PHOTOS: Inhaler leaves fans wanting more at The Fillmore
Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022. Steve Carlson/STAFF.
SAN FRANCISCO — Irish rockers Inhaler made their San Francisco headlining debut at The Fillmore on Monday night, but it wasn’t always supposed to be that way. The young quartet from Dublin had previously been scheduled to pay a visit to Popscene two years ago, until the pandemic put an end to that plan. On the positive side, the band seems to have used that forced downtime to great effect, showing itself to be a much more polished and confident group than in its first San Francisco appearance in 2019, when it supported English pop band Blossoms at the Independent.
Clocking in with an efficient 12-song set that lasted only about an hour, Inhaler’s performance was short but impactful, full of radio-friendly rock songs from its 2021 debut. It Won’t Always Be Like This. The show demonstrated the band’s skill as performers as much as songwriters.
Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
Drummer Ryan McMahon and bassist Robert Keating provided a steady foundation for lead guitarist Josh Jenkinson, who allowed his playing to serve the songs without unnecessary bravado. Inhaler injected a newfound bit of showmanship at times, however, such as when the band let the music drop so the audience could take over the raucous chorus of “My King Will Be Kind.”
Many bands in Inhaler’s position might be tempted to pad their set list with covers to make up for a shallow catalog. But for Inhaler, which already carries the burden of escaping the shadow of frontman Elijah Hewson’s rock icon father, Bono, a restrained focus on original material seemed like the right choice, even if it did leave the fans wanting more.
On this night, the quality of the songs spoke for themselves, and the band members’ performance made clear their ambition and capacity to earn their own way. Highlights included the frenetic “In My Sleep” and arena-ready single “My Honest Face,” which served as the lone encore.
Opening the show was Bakersfield native Junior Mesa, who won over the audience with a bouncy and eclectic mix of jams from his recent EP, Cirque du Freak.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Inhaler performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Junior Mesa performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Junior Mesa performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Junior Mesa performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
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- Junior Mesa performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 28, 2022.
Follow photographer Steve Carlson at Instagram.com/SteveCarlsonSF and Twitter.com/SteveCarlsonSF.