Tennis made a stop at the Fox Theater in Oakland Wednesday night during their Pollen tour and were joined by Loving. The ambience of the venue set the tone for the evening and it made for a very chilled out midweek show. Those that had GA floor tickets made their way as close to the stage as they could once the doors opened, but still managed to give each other space, which doesn’t happen very often at shows.
Loving, for those who aren’t familiar with their music, are a very mellow band that were overall a great way to kick off the show. We all stood there in a trancelike state, swaying to the music. It was the perfect start to help prep the crowd for what would turn out to be a great night.
Tennis took the stage after a quick stage prep and the production for this tour was minimalistic, yet elegant. The backdrop consisted of a combination of spring pastel colors and a few bright tones here and there. Front woman, Alaina Moore, gave me chills with her sultry, silky voice. I’ve always been a fan of her voice and style, but finally getting to experience it in person brought it all to a whole new level. They played some new songs off their Pollen album, sprinkled with a few fan favorites from the past. Midway through the show, Alaina stopped to acknowledge the danky smell coming from the crowd and said, “We’re from Colorado, so it smells like home in here right now. Thank you for bringing home to us tonight.”
She followed that up with an impromptu Q&A asking the crowd if they had any questions regarding relationships, since she mentioned that her and husband/ bandmate Patrick Riley are approaching their 13th wedding anniversary.
The show continued with lots of dancing, swaying and folks just vibing to the music and performance. This was a great show to throw some excitement into the middle of a work week without going too crazy. Definitely a must see show if ever given the opportunity!
