This past weekend, Spafford continued their extensive 2018 “For Amusement Only” tour with their first-ever stint at fan-favorite bay area venue Terrapin Crossroads. While they were originally scheduled to play just one show on Saturday, March 3rd, a second date was added the following night due to overwhelming demand.

Saturday’s first set opened with a well-executed “Todd’s Tots”. The band was clearly locked in as it soared to a blissful peak landing before the tune’s closing theme. Next came the John Hiatt tune “Memphis in the Meantime”, which quickly picked up steam as the band led the audience through a dark, spacey section that built up to a ripping solo from guitarist Brian Moss. “Memphis” finally dropped into a swanky groove before melting into “Backdoor Funk”. By this point, the room was bursting with energy as a smiling Jordan Fairless sang out the chorus to this fan favorite. Spafford then moved into a gleeful “Hollywood”, which surprisingly launched into an incredible jam that segued into a glorious set-closing “In the Eyes of Thieves”.

Set two began with an energetic rendition of “Lonely” that continued into a crunchy segment of sonic synths from keyboardist Red Johnson, electric drums from Cameron Laforest, driving bass from Jordan, and mind-melting guitar from Brian. After landing smoothly back in “Lonely” territory, the band continued onwards with a bust out: their first performance of “Too Close” since 8/3/13 (269 shows) and third-ever live rendition of the Alex Clare tune.

“America” came next, almost immediately dropping into a wonderful improv session. Initially, Red’s keyboard lines sounded similar to “When a Fire Starts to Burn” by Disclosure, but the group swiftly delved deeper into a serene cohesiveness. Next came staple live cover “On Fire” (originally by JJ Grey & Mofro) followed by a newer tune, “My Road (My Road)”, debuted last October in Madison, WI. This pensive song started with a leisurely gait but soon evolved into an intense aural force. As Red’s vocals closed the tune, Spafford eased into the happy melodies of “Salamander Song” to close the set. The band finally finished out an incredible night one at Terrapin Crossroads with “The Reprise” in the encore slot, the band effortlessly bringing it to one final, soaring peak.

Spafford – Full Audio – 3/3/2018

[Audio: Matt Moricle]

Setlist: Spafford | Terrapin Crossroads | San Rafael, CA | 3/3/18

Set 1: Todd’s Tots, Memphis In The Meantime, Backdoor Funk, Hollywood, In The Eyes Of Thieves

Set 2: Lonely, Too Close, America, On Fire, My Road (My Road) > Salamander Song

Encore: The Reprise


Sunday night’s “bonus” show started off with “Eternity”, a fun and lyrically inspiring opener. Next, Red signaled in a roaring rendition of “The Remedy” that had the packed room instantly dancing. From there, Spafford landed into a cool, placid “Legend”, which showcases their mastery of dynamics by weaving through crescendos both instrumentally and vocally.

One of the highlights from the show was certainly the “Electric Taco Stand” that followed. Brian’s guitar playfully bounced along as the band harnessed an increasingly faster groove, evoking emotion via fluttering guitar before fading into an incredible “Alternate Ending” and, finally, back into “Electric Taco Stand”. The band closed out set one with a pair of newer tunes, 2017 debut “Lovesick Melody” and 2018 debut “Soil”, which sported a ripping jam along with its swaying melody.

“All In” kicked off the final set of the run, leading the audience through its characteristic heavy-hitting groove. That moved into an easy-going section, which in turn built back up to a penetrating pinnacle. The opening drum hits of “Slip and Squander” cooled things down momentarily before the group launched back into the musical cosmos. From there, the band kicked into a thumping electronic jam behind Red and Cameron before moving into their fan-favorite cover of Tears for Fears‘ “Mad World”.

Next, Spafford provided the perfect thematic counterpoint to “Mad World” with “Beautiful Day”. As the song’s final notes faded out, Jordan and Brian hit the throttle and steered the band into a set-closing “Galisteo Way”. To cap it all off, Spafford treated the crowd to elusive favorite “Double Time” for the first time since night two of their incredible Asheville, NC run in 2017.

Spafford – Full Audio – 3/4/2018

[Audio: Matt Moricle]

Spafford – Set One Video – 3/4/2018

[Video: Must Have Media]

Spafford – Set Two Video – 3/4/2018

[Video: Must Have Media]

Setlist: Spafford | Terrapin Crossroads | San Rafael, CA | 3/4/18

Set 1: Eternity, The Remedy, Legend, Electric Taco Stand > Alternate Ending > Electric Taco Stand, Lovesick Melody > Soil

Set 2: All In, Slip And Squander, Mad World, Beautiful Day, Galisteo Way

Encore: Double Time


Below, you can check out a gallery of photos from Spafford’s 3/4/18 show at Terrapin Crossroads courtesy of Ron Adelberg.

Spafford continues their “For Amusement Only” tour tomorrow, Wednesday, March 7th in Bend, OR. For a list of upcoming Spafford dates, head to the band’s website.