Phantogram fills SOMA in San Diego

January has its moments in San Diego… nights where seemingly the entire town comes out at once after months of holiday hibernation. Friday, January 17th, 2025 turned out to be one of these rare instances… causing major traffic around the Point Loma area as a sold-out Phantogram show at SOMA collided with a weekend of Wrestlemania at Sports Arena. Concert-goers were thus thrust into the middle of a congested car-to-car smackdown, battling for parking when cornered on all sides in the lot that connects the two venues. It was a blood bath.

45 minutes later, I had walked the half-mile all the way around the circumference of the Pechanga (née Sports) Arena, down the side street, and over to the strip mall where SOMA sits to wait in line to get through security. Because of the delay, I had little time to catch opener Sunday (1994) although what little I did see was very impressive. A motley crew out of LA, the lead singer’s voice was angelic, the bass and beats were steady, and the British guitarist was a laugh.

I hope to see more out of this promising band soon.

As the entire place filled up with all walks of life, it occurred to me how vast Phantogram‘s fanbase really is. I saw goths standing next to preppy college kids next to Bohemian hippie types with their bellies showing (despite the cold exterior, so props to them). The all-ages show had people in their 60s standing next to wide-eyed tweens, ready to witness one of their first concerts ever. It was pretty magical. And, as Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter took their places on the darkened stage, the place erupted. Performing their Running Through the Colors Tour, it was only fitting that the duo were basked in greens, blues, pinks, reds — all the hues of the rainbow — for most of the set. Only a few times did the lighting give way to a black-and-white strobe show to amplify edgier songs.

Head-banging her way through familiar favorites, Sarah sounded identical to recordings, hitting every note, no matter how high. It was impressive. And I hope she has a good chiropractor. Sarah had her fun with the crowd too, asking if anyone present were at their 2009 show back in the day at The Casbah. One woman shouted that they apparently had a bathroom chat at that show, in which Sarah replied, “Fuck yeah, I was in the bathroom with you!”

Whether or not she remembers the exchange, you can tell that conversation sparked a lifetime of loyalty for the fan.

With their new Memory Of A Day album, Josh and Sarah went into a laundry list of the latest tracks, including “It Wasn’t Meant To Be”, “All A Mystery”, “Come Alive”, and “Attaway” — the latter of which was played twice to get it just right.

Of course, they went through “When I’m Small”, “Don’t Move”, “Fall In Love”, etc., keeping “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” and “Black Out Days” for the encore. I do have to give a shoutout to the live rendition of “Run Run Blood”, as it was such a sexy contrast from the rest of the setlist. Cheers to a new year of music, with Phantogram keeping the public warm in the wintertime.

Photography by Kristy Rose

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