Cigarettes After Sex played to a packed venue at the Fox Theater in Oakland Friday night as they continued their sold out US tour.
I’ve photographed a good amount of shows at the Fox, but it had been a long time since I had seen fans show up to the venue as early as C.A.S. fans did. The line of fans literally wrapped around the block and only seemed to continue getting longer. I was pretty surprised to see that the people waiting in line consisted of a much younger crowd. I overheard a few mention that they had just gotten out of class and even skipped their last period to get a good spot in line to try to make it to as close to the stage as possible. I became curious about how this crowd learned about the band, so I asked. I should’ve known that Tiktok and instagram would be a source these days. But a good one for that matter.
With no opener for this show, C.A.S took the stage around 9pm. They had a very simple stage set up with nothing more than their instruments and a disco ball. For a band that is very mellow, they definitely had a strong stage presence and quickly understood why they didn’t need more to their stage production. Singer, Greg Gonzalez has one of the most unique, soft, whispery vocals I’ve come across and listening to him sing live was amazing. Moments that came when the crowd sang along to the songs like a choir was enough to give me goosebumps. They’re definitely one of the bands that you can catch yourself spacing out into and put you in a trance like state as you slowly sway side to side.
