These Four Concerts Gave Me Life in 2025

Music is powerful. Avid concertgoers know that a live show can do more than just entertain — it can move you, teach you and even patch up a wounded soul (or knee!). This year, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some incredible local artists like LaRussell and P-Lo, budding pop starlets like Reneé Rapp and Addison Rae, and global icons like Kylie Minogue and Beyoncé in concert. Here are four of the most memorable moments that have stayed with me.

LaRussell’s healing powers at SFMOMA

When a friend invited me to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for its members-only preview night celebrating the new Kaws: Family exhibit, I jumped at the chance — not because of the TikTok-ready sculptures, but because LaRussell was slated to play a live set on the fifth floor terrace. As luck would have it, I tripped and fell on my walk from the Muni station to the museum, giving myself a gnarly wound, but I wasn’t going to let that set me back.

In the slight chill of a November evening, I soaked in the positive energy the Vallejo rapper carries with him everywhere he performs, briefly forgetting the physical pain I was in. As he played one Bay Area banger after another, the crowd loosened up, bodies moving in unison to Mac Dre’s “Thizzle Dance” and more. In between songs, he made sure to engage with the fans, old and new, who packed up the terrace to its full capacity.

But my favorite moment was when LaRussell asked for a free SFMOMA membership after talking about how inaccessible events like this seemed to him previously, cracking a joke about the evergreen issues of affordability and elitism in the art world.

LaRussell made us laugh, dance and think. And for that, I was thankful.

An epic Destiny’s Child reunion at the Raiders’ new home

I already wrote about my experience flying to Los Angeles to catch the opening night of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour in April. It was an epic show with a clear message, honoring the Black American roots of country music.

In July, when I traveled to Las Vegas to catch the last show of the tour, I could not have imagined the surprise Queen Bey had in store for her fans: a Destiny’s Child guest appearance featuring Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, marking their first public performance together since their Coachella reunion in 2018.

The silhouette of the trio emerging from the stage lift was enough to send the crowd into a frenzy. My personal response was turning to my friend and screaming “NO!” repeatedly in disbelief.

The group quickly left the stage after performing “Lose My Breath” and “Bootylicious,” but I haven’t stopped thinking about that night since.

Everybody fainted at the sight of Reneé Rapp

Look, I’ve been to enough shows in my life to know that a person fainting at a concert is not newsworthy in itself. But what transpired at pop music up-and-comer Reneé Rapp’s tour stop at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was more unusual.

Several times throughout her show, at least three distinct moments I can recall, the singer was forced to pause her performance to assist passed-out fans in the audience and call on venue staff to provide support. I have never seen another show that was disrupted so many times for the same reason.

My guess is that some of Rapp’s more rabid fans might have neglected to hydrate and eat in favor of securing their spot near the front barricade. What can I say, San Francisco showed out for the lesbian icon-in-the-making!

Despite the interruptions, Reneé Rapp’s strong vocal performance and catalog full of earworms were enough to satisfy those of us who were still conscious at the end of the show.

P-Lo brought out Too $hort at the Bay FC Game

2025 was the year I fell in love with following women’s sports — and I know I’m not the only one feeling this way. When Bay FC, the Bay Area’s women’s soccer team, announced that they would play a game at San Francisco’s Oracle Park over the summer, a friend of mine quickly arranged for a dozen of us to pull up to the game.

What we didn’t know was that the game would be one for the history books. With over 40,000 fans in attendance, that afternoon set a new record for the largest audience in the National Women’s Soccer League history.

The halftime show included a stellar performance by East Bay rapper P-Lo, but his special guest, Too $hort, stole the show with “Blow the Whistle.” Never have I ever felt safer screaming the words to that song (“What’s my favorite word? / Biiiiiiiiitch”) than in the presence of 40,000 women’s sports fans.