Fred Again.. performs at Frost Amphitheater in Palo Alto, Calif. on June 4, 2024. Matt Pang/STAFF.
Fred Again.. performs at Frost Amphitheater in Palo Alto, Calif. on June 4, 2024. Matt Pang/STAFF.
SAN FRANCISCO – Pandemonium ensued among fans of Fred Again.. earlier this week when the London DJ and producer took to Instagram to tease the next city on his USB002 tour with a video of him driving across the Bay Bridge. The artist, born Frederick John Philip Gibson, has been announcing this tour one show at a time on the week of the show itself.
To add even more hype, Gibson is playing 10 cities in 10 weeks while releasing 10 songs, part of his USB002 project, which meant attendees at the Cow Palace on Friday got a new song.
Fred Again.. started with his latest track with Boston rapper BIA, “ICEY,” as red lights beamed all over. He played an extended outro, keeping the momentum up while cheering attendees on, standing on top of his CDJ gear.
“San Francisco! There’s a song that came out today!” he yelled before the room turned dark red and he premiered “Solo,” featuring British drill rapper Blanco. He followed that up with anthem “Delilah.”
“I don’t take this for granted. Thank you so much for coming,” he shouted. “Are you ready to sing with me?”
He then transitioned to “Adore You,” which had some fans locking arms together and singing word for word.
Above the crowd, a fabric installation designed by artist Boris Acket hung above the crowd and moved throughout the performance, accompanied by lights.
The lights started to flicker as Fred Again.. played his remix of Future’s “Turn On the Lights.” The bass dropped out and some began moshing.
The set then took a left turn as Gibson spun Prince’s “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” The moment felt like an intermission and a break from the intense beat drops of the first half of the performance. Lights shone on the Cow Palace floor, illuminating the crowd.
Fred Again.. brought the energy up again and asked attendees to sing their loudest as during his collaborative song with Romy of the xx, “Strong.” He closed out the show strong with his collaboration with “Places To Be,” a collab with Anderson .Paak that he debuted at a set at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza in June 2024.
Each show on the USB002 tour includes a different lineup and Friday’s gig featured five artists: Hamdi, Oppidan, Bad Juuju, Clearcast and Vertigo, with the latter three DJs performing together.
Oppidan, a rising U.K. garage DJ and producer, meshed hard techno with house music. The bass from her songs echoed throughout the Cow Palace. Oppidan later switched back to drum and bass and played remixes of classics like Disclosure’s “You & Me.” Her Grimes beats paired well with the electronic percussion.
Fellow U.K. artist Alexander Hamdi blended intense dubstep with different grime beats. The tempo increased and his music began syncing to the lights, which produced a strong organic effect. Hamdi played EsDeeKid’s “4 Raws” and later transitioned to A Trak’s “Heads Will Roll.” That instrumental alone made the dance floor more rowdy.
With Oppidan and Hamdi on stage, Fred Again.. appeared to perform alongside them. This was the best of both worlds, mixing Gibson’s melodic sound with the guests’ deeper bass techno sound. The three spun Dom Dolla’s “San Frandisco,” among others. Fred Again.. also played original tracks like “Victory Lap,” mixing it to Travis Scott’s “FEIN.”
Bay Area artists Bad Juuju, Clearcast and Vertigo started the night off with a b3b set, blending deep techno that synchronized well. They mixed songs like “one2three” by Disclosure and Leven Kali with gritty U.K. rap like Stormzy’s “Wiley Flow.” The three concluded with a remix of “If U Need It,” by Sammy Virji.
About The Author
Matt Pang continues to surround himself in photography after his love of music introduced him to it. His fondest memories include watching replays of VH1 music video countdowns. He lives in San Jose and enjoys watching the Giants in his free time.
Matt Pang continues to surround himself in photography after his love of music introduced him to it. His fondest memories include watching replays of VH1 music video countdowns. He lives in San Jose and enjoys watching the Giants in his free time.