour-long headlining set. It is by far the craziest crowd I’ve ever experienced at a concert, only further accentuated by one of the most intense live shows I’ve seen a band put on. They remind me of the kind of energy a band like Rage Against The Machine would bring, but even more over-the-top. With five people, one drum solo, an hour-long set, no encore, and one pop of confetti at the night's end, Turnstile brought new meaning to the phrase “quality over quantity”. They were there and gone in a flash, and they remembered the golden rule of show business: always leave them wanting more.

Turnstile will return to the road this summer as they prepare to open for Blink-182 on the band’s forthcoming headlining tour with Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker. Dates begin Thursday, May 4th in Minneapolis, MN. Find tickets here.

Turnstile Set List
MYSTERY
Real Thing
Big Smile
NEW HEART DESIGN
I Don’t Wanna Be Blind
BLACKOUT
UNDERWATER BOI
DON’T PLAY
Drop
ENDLESS
FLY AGAIN
Moon
ALIEN LOVE CALL
HOLIDAY
T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION)