{"id":9739,"date":"2025-10-17T14:34:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T14:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/9739\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T14:34:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T14:34:13","slug":"photos-chance-the-rapper-brings-faith-and-fire-to-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/9739\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTOS: Chance the Rapper brings faith and fire to San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\"Chance\t\t\t\t\t\"Chance\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"ChanceChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025. Starr Lee\/STAFF.<\/p>\n

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Chicago son Chancelor Johnathan Bennett\u2014Chance the Rapper\u2014stepped onto Masonic Auditorium\u2019s stage on Thursday to fill a vacuum created by his years-long absence with magnetic pull.<\/p>\n

His stage presence, a blend of humility and celebration, made the concert, part of his And We Back Tour, feel like a vital moment.<\/p>\n

He went nearly six years without a true album. The Big Day<\/a>, his most acclaimed record, dropped in 2019. Chance was on fire and had nearly sold out an arena tour. Then he scrapped it to focus on family<\/a>, and the world moved on. He\u2019s only performed in a limited capacity since, including appearing at Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa<\/a>. He staged a festival in Ghana<\/a>. Now he appears fully back. Chance\u2019s Masonic show felt both nostalgic and fiercely renewed.<\/p>\n

From the jump, Chance performed with infectious gratitude. He smiled between verses, shouted out the Bay, and turned familiar anthems like \u201cAll Night\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m the One\u201d into powerful communal rituals.\u00a0 The crowd didn\u2019t just rap along; attendees testified, shouting lyrics back to the stage. Every hook hit harder and spiritually.<\/p>\n

Visually, the stage glowed like cathedral stained glass (warm golds, deep purples and soft white beams) that framed Chance the Rapper like a silhouette of virtue. He carried that raw, gospel-meets-hip-hop heartbeat, and when he paused, he did so in order for attendees to take something in, such as for two words on a screen behind him to seep in: \u201cFUCK ICE.\u201d He stood silently with those words behind him.<\/p>\n

\"LaRussell\"<\/a>LaRussell.
\n\"Taylor<\/a>Taylor Bennett.<\/p>\n

By the time he closed with \u201cSpeed of Love,\u201d it felt less like the end of a set and more like the last, powerful line of a prayer. Chance reminded people that joy is loud, that healing takes rhythm, and that sometimes the most powerful, necessary thing you can do is dance through it.<\/p>\n

Earlier int he evening, Bay Area native LaRussell (LaRussell Thomas) took the stage to deliver a masterclass in independent hip-hop, setting a potent, community-focused tone. His performance represented his Good Compenny<\/a> philosophy\u2014building a powerful career on his own terms from the ground up, starting with his famous \u201cBackyard Residency\u201d shows in Vallejo.<\/p>\n

LaRussell\u2019s set was a rapid-fire celebration of Bay Area pride and lyrical agility. Excited to demonstrate how hyphy the Bay can be, he hopped offstage to perform on the Masonic floor, in the crowd. Set highlights included classic Bay Area cuts like Too Short\u2019s \u201cBlow the Whistle\u201d and Tupac\u2019s \u201cThat\u2019s Just the Way It Is,\u201d as well as \u201cWe Outside,\u201d his newer song with Ave.<\/p>\n

Chance\u2019s brother, Taylor Bennett, delivered a concise and energetic opening set, expertly supported by the crowd-rousing mixes of DJ Oreo. The younger Bennett<\/a> highlighted his distinct style, which mixes hip-hop with rock while delivering personal affirmations through his set.<\/p>\n

The songs he performed embodied his core philosophy. \u201cFavorite Color\u201d carried a central theme of self-acceptance, featuring mantra \u201calways remember to be yourself.\u201d Another song reflected on his grandmother, grounding the performance in family. \u201cRunning for Your Attention\u201d and \u201cBetter Than You Ever Been\u201d spoke directly to his journey as an independent artist unafraid to challenge industry norms.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Chance<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"LaRussell\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLaRussell performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"LaRussell\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLaRussell performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"LaRussell\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLaRussell performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"LaRussell\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLaRussell performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"LaRussell\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLaRussell performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"LaRussell\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tLaRussell performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Taylor<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTaylor Bennett performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Taylor<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTaylor Bennett performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Taylor<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTaylor Bennett performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Taylor<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTaylor Bennett performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

About The Author<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Starr Lee<\/a><\/p>\n

Starr Lee made the jump into concert photography to combine a longtime love of live music and the joy of doing her best to give people FOMO through an image. Originally from the Midwest, she didn\u2019t grow up around concerts, but that changed after moving to the Bay, where the music scene pulled her in. She\u2019s focused on R&B, hip-hop, and pop music, always chasing the emotion that makes a moment stick. When she\u2019s not editing or at a show, she\u2019s probably curating a playlist or people-watching through her lens.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Starr Lee made the jump into concert photography to combine a longtime love of live music and the joy of doing her best to give people FOMO through an image. Originally from the Midwest, she didn\u2019t grow up around concerts, but that changed after moving to the Bay, where the music scene pulled her in. She\u2019s focused on R&B, hip-hop, and pop music, always chasing the emotion that makes a moment stick. When she\u2019s not editing or at a show, she\u2019s probably curating a playlist or people-watching through her lens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chance the Rapper performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025. Chance the Rapper performs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9740,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[9405,9406,9407,101,103,102,104,106,105,9408],"class_list":{"0":"post-9739","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-chance-the-rapper","9":"tag-chancellor-bennett","10":"tag-larussell","11":"tag-san-francisco","12":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","13":"tag-san-francisco-news","14":"tag-sf","15":"tag-sf-headlines","16":"tag-sf-news","17":"tag-taylor-bennett"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}