Shannon and the Clams gave an electrifying performance on Fri., Sep. 25 at The Observatory in Santa Ana. The sold out show took place at the Observatory’s side stage, The Constellation Room. Though the heat was unbearable and the room was packed to full capacity, fans anxiously awaited the Oakland trio with high hopes for the coming set. After the two openers, Cool Ghouls and Kim & the Created, the main act was finally ready to perform. Clad in her 1950’s getup, Shannon (vocals, bassist) took the stage, followed by the Clams, Nate Mahan (drums, vocals) and Cody Blanchard (guitar, vocals). As they set up and did a mic check and instrument checks, the anticipation in the room built up to an almost unbearable level. Shannon introduced herself and her compatriots, and the stage was theirs.

The lights dimmed, the crowd settled, and a strong wind began to blow into Shannon’s face, via an offstage fan. As the atmosphere reached this almost eery state, they started their performance. The first song , “The Bog,” was a number from their new album, complete with rhythmic guitar plucking and mystifying chanting. Throughout the night, the garage rock, doo-wop group gave the crowd a mosh-worthy set.

The setlist consisted mostly of their well known songs alternating with songs off of their newest album, Gone By The Dawn. Despite problems with Shannon’s monitor, and unwelcomed feedback from Blanchard’s side of the stage, the band pressed on with the show. They kept the energy and excitement up by playing many hits of theirs including “Hey Willy,” “Rat House,” and “Rip VanWinkle.” They off-set their fast paced tempo with an incredible live version of their new song “Corvette,” giving the crowd a chance to rest and catch their breath. The night went on, and the crowd became increasingly rambunctious.

As they played their last song, “The Cult Song,” the crowd got a bit too comfortable with Shannon and her boys, and audience members started to rush the stage. First there were few, next thing you knew, half of the Constellation room had gone up on stage. Despite this upset, Shannon managed to finish her song as the stage security started to pull people off. As the band rushed off stage, they were saluted with one last roar and applause.