Fozzy performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on May 8, 2022. Mike DeWald/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — If half the battle of success in rock and roll is finding something unique that makes your band stand out, then the four bands playing at Great American Music Hall on Sunday night have little to worry about. Each brought something unique, weird, unexpected or just plain fun to the stage. What they all shared was was the ability to rock hard.

Of course, the night was led by Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho. The confidence of the musician and professional wrestler— and his ability to work a crowd like he does in the ring—shined before the first notes of “Sane” even hit. With just a smirk, a glare or a hand gesture, he whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

“Welcome to Fozzy Fun Day!” Jericho pronounced early on. Fun indeed, the band’s set leaned on high-energy fist-pumping rock. The band tore through a number of new songs from its about-to-be-released album, Boombox. The band was loud, tight and played off of Jericho’s magnetic energy to keep the performance moving forward.

“Thanks so much for coming out on Mother’s Day of all days; do we have any mothers in the house?” Jericho asked to light applause. “Two! We’ve got two mothers in the house!”

Fozzy performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on May 8, 2022.

It wasn’t a sold-out. show and the day was likely the reason why, yet those those kept up the noise to make up for it. Chris Jericho and company ripped through tracks like “Painless,” “Nowhere to Run” and “Do You Wanna Start a War.”

“You guys are so loud, louder than that hack playing down the street,” Jericho joked at the expense of Beatle Paul McCartney. “You all cheer; I think they just shake their jewelry.”

The band ripped through an absolutely ferocious and heavy cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax.”

Production-wise, Fozzy packed about as much as the band could into the venue: Strobes, lasers and plenty of props to keep the crowd engaged. If Jericho drops into the same mindset as he would before an All Elite Wrestling wrestling match, it certainly lends itself to his stage presence. Donning a studded leather jack and red Nikes, he was ferocious from all sides of th stage throughout the night.

The singer spoke with pride about Fozzy’s latest release, but also made special consideration to point out the older tracks during the night, like “Enemy.” The band carried the evening home with “Judas” and a take on AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.”

There may have even been more intrigue because of the unique qualities of the show’s openers. Take, for example, GFM, who preceded the headliners in cheerleading uniforms. The trio, all still in their teens, played a ferocious brand of emo, hardcore and pop-punk. GFM calls the sound “beautycore.” The band’s obviously influenced by the likes of Slipknot or Bring Me the Horizon, mashes it up with the likes of Poppy and Paramore, but with a Charli XCX aesthetic.

GFM performs at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on May 8, 2022.

With a new album on the way, GFM showed off some major chops. A few fun twists drove home that they’re a young band with a ton of spunk.

“We’ll make a deal with you, San Francisco,” singer Maggie said. “If you sing this part, we’ll give you cupcakes.”

An unusual proposition to say the least, but the band delivered on the promise, with a crew member launching Hostess cupcakes into the crowd. Guitarist CJ English then hopped off the stage to get a mosh pit going, all while continuing to play her guitar while she was in the pit.

Many of the same things could be said for Los Angeles hard rock duo KrashKarma, which also pulled out all the stops in making sure its set was memorable. Vocalist Ralf Dietel and drummer Niki Skistamis actually started in the crowd with a drumline-style jam.

KrashKarma performs at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on May 8, 2022.

From there, the band tore through a six-song set, mixing in everything but the kitchen sink. Skistamis wildly played the drums, often jumping up onto the bass drum, on a little metal platform. The song “Girl With a Hammer” even featured… well, you get the idea. The set was aggressive and heavy rock with a side of novelty and exploration.

The Nocturnal Affair began the show, mixing a little bit of Korn-esqude with pho metal. The quartet kept things simple, all lined up horizontally because of the lack of room onstage, but used the space it had to deliver an excellent performance.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.