The crowd exclaimed “oohs” and “awws” as they were teased with flickering TV screens displaying the name of rising indie-soul songwriter and the night’s performer: Ginger Root. Excitement stirred up within the audience as it was the last show of his Lil’ USA Tour at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

With the lights dimmed, a huge projection of an 80s-style film trailer played on the stage to introduce himself and his EP, City Slicker. Met with cheers and applause, Ginger Root greeted the packed theatre and broke the ice by fooling his audience into looking under their seats for non-existent 3D glasses. As the laughter calmed down, he began his set with “Fly Too,” where his fans easily found themselves nodding their heads to the beat.

Weaving in more aesthetic 80s-style footage between his songs, Ginger Root directed his audience to stand up for the City Slicker season finale. His brilliant use of multimedia and comedic timing during his set captured the audience and kept them engaged from song to song.

As director and producer, David Gutel casts the live video performance onto the TV screens, the camerawork’s lively energy quickly spread into the audience, contributing to the thrilling atmosphere Ginger Root had already set. With the City Slicker set coming to an end, Ginger Root provided a brief description of his most recent EP, Nisemono. This story depicted Ginger Root acting as a stand-in for a rising Japanese Idol, Kimiko Takeguchi when she decided to quit right before her American debut.

Soon, the set featured a small bit called “This Week’s Top Sound,” where the rankings transitioned into Ginger Root’s next few songs, kicking into the upbeat song “Loneliness” to the groovy “Over the Hill.”

Photo Cr: Ethan Buriel

The crowd’s enthusiasm reached its peak when the #1 ranking of “This Week’s Top Sound” was revealed: “Loretta.” With over 29 million plays on Spotify, Ginger Root’s most popular song got the audience out of their seats to sing along with him. Everyone’s eyes darted toward the middle of the stage when a saxophone soloist performed and soon played along with the rest of the band.

Afterward, Ginger Root and the crew held a rapid-fire Q&A session with his listeners. In fact, they read out their favorite questions, such as “Who is Loretta?” and “How does a ginger root?” In honor of it being his last show of the year, these laughs eventually turned into words of appreciation as Gutel shared a moment of appreciation with Ginger Root and the rest of the crew, thanking them for a wonderful touring experience.

With humor and gratitude, keeping up the energy in the theatre, Ginger Root encouraged the audience to participate. To spread Christmas cheer, he performed a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me” as his final song. However, shortly after this song, Ginger Root slowly let the name “Mahjong Room” out of his mouth, stating it would be the actual final song of the night. Fans reached into their emotions, singing along with the peacefulness associated with the song.

Ginger Root held up his hands toward the audience before leaving the stage, accepting the echoing cheers and bravos that boomed across the theatre. His knack for connecting with the audience through shared laughs and appreciation left everyone with a wide smile on their faces. Ginger Root’s showstopping performance and emotional impact in San Francisco was the perfect closing act to his Lil’ USA Tour.

What is your favorite song by Ginger Root? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by reaching out on Instagram or X (Twitter)!

Edited by Zoe Selesi

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