by Mike Lisching
On Thursday night, Hurray for the Riff Raff returned to San Francisco with a performance that was as emotionally raw as it was sonically rich. The Chapel’s vaulted ceilings and warm acoustics proved an ideal backdrop for Alynda Segarra’s poetic songwriting, which carried the room with urgency and grace.
Touring behind their 2024 album The Past Is Still Alive, Segarra and their touring band delivered a set that moved fluidly between meditative ballads and fierce, pulsing anthems. Highlights included the “Alibi,” “Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive),” and “Buffalo” each met with sing-along enthusiasm and rapturous applause from a crowd that hung onto every lyric.
It was a raw and emotional night from Alynda, who at one point lived in the parks of San Francisco. The most powerful moment during the show was in the Encore, where she paused to read the poem “If I Must Die” by Refaat Alareer. A powerful piece by the Palestinian writer, professor, and activist that became especially significant after his death in December 2023 during an Israeli airstrike amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Hurray For The Riff Raff played a second sold-out show at the Chapel on Friday before heading north to Sonoma and then the Pacific Northwest in the coming days.
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