{"id":99771,"date":"2025-12-18T15:46:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/99771\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T15:46:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:46:15","slug":"4-non-blondes-return-to-san-francisco-with-new-songs-no-apologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/99771\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Non Blondes return to San Francisco with new songs, no apologies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"44 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025. Steve Carlson\/STAFF.<\/p>\n

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 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\u2019t going to be a nostalgic victory lap.<\/p>\n

4 Non Blondes
8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco Tickets: Sold Out.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to be playing new songs.\u201d Perry told the crowd, sporting a tall-crowned hat and fur coat against the venue\u2019s chill. \u201cI\u2019m old. I can\u2019t sing about old \u2018Mr. Heffer\u2019 anymore. I can\u2019t really relate to Billy and Suzie anymore. Basically, we put a record together that sounds like what our next record would have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n

The set opened aggressively with new cuts \u201cNowhere\u201d and \u201cStrange Places.\u201d Both were driven by heavy, distorted guitar riffs that recalled the band\u2019s grunge-adjacent roots. Soft, faded lights gave way to flickering beaming green hues that transformed the room\u2019s ornate details into a glossier patina.<\/p>\n

Perry commanded the stage with her signature charisma, introducing her bandmates\u2014Roger Rocha on guitar, Christa Hillhouse on bass and Dawn Richardson on drums\u2014while acknowledging the elephant in the room: there were five people on stage, not four.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick [Maybury] played on nearly everything I worked on, so he was invited,\u201d Perry explained. \u201cI always felt we needed one more person, but Christa wouldn\u2019t let me because we were 4 Non Blondes, not five.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band locked into a powerful groove on \u201cPush and Shove,\u201d 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 \u201990s again. Rocha\u2019s guitar work shifted between crunchy power chords and melodic runs that gave the new material a more mature, complex edge than their earlier work.<\/p>\n

Despite occasional feedback issues, the set was remarkably tight. Richardson\u2019s drumming was particularly impressive throughout: her cymbal work added texture and urgency without overpowering Perry\u2019s distinctive, raspy vocals.<\/p>\n

\"44 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

The older crowd went wild when the band finally dipped into its past with \u201cTrain.\u201d The crowd med the familiar bass line with cheers. The somber, slower \u201cIt Follows\u201d followed. Perry\u2019s vocals took center stage over sparser guitar strumming and percussion that built gradually into a more anthemic finale.<\/p>\n

But Perry\u2019s most compelling moments came when she opened up between songs. Addressing the audience about her songwriting career\u2014which included massive hits for P!nk and Christina Aguilera\u2014she reflected on pratfalls.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fall into these traps of approval from friends, boyfriends, parents\u2014that\u2019s the worst,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t really care if you like this song. My advice is that you should just write songs that feel good to perform. I\u2019m lucky being back with the band.\u201d<\/p>\n

She followed with \u201cMonomorphic,\u201d which she described as \u201cbasically about what\u2019s happening in the world today.\u201d The song featured playful breakdowns that had the crowd eating it up. Then came \u201cDrama Queen,\u201d introduced with a story about Courtney Love.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is fucking awesome and a lot to handle, but she\u2019s one of the most brilliant people I\u2019ve ever met,\u201d Perry said. \u201cHer 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.\u201d The track itself delivered on the title with theatrical flourishes and a strutting, attitude-filled chorus.<\/p>\n

The most unexpected moment arrived when Perry performed a stripped-down version of \u201cBeautiful,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Perry got personal before mellow piano-driven ballad \u201cLive Forever,\u201d reflecting on legacy and mortality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all think about the possibilities of what we can achieve. I know we can\u2019t live forever, but the things we create can,\u201d she said. \u201cI 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\u2019re kind, it feels good. Everything we do today can live on forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice softened to deliver the evening\u2019s most emotionally vulnerable performance.<\/p>\n

Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s come to that point in the evening,\u201d Perry acknowledged, as phones emerged en masse for \u201cWhat\u2019s Up!\u201d She turned the mic toward the audience for the iconic chorus, letting the crowd carry the weight of the song that defined their career.<\/p>\n

The band concluded with new track \u201cHollow,\u201d a mid-tempo rocker that further cemented its commitment to moving forward rather than dwelling in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we reunited, we wanted to play some small intimate venue in San Francisco,\u201d Perry said. \u201cThank you for making this a really wonderful evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s \u201cSeason of the Witch\u201d and newly released single \u201cSister.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t4 Non Blondes perform at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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

\t\t\t\tThe Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tThe Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tThe Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tThe Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

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

\t\t\t\tThe Willow Snag performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

Follow photographer Steve Carlson at Instagram.com\/SteveCarlsonSF<\/a> and Twitter.com\/SteveCarlsonSF<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About The Author<\/p>\n

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

Sery Morales<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2014though 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.<\/p>\n

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

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\u2014though 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.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

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