by Sean Reiter
Samantha Fish put her foot on the gas from the start of her set at The Fillmore as the guitarist led her band in a blistering cover of MC5’s “Kick Out The Jam” that set the tone for a show that leaned heavy into the rock side of her repertoire. Fish and her band ripped through 15 songs that had the Fillmore roaring with their arms up throughout.
Fish unleashed one blistering solo after another throughout the night as she leaned heavily into her 2025 album “Paper Doll” – with six songs off the record that was recenty nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Indeed three of her first four songs were off the new album with title track “Paper Doll”, “I’m Done Runnin'” and “Sweet Southern Sounds”. The band’s energy behind the new songs more than compensated for any lack of audience familiarity as each was warmly welcomed and received equal reception to her more familiar tunes like “Bulletproof” and “Dream Girl”.
“I’m not joking when I say this is one of my favorite rooms in the world to play. I love coming to this area,” Fish told the crowd as her bandmates applauded in agreement. Fish brought Sgt. Spendor guitarist Eric McFadden to the stage for perhaps the bluesiest moment of the night as they covered R.L. Burnside’s “Going Down South” with the two dueling on guitar back and forth with huge smiles on their faces. Throughout the night, she mixed her sweet, appreciative Kansas City attitude deftly with guitar-playing snarls and wailing guitars.
Opener Robert Jon & The Wreck brought an arena-level Southern rock performance that was both familiar and fresh. Lead guitarist Henry James stood out with a mesmerizing performance that had the crowd buzzing during and after the set. “Oh Miss Carolina” had a Black Crowes tinge to it with Jon’s anthemic chorus and singalong ,mixed with James’ impressive solos. “Do You Remember” brought Allman Brothers & Lynyrd Skynyrd vibes back to The Fillmore. Ironically, despite their deep Southern sound, the band members actually hail from Southern California and have been an Orange County favorite for a decade.
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