Just two songs into her three-night stint at SFJAZZ, Mavis Staples was treated to a surprise that would have suited any of the 700 attendees inside the Miner Auditorium: A rose.

Granted, Mavis is always deserving of flowers. So many have showered her with her proverbial flowers over the course of her nearly seven decades in the music business, and rightfully so. Three Grammy wins, along with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; A rainbow-colored ribbon from the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016; A spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. All of those awards and honorifics (and more), she’s earned courtesy of her iconic voice and unstoppable spirit, be it as a solo artist, with The Staple Singers, or for her collaborations with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Prince, Bob Dylan, and Jon Batiste—the last of whom helped her land one of her Grammys. But on Valentine’s Day, in front of an adoring crowd in downtown San Francisco, another rose was beyond appropriate for the 85-year-old singing legend from Chicago.

Even without that show of floral affection, Mavis’ place in the hearts and minds of San Franciscans was already secure. After all, those in the house had chosen the first of her three weekend performances as their evening’s entertainment, over NBA All-Star Weekend festivities and Chinese New Year celebrations going on across the city.

In true Mavis fashion, she not only stole the show, but made it clear that her appearance in the city by the Bay was the place to be on Valentine’s Day. Between soulful classics, some new material, and a whole lot of stories from her historic career and life, Mavis made sure to amplify the love with which the air was already thick.

She pulled from her catalog with The Staple Singers early and often to fill her 15-song setlist. She and her band opened with the back-to-back of “City In The Sky” and “Just Another Soldier”. The middle of the set saw her belt out “Got To Be Some Changes” and “Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)”.

After citing “Why? (Am I Treated So Badly)”, Mavis treated attendees to a story about how that song was a favorite of Dr. Martin Luther King’s, with whom she and The Staple Singers helped to push the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Mavis and her band then dove into “Respect Yourself”—with her guitarist, whom she jokingly dubbed “Pops Junior,” providing lead vocals through the first stanza of the song—but not before she recounted a funny tale about how her grandmother explained her own moaning (answer: to keep “the devil” out).

Even with so many references to The Staple Singers, Mavis managed to surface plenty of her own material during the 75-minute performance. She looped in “Who Told You That” from 2017’s If All I Was Was Black, gave some love to the players behind her with “I Belong To The Band” off 2010’s You Are Not Alone, and had everyone shuffling to “Can You Get To That” and swaying to “Far Celestial Shore”, both from 2013’s One True Vine.

Mavis also made sure to save room for her contemporaries and influences alike. Early on, she performed “Hand Writing On The Wall”, from her collaborative album with The Band’s Levon Helm, 2022’s Carry Me Home. The middle third of the set kicked off with the centuries-old jubilee song “Wade In The Water”, which Mavis recorded for 1996’s Spirituals & Gospels: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson.

Following the introduction of a new song—“Human Mind”, which she teased from an upcoming album—Mavis ended the evening with a soaring rendition of Eddie Hinton’s “Everybody Needs Love”, a fitting choice to send everyone off into the deep night of Valentine’s Day.

Though the holiday has passed, there will be plenty more love to go around with Mavis’ help. In the wake of her weekend in San Francisco, she will head to New York City for a show at the famed Beacon Theatre on March 6th, followed by three mid-March dates in Tokyo. Come spring, Mavis will be back in North America for a series of festival dates, including appearances in Texas, South Carolina, New Jersey, and a pair in Canada. Find a full list of upcoming shows and ticketing details here.

Setlist: Mavis Staples | Miner Auditorium | San Francisco, CA | 2/14/25
Set: City In the Sky, Just Another Soldier, Hand Writing on the Wall, Who Told You That, Can You Get To That, Wade In The Water, Got To Be Some Changes, I Belong To The Band, Why? (Am I Treated So Bad), Respect Yourself, Chicago, Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom), Far Celestial Shore, Human Mind, Everybody Needs Love