REVIEW: Illenium In San Francisco
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY ELIJAH CLOWER ☆
HOMETOWN ICON ILLENIUM lit up the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Night 1 of his double two-night weekend run in San Francisco, delivering everything fans have come to expect, and then some. This marked his third straight year in San Francisco and second consecutive year at Bill Graham after a 2023 stop at Chase Center. From the first drop, the space filled with that same intensity/electric energy we’ve become so accustomed to from Illenium shows, complete with lasers, pyro and visuals. The new LED boards hanging from the ceiling and full stage box LED wall added a fresh layer for photographers and fans, giving the production a stunning visual upgrade that kept things from feeling overly familiar.
Throughout the night, Illenium tapped into both his new material and well-loved throwbacks. Tracks like “Starfall,” “Feel Something,” and a crowd-slaying version of “Blame Myself (Virtual Riot remix)” brought waves of emotion and heavy trap drops that reverberated through the crowd. Covering Illenium again this year felt like returning home in more ways than one. The familiar rush was back, and yet new production surprises gave it fresh life. If this becomes an annual SF tradition, count me in for the three-peat next year!
