SPOON OPENS SUMMER TOUR WITH SOLD-OUT SANTA ANA GIG
Spoon played an exceptional warm-up show at The Observatory in Santa Ana this week before they began their summer tour supporting The Pixies. As expected, the gig was super sold out as the band’s die-hard fanbase jumped at the chance to see these legendary Austin rockers on stage once again. Spoon has spent most of the year hunkered down in the studio working on a new album and not performing live. As fate would have it, the band dropped two killer tracks on this, the same day as their kickoff show at the Observatory. Needless to say, these tidbits of new Spoon music whipped their fans into a frenzy, and the energy level inside the venue was out of this world.
This reviewer has attended countless shows at The Observatory over the years, both as a fan and a photographer, and in the decades we’ve spent rocking out in Santa Ana, we’ve never seen the venue’s auxiliary parking lot hit capacity before until this night. Not only did Spoon sell out The Observatory, but they also sold out the adjacent parking lot. That’s how packed to the gills this show was.
As the opening notes of “Small Stakes” rang out, the crowd inside went ballistic. Singing, dancing, shouting with glee as Spoon launched into what would be a killer headlining set, not many other souls would get to experience this year. Britt Daneil sounded amazing singing staples like “You Got Yr. Cherry bomb “I Turn My Camera On” and “My Babe.” There was a playful back and forth with the audience during almost every chorus over who could sing louder but ultimately Spoon won out. As great as it was hearing hits like “Do You” and old school gems like “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case” again for the first time in ages; perhaps the best part of the evening was witnessing the band rip through their brand new fresh out the studio/oven songs, “Chateau Blues” and “Guess I’m Falling In Love.” These songs barely saw the light of day hours before the show started, and fans were already head over heels for Spoon’s newest material. If these new songs are any indication, then the future looks bright for all inhabitants of Spoon-dom. Be sure to catch them touring with The Pixies and set every alert/notification/alarm available to snag a ticket for their next proper headlining run whenever the stars realign in 2026.
