Before the thunder of Queens of the Stone Age filled Davies Symphony Hall, an unexpected quiet fell – courtesy of Paris Jackson, who opened the show with an intimate acoustic performance that startled and captivated the San Francisco audience.
The 27-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson has long been determined to build a musical identity apart from her father’s legacy.
At the home of the San Francisco Symphony on Monday, Nov. 10, she made that separation sound effortless – performing a raw, eight-song set that leaned on new material from her forthcoming album with songwriter and producer Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes, including songs like “Zombies in Love,” “Drain” and “My Buckling Knees.”
Seated alone on a stool, illuminated by a single spotlight, Jackson performed with a quiet intensity that contrasted the night’s headliners.
Paris Jackson performs at Fox Theatre on Oct. 03 in Detroit. Michael Jackson’s daughter opened Queens of the Stone Age’s San Francisco show on Monday, Nov. 10, with a raw, intimate acoustic set at Davies Symphony Hall. (Scott Legato/Getty Images)
“Thank you guys for being so supportive. For coming early,” she told the crowd as latecomers shuffled to their seats in the dark.
Introducing “Gaslight,” Jackson asked whether anyone in the audience had ever been manipulated in a relationship.
After a burst of cheers, she laughed: “Y’all are weird up north.”
Her stripped-down set precedes a full-length release that she’s described as deeply personal and “hard for some people to hear.”
The performance also follows her run of festival appearances – including BottleRock Napa Valley in 2023 – and a year marked by openness about her sobriety.
Honored last month for her work supporting women in recovery, she said, “I didn’t just get my life back. I got a better one.”
In a concert hall built for grandeur, Jackson’s minimalist set carried a surprising weight.
This article originally published at Paris Jackson leaves San Francisco crowd stunned at Queens of the Stone Age concert.