The Top 20 KFOG Private Concerts of 2016

Audience of listeners enjoying Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

There’s something about being in a room with a musician who’s playing to only a handful of people.

There’s no excess space, staging, or lighting to hide behind, so the usual separation between audience and artist is dissolved. And when the performance is stripped down to the instruments and their players, as a listener, you feel that you’re getting this really genuine and unique thing.

That’s because in those moments, what you’re getting is something completely new. The word “intimate” has been overused to describe performances like these, but that’s exactly what they are (don’t believe me? Have you ever had to hold back a sneeze at a small show when it got quiet?). But it’s more than that: in these small, private, intimate shows, the audience gets to collaborate in the moment with the artist – you both feed off each other; you can’t help it.

Lead singer Luke Spiller and bassist Jed Elliott from The Struts.

That’s why we love our KFOG Private Concert series in Levi’s Lounge so much. This year, the new stage was officially christened by Cheap Trick, but welcomed Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy, Alabama’s soulful Anderson East, and S.F. local Matt Nathanson before that, and they set the bar high. Since then, we’ve had stellar local artists, phenomenal breakout acts, captivating solos performers, and bands we’ve been listening to forever pass through our doors.

St. Paul & The Broken Bones came in right after their killer performance on Conan. Glam-rock band The Struts went acoustic for us (and our neighbors). The Lumineers made a pit-stop here after playing The White House and before they played the sold-out Greek Theatre to a crowd of nearly 9,000 – proving that fame and playing small venues are still not mutually exclusive.

After a year of unforgettable performances, we wanted to take a special look back at some of our favorite moments. You can find more videos like these on the Levi’s Lounge page.