As the lights dimmed at San Franciscoβs iconic Great American Music Hall, a soft hush fell over the crowd, signaling the start of something intimate. Opening for the legendary punk collective the Mekons, Kendall Jane Meade stepped onto the stage with a calm, grounded presence that immediately pulled the audience in. From LA to Seattle, Kendall is supporting the Mekonsβ tour promoting their new album Horror.
Originally from the Detroit area and now based in Los Angeles, Meade shared that San Francisco holds a special place in her heartβmany of the songs from her new album Space were written near the Bay Area. That intimacy carried through every note of her performance.
Meadeβs set featured songs from her new album, Space, including βOff The Grid,β βSolo,β and title-track βSpace.β Throughout her set, Meaded painted a sonic landscape of reflection, heartbreak, and growth. Before singing βStereo,β Meade mentioned that the initial inspiration for the song was her worry surrounding the sudden sickness of Madonna and the fear of losing the βqueen of pop.β After writing the song, Meade reflected that the song actually turned out to be about herself and the universal appreciation for music. Not only did the song reflect this beautiful connection and universal love for music, but it also brought the audience closer to one another in a shared experience of enjoying Meadeβs music live.
Before performing her last song, βHeaven On A Car Ride, βMeade asked for βprom lightingβ and encouraged the audience to slow dance. The song is about the feeling after a breakup of uncertainty about what to do with all the good things like the photos and good memories, so Meade put them all in this song.
Meadeβs voiceβsoft, angelic, and soothingβcarried over delicate guitar and gentle harmonies from multi-instrumentalist Eleanor Whitmore, weaving something almost ethereal. Despite the sweetness of her folk-pop sound, Meade is not afraid to edge into grittier textures with subtle electric guitar, adding emotional depth and sonic richness to her set. Her style evokes the warmth of campfire singalongsβhonest, comforting, and tinged with nostalgia. Her folk and mostly acoustic style felt as if we were all carried back to summer camp singing songs as we roasted marshmallows and shared our deepest secrets with new best friends. Meadeβs album Space reflects on breakup and loss, while somehow focusing on growth and making the most out of every moment.
Meade was the perfect opener for the Mekons because she has known Mekon Sally Timms since she was 27. Timms even performed a duet with Meade on her first album Follow The Sound, under the artist name Mascott, releasing a total of three albums and two EPs.
By the time the Mekons took the stage, the energy in the room had shifted from quiet introspection to charged anticipation. The long-running British punk outfit, famous for their radical politics and genre-defying sound, did not disappoint. Some fans mentioned they had been to five Mekons shows on this tour, spanning from the UK, to Europe to the US. One summed up the incredible feeling of seeing the Mekons live, βAll four front singers can lead their own bandβand they do, they all have side projectsβbut when they come together, they create something truly special.β
The band includes guitarist and vocalist Jon Langford, harmonicist, accordionist and vocalist Eric Bellis, guitarist and vocalist Tom Greenhalgh, vocalist Sally Timms, violinist Susie Honeyman, bassist Dave Trumfio, and drummer Steve Goulding.
Near the beginning of the Mekons set, a staff member sat a large fan at the front of the stage to keep the band cool under the bright lights. Langford joked with his bandmates asking if someone ordered delivery and the service was so good that it was delivered to them right on stage. Timms requested that the fan not point directly at her because at a recent show, a fan was pointing right at her. Afterwards, Honeyman told her she looked like βthat Englishwoman who sells out albums.β Eventually, they worked out that Honeyman meant Timms looked like Ed Sheeran. The crowd erupted in laughter.
The Mekons are a punk rock band with a political message. Fans described their music and performances as unique and truly special. The audience was filled with political advocates sporting political buttons on their clothes. A fan praised the band as working βto change the world a little bit through their art. Itβs hard to do without seeming like they are preaching, but they do it.β At the end of the song, the band changed the βMillionaireβ lyric βI love a millionaireβ to βI hate a billionaire.β The crowd laughed and sang along. The band performed a wide range of hits from their 1977 βI ? Appleβ to their 2025 βWar Economy.β During the set, Langford even said, βThe thing about fascists is they always lose,β drawing roaring approval from the audience.
While serious about their political beliefs, the band overall had a very unserious demeanor and joked with each other and the audience throughout their set. For example, Langford introduced a song by proclaiming, βWe wrote this one when Tom was three,β before Tom Greenhalgh began belting the lead vocals. Each member brought an incredible energy and unique personality that made the entire performance a true spectacle. Fans described Honeyman as βthe best on the fiddle of this generation.β
The fans clapped and stomped on the Great American Music Hall floor in demand for an encore. Due to the joking nature of the band, fans poked fun back at them. One even yelled, βyour head is flatβ as Langford balanced a guitar on his head as he spun in circles.
The night was a study in contrast and cohesion: Kendall Jane Meadeβs tender reflections gave way to The Mekonsβ explosive catharsis. And yet, both sets were united by sincerity, soul, and the belief that music can still move peopleβemotionally, politically, and communally. From whispered confessions to full-throated protest, it was a night to remember.
