Flogging Molly @ The Fox Theater Oakland 3/25/2022

 

Flogging Molly @ The Fox Theater Oakland 3/25/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

After hitting the road with The Violent Femmes and Me First and The Gimme Gimme's last year which brought them to Heart Health Park in Sacramento, Flogging Molly made a triumphant return to The Bay Area last month. 

 

These beloved Irish punk rockers having been coming to town every year around St. Patrick's Day for years delivering a one, two punch kind of show every time. With a bit of Irish luck and most COVID safety mandates lifted, Flogging Molly took the stage at The Fox Theater in Oakland about a week after the celebrated Irish holiday on Friday March 25th.

Flogging Molly @ The Fox Theater Oakland 3/25/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

 Following Vandoliers and Russkaja, Flogging Molly hit the stage with their undeniable passion fueling their effervescent punk rock songs. Gracious and humble, front man Dave King led the crowd into a night filled with infectious Celtic energy that Flogging Molly is known to do best. 

Flogging Molly @ The Fox Theater Oakland 3/25/2022
photo by Marc Fong

Flogging Molly @ The Fox Theater Oakland 3/25/2022
photo by Marc Fong

Flogging Molly @ The Fox Theater Oakland 3/25/2022
photo by Marc Fong

That fateful night somewhere between opening and supporting acts and before the headliners took the stage the announcement of Foo Fighters' drummer, Taylor Hawkins' passing sent shock waves through the music community. Their fifth song of the night, "Whistles In the Wind" was a heartfelt dedication played in remembrance of the acclaimed drummer gone before his time. 

Flogging Molly @ The Fox Theater Oakland 3/25/2022
photo by Marc Fong

18 songs deep, the set stretched on into the night ending with a single encore of "Tabacco Island". 

Flogging Molly @ The Fox Theater Oakland 3/25/2022
photo by Marc Fong

Flogging Molly set-list 3/25/2022

1. Drunken Lullabies

2. The Hand of John L. Sullivan 

3. Swagger

4. Selfish Man 

5. Whistles in the Wind

6. The Worst Day Since Yesterday 

7. The Times They Are A-Changin'

8. Life in a Tenement Square

9. A Song of Liberty

10. Float 

11. Black Friday Rule 

12. Croppy Boy 

13. Devil's Dance Floor

14. Crushed 

15. If I Ever Leave This World Alive

16. Salty Dog

17. What's Left of the Flag 

18. The Seven Deadly Sins 

19. Tabacco Island 

Spring time in the LBC: strawberry cupcake from Frosted

Strawberry Cream Cheese cupcakes at Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Spring has officially sprung!
Days are getting longer and nights shorter, so I decided to take advantage of the springtime weather and have my first cupcake experience in Long Beach. 

I hopped on my (borrowed) bike and headed to the first cupcake place I could find.

Frosted on 2nd Street was the destination and what a great first impression of the LBC cupcake scene it turned out to be!

I was tickled to see a cupcake shaped bike rack right outside of Frosted when I got there. (how cute is that!?) I parked, locked up and headed inside. I was delighted that I was the only customer when I walked in  and also delighted that Frosted required all customers to wear a mask while inside. 

Outside of Frosted Cupcakery on 2nd Street in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

cupcakes in a box at Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The place itself is not overwhelming at all, with no inside dining available it's quite to the point, order and go, yet I was a tad overwhelmed with deciding which cupcake, or cupcakes to get. I was just excited I found a cupcake spot in my new neighborhood. Without a particular craving, I asked the gal behind the counter if she had any recommendations. Her first recommendation was the flavor of the month which was a cinnamony one.

Next, she recommended a customer favorite: Strawberry Cream Cheese. Being that it is the middle of Strawberry season (January - May), I haven't reviewed a strawberry cupcake in a while and the fact that was the cutest cupcake in the case I got one of the Strawberry Cream Cheese cupcakes. 

Strawberry Cream Cheese cupcake at Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Tucked in a box customized to hold two cupcakes, my two cupcakes (yes I got two) survived the bike ride home splendidly without any smooshing or spills. 

One thing that's always stood out to me about this seasonal favorite is how fragrant strawberry cupcakes are. At least the ones I've had in the past have been.
The Strawberry Cream Cheese from Frosted is pretty with it's pink frosting, light coating of teeny pearl sprinkles and big, matching gummy berry but the smell of juicy strawberry didn't hit me upon or before my first bite. "Yummy" was the first thing that hit me when I took my first bite. 

Strawberry Cream Cheese cupcake at Frosted in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

 

The cake is pink, but not too pink, nowhere as pink as the pink frosting. To me this is a good sign of it being a more authentic strawberry flavor. It was light yet moist and buttery which can probably be attributed to the fact that cupcakes are baked fresh from scratch every day at Frosted cupcakery. The Strawberry flavor is kind of hard to describe. It was strawberry but not artificial. It's a fresh baked cupcake with a fresh strawberry taste that isn't overbearing. A few bites in I found myself chewing on a chunk of actual strawberry baked right into the cupcake! That was a first and such a delightfully delectable surprise! 

The ratio of cake to frosting was spot on: pink cream cheese frosting covers the whole top of the cupcake and there isn't too much of it. It's a tint of tangy with a touch more of sweet but not too sweet. In essence it's a great cream cheese frosting and it paired with the fresh, fresh strawberry cake well, anything sweeter would have made it a completely different cupcake. With Summer right around the corner this cupcake will transition to be a great Summer time treat, too! 

UPSAHL @ The Warfield 3/17/2022

 Instead of celebrating St. Patrick's Day the traditional way with green beers and corned beef , the night of March 17th was intoxicated with music at The Warfield in San Francisco. 

UPSAHL @ The Warfield 3/17/2022
photo by Marc Fong

For his second and biggest North American tour to date, Yungblood's Life on Mars tour evoked a spirit thriving with a new wave of Hot Topic allure. The British pop-goth-rock sensation invited the like minded, Palaye Royal, UPSAHL and Poutyface to join him and fans in San Francisco obliged. The concert venue in the heart of downtown SF was already buzzing before the music started like a high school dance, patiently waiting in angst yet not so secretly brimming with excitement to fill the dancefloor with sweaty, awkward interactions. 

UPSAHL @ The Warfield 3/17/2022
photo by Marc Fong

UPSAHL @ The Warfield 3/17/2022
photo by Marc Fong

Sandwiched between two other opening acts, the Lady Jesus singer-song writer known as UPSAHL dominated the stage. Last time we saw UPSAHL in SF it was at a tightly packed Popscene show at Rickshaw Stop on November 30h, 2021. Since then, the enigmatic 23 year old from Phoenix, Arizona has been excelling forward with not only a sizzling debut album, but also an electrifying live show and magnetic performance.  

UPSAHL @ The Warfield 3/17/2022
photo by Marc Fong

Seeing her dominate a much larger stage , at a much larger venue was great. It's thrilling to witness an artist on the rise from their humble beginning.  UPSAHL's stage presence was even more brash and sassy than it was last year when she headlined Popscene just a short three months ago. Her sound is gruff yet catchy and even her outfit questioned the norm, ignoring unspoken show etiquette of wearing a shirt of the band you're seeing. She rocked an over sized t-shirt of her own over a menagerie of fishnet apparel, of course. Setting the pace for her set, she opened her with her popular 2020 single that encapsulates her headstrong energy, "People I Don't Like." 

UPSAHL @ The Warfield 3/17/2022
photo by Marc Fong

 There was enough middle fingers, stomping and attitude for all. And the audience loved it all. The people riding the rails in front row were Yungblud fans,  for sure and were there to secure their spots for him but they knew all the words of some of UPSHAL's  songs played at the show that night. 

UPSAHL @ The Warfield 3/17/2022
photo by Marc Fong

With her current upward trajectory I'm sure we'll see UPSAHL headlining larger shows of her own soon. 

UPSAHL at The Warfield 3/17/2022 set-list

1.People I Don't Like 

UPSAHL @ The Warfield 3/17/2022
photo by Marc Fong

review written by Marc Fong & Nikki DeMartini

2. Douchebag 

3. Time Of My Life 

4. Drugs 

5. Money on My Mind 

6. Lady Jesus

7. IDFWFEELINGS

8. Thriving 

9. Sad Sorry After Party

10. Lunatic