Next month, San Francisco’s legendary venue The Independent will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a spectacular week of concerts. Starting on February 22, the storied indie theater will present eight nights of music from eight cutting-edge artists, reflecting the venue’s history of billing rising acts across an eclectic mix of scenes.
To kick off the week of festivities, indie-pop’s Neil Frances will perform on Thursday, Feb. 22. Through the weekend, the venue will host Grammy-nominated producer TOKiMONSTA on Feb. 23, two sets from André 3000’s New Blue Sun tour on Feb. 24 and a DJ set by RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Trixie Mattel on Feb. 25, billed as Solid Pink Disco with DJ Trixie. The next week will begin with a gig from Southern California indie rockers Young the Giant on Feb. 26, followed by an engagement by enigmatic neo-soul duo Emotional Oranges on Feb. 27 and a special bingo-themed concert from indie mainstay Real Estate on Feb. 28. Finally, in keeping with the venue’s history of interspersing comedy in its calendars, The Independent will close its series with a show from music/comedy fusion innovator Reggie Watts.
Since its establishment in 2004, The Independent has become a fixture of San Francisco’s North of the Panhandle neighborhood, carrying on the musical tradition of a hall that once housed historic clubs like the Justice League, Kennel Club, and The Half Note. In its two decades of operation, the intimate 550-capacity club has hosted over 5,500 concerts; among those to grace the stage were current icons at the outset of their careers, such as Tame Impala, Bon Iver and MGMT, as well as titanic legacy acts like Metallica, Cyndi Lauper and Beck. On The Independent’s anniversary, co-founder & co-owner Allen Scott shares, “When we opened this venue 20 years ago, we all wanted it to be iconic, while still staying completely independent. Now, not only has it stayed true to its original vision, but it’s become a leader and destination for live concerts in San Francisco and throughout the country.”
Tickets for The Independent’s 20th anniversary concert series will become available on Friday, Jan 26, at 10 a.m. PT. To purchase tickets or learn more, visit theindependentsf.com.
