4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025. Steve Carlson/STAFF.
SAN FRANCISCO — Linda Perry and 4 Non Blondes brought their reunion back to the place it all started on Wednesday for first of a two-night stand at Great American Music Hall, and Perry made one thing crystal clear from the start: this wasn’t going to be a nostalgic victory lap.
4 Non Blondes
8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco Tickets: Sold Out.
“We’re going to be playing new songs.” Perry told the crowd, sporting a tall-crowned hat and fur coat against the venue’s chill. “I’m old. I can’t sing about old ‘Mr. Heffer’ anymore. I can’t really relate to Billy and Suzie anymore. Basically, we put a record together that sounds like what our next record would have been.”
And that’s exactly what the band delivered: a glimpse into an alternate timeline where 4 Non Blondes never broke up after their 1992 debut, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
The set opened aggressively with new cuts “Nowhere” and “Strange Places.” Both were driven by heavy, distorted guitar riffs that recalled the band’s grunge-adjacent roots. Soft, faded lights gave way to flickering beaming green hues that transformed the room’s ornate details into a glossier patina.
Perry commanded the stage with her signature charisma, introducing her bandmates—Roger Rocha on guitar, Christa Hillhouse on bass and Dawn Richardson on drums—while acknowledging the elephant in the room: there were five people on stage, not four.
“Nick [Maybury] played on nearly everything I worked on, so he was invited,” Perry explained. “I always felt we needed one more person, but Christa wouldn’t let me because we were 4 Non Blondes, not five.”
The band locked into a powerful groove on “Push and Shove,” with dynamic guitar licks cutting through the yellow-lit haze. Show-goers with spiked hair and worn leather jackets threw up the horns and it felt like the ’90s again. Rocha’s guitar work shifted between crunchy power chords and melodic runs that gave the new material a more mature, complex edge than their earlier work.
Despite occasional feedback issues, the set was remarkably tight. Richardson’s drumming was particularly impressive throughout: her cymbal work added texture and urgency without overpowering Perry’s distinctive, raspy vocals.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
The older crowd went wild when the band finally dipped into its past with “Train.” The crowd med the familiar bass line with cheers. The somber, slower “It Follows” followed. Perry’s vocals took center stage over sparser guitar strumming and percussion that built gradually into a more anthemic finale.
But Perry’s most compelling moments came when she opened up between songs. Addressing the audience about her songwriting career—which included massive hits for P!nk and Christina Aguilera—she reflected on pratfalls.
“We fall into these traps of approval from friends, boyfriends, parents—that’s the worst,” she said. “So I don’t really care if you like this song. My advice is that you should just write songs that feel good to perform. I’m lucky being back with the band.”
She followed with “Monomorphic,” which she described as “basically about what’s happening in the world today.” The song featured playful breakdowns that had the crowd eating it up. Then came “Drama Queen,” introduced with a story about Courtney Love.
“She is fucking awesome and a lot to handle, but she’s one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met,” Perry said. “Her mind is incredible. But I wrote this song and she came in but was too high to do the song, so I took the song back.” The track itself delivered on the title with theatrical flourishes and a strutting, attitude-filled chorus.
The most unexpected moment arrived when Perry performed a stripped-down version of “Beautiful,” the ballad she wrote for Aguilera. The audience sang along to every word, creating an intimate atmosphere punctured by scattered lighters. The flames felt decidedly old-school in a room filled with phone lights.
Perry got personal before mellow piano-driven ballad “Live Forever,” reflecting on legacy and mortality.
“We all think about the possibilities of what we can achieve. I know we can’t live forever, but the things we create can,” she said. “I have a 10 year old, so I will live forever. My child will have children, and the impact we make on each other on a daily basis matters. If you’re kind, it feels good. Everything we do today can live on forever.”
Her voice softened to deliver the evening’s most emotionally vulnerable performance.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
“It’s come to that point in the evening,” Perry acknowledged, as phones emerged en masse for “What’s Up!” She turned the mic toward the audience for the iconic chorus, letting the crowd carry the weight of the song that defined their career.
The band concluded with new track “Hollow,” a mid-tempo rocker that further cemented its commitment to moving forward rather than dwelling in the past.
“When we reunited, we wanted to play some small intimate venue in San Francisco,” Perry said. “Thank you for making this a really wonderful evening.”
Sacramento duo The Willow Snags opened the evening with an energetic set that blended rockabilly and garage rock. It included an impressive cover of Donovan’s “Season of the Witch” and newly released single “Sister.”
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
The Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
The Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
The Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
The Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
The Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.
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About The Author
Sery Morales grew up in a small town that only had three radio stations: country, Christian and classic rock. Her tastes are much wider. She plays the flute, piano, recorder and electric guitar—though not very well. To make up for her mediocre skills, she befriended musicians around Oakland for the last 10 years; not because they were musicians, but because they laughed at her jokes.
Sery Morales grew up in a small town that only had three radio stations: country, Christian and classic rock. Her tastes are much wider. She plays the flute, piano, recorder and electric guitar—though not very well. To make up for her mediocre skills, she befriended musicians around Oakland for the last 10 years; not because they were musicians, but because they laughed at her jokes.
Steve Carlson is a music photographer who can regularly be found shooting in photo pits around the Bay Area and beyond. He has an interest in shooting passionate performers, including up-and-comers, in any genre. Raised in Michigan along the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, Steve has made his home in the East Bay for nearly 20 years.