Roxy Music performs during its 50th anniversary tour in September 2022. Courtesy Matthew Becker.

SAN FRANCISCO — On at least two occasions, large groups of Bryan Ferry fans at Chase Center wanted to send the Roxy Music frontman a message—to sing him a song. Both of those times, he waved it off, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group—reunited for the first time since 2011 and playing its first Bay Area show in a decade longer than that‚ kicked into a song and killed the fans’ momentum.

Ferry wasn’t having any of it until the very end:

“Yes, it’s my birthday. So what!?” he declared.

Ferry turned 77 on Monday, making the band’s show even more special to everyone except possibly Ferry himself. Even opener St. Vincent toasted Ferry during her opening set. Roxy Music is touring to mark 50 years since the release of its landmark debut album.

Vocalist-pianist Bryan Ferry, saxophonist-oboist Andy Mackay, guitarist Phil Manzanera and drummer Paul Thompson (Brian Eno is not part of this reunion) more or less created new wave and art rock in the ’70s, setting the stage for the next decade. New Romantics like Duran Duran owe much to them, but so do most pop, rock and funk bands, and even hip-hop artists. They predated MTV, but like the bands that followed, they merged their music with fashion, art and image.

At its San Francisco show, Roxy Music played songs from nearly all eight of its albums that were released between 1972 and the band’s breakup in 1983.

Backed by nine musicians, some of them from Ferry’s solo band, Roxy Music took to the stage to a recorded version of “India” and kicked into “Re-Make/Re-Model,” the first single from its eponymous debut LP. Large video screens showed the septuagenarians alongside their younger, makeup-covered, longer-haired selves.

Most of the first half of the set focused on the rawer and angular earlier material, while most of the latter half featured the band’s more polished, sleeker songs, primarily off 1982’s Avalon.

Roxy Music performs during its 50th anniversary tour in September 2022.

Ferry switched off between his electric piano and a microphone stand at the front of the stage, but it was Mackay and Manzanera who shined brightest, the former by either accenting songs or soloing on an oboe or sax, the latter by making his guitars make alien sounds so catchy that one of these days, he’ll attract life from another planet. Unfortunately, Ferry himself either wasn’t singing as clearly as before, or the sound quality was lacking at the show, with his vocals buried in the mix. When Ferry was backed by three other singers, who reinforced his lower register with higher notes, they overpowered him and could be heard much clearer.

Roxy Music performs during its 50th anniversary tour in September 2022.

Roxy Music breezed through the slinky “Out of the Blue,” with a killer guitar solo by Manzanera; jittery “The Bogus Man” and brassy “The Main Thing.” Mackay’s icy oboe intro to“Ladytron” was eventually doubled by Jorja Chalmers on sax. The song flowered into a cascade of joyful noise that was capped by a wall of noise by Manzanera.

“While My Heart Is Still Beating” was played as a sexy dirge with some metallic guitar noodling, and “Oh Yeah” temporarily kept the pace slow. Roxy Music followed that up with the twangy “If There Is Something,” again, with Manzanera’s and Mackay’s squealing parts most impressive.

Roxy Music performs during its 50th anniversary tour in September 2022.

Following “In Every Dream Home a Heartache,” every core member but Mackay walked off stage while he led some of the backing members in the beautiful woodwind and piano ballad “Tara.” The break didn’t last long, though, as they soon returned for power ballad “My Only Love,” which built over the course of its runtime. A lusty and darkly romantic “To Turn You On” was also a highlight.

Up to this point, many were seated. The show was not sold out, and the upper section was completely blocked off. But starting with “More Than This” (the crowd singalong was noticeable), most people got out of their seats to dance or at least tap their feet and bob their heads. That went right into “Avalon.”

Even Ferry got up to dance during “Love Is the Drug” and “”Editions of You.”

Opening act St. Vincent was anything but an afterthought at Chase Center. Singer-songwriter Annie Clark delivered a raucous and engaging performance, backed by her airtight band and three talented backing vocalists. Her nine-song set included selections from throughout her songbook, including three from her latest, Daddy’s Home.

Attendees who weren’t familiar with what St. Vincent had to offer quickly noticed her stage presence when she scooted onto the stage where the band was already playing a slinky and funky intro to “Digital Witness” and greeted all of them with a gesture or a kiss.

“Down” kept all of the funk of the previous song but added a rock rhythm section. She strutted around the stage with her signature guitar, starting “Birth in Reverse” with a barrage of discordant and angular chords as the frenetic drumming got louder and louder. The set included the rocking “Los Ageless,” New-Romantic-like “Fast Slow Disco,” soulful “The Melting of the Sun” and “Cheerleader,” during which Clark lied down on the stage and wailed away at her guitar.

But the most fun moment came during “New York,” during which she hopped off stage and decided to go for a stroll among attendees, singing to them, hugging them, borrowing a hat, at one point—all while singing. “Hey guys!” she said.

St. Vincent was a perfect pairing with Roxy Music, showing how one influenced the other.

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.