The Veronicas perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on April 3, 2024. Chloe Catajan/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — The ear-to-ear smiles painted on the faces of twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso for the duration of The Veronicas’ set Wednesday told you just about everything you needed to know about the duo’s show at the legendary Fillmore. The show marked the opening night of the Australian duo’s Gothic Summer tour—an 80-minute set with material that spanned their two-decade-long career.

“We had a tour planned but we didn’t think the visas would go through, then life happened,” Lisa Origliasso said midway through the duo’s set. “Then there was a pandemic and we all had to stay home for a few years.”

With all that in the past, The Veronicas delivered a sterling and spirited performance that kept the crowd jumping and dancing. The pair took the stage in glistening silver jackets, black sunglasses and thigh-high jet black boots, opening at a breakneck pace with “Take Me on the Floor.” Each song hit in quick succession, keeping the upbeat momentum going.

“There’s so much love in this room, we’ve missed you,” Jessica Origliasso said.

The Veronicas perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on April 3, 2024.

Saying admitting they can be unpredictable, the sisters kept a conversational relationship with the audience, offering up stories and quips along the way. A few songs in, the pair signed a CD passed up to the stage by a fan who’d traveled all the way from Denmark for the gig. Pulling out the liner notes, they laughed just how alike the twins used to look.

“Which one am I? OK, that one is Jess,” Lisa said.

It was all about pace early on, mashing up the bass line of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” with “When It All Falls Apart” before moving into “Everything I’m Not” and the punchy “Detox.” The duo is known for melding dance-pop with rock and pop-punk and here they focus on the pop.

They then talked about how Gothic Summer was an accidental album; they had coffee with Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann, and soon after had two songs written. Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker came aboard to drum on about half the album and Gothic Summer was born.

The Veronicas perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on April 3, 2024.

The instrumentation was handled mostly by a single musician, Toby, who handled everything from keys to synths and guitars while the twins jumped between guitar, bass and synths. The pair aptly handled an instrumental interlude of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” before launching into “Hook Me Up.” The stage was spacious, while a diamond-shaped lighting rig at the back shot spotlights into the crowd and illuminated the room.

Through their conversation, killer harmonies or stage presence, The Veronicas showed a musical connection and electricity that could only be shared by blood. The pair joked about some of their more pointed lyrics of the past and who the songs were written about, such as the feisty “Revenge is Sweeter,” about Lisa’s “most embarrassing ex.”

The pace slowed for an acoustic interlude that included a stunningly stripped-down version of new ballad “Ribcage” that elicited and extended cheer from the crowd, as well as “Invisible.” The show’s tone became decidedly more relaxed as the twins chatted up the audience with more stories.

“We’ve now reached The Veronicas Talking Tour,” Jessica said.

The venue shined bright for the hauntingly beautiful harmonies of “You Ruin Me,” a striking ballad that again brought a big response from the crowd.

“This song is about an American guy that broke my heart; though it’s really one-sided, and that’s my side,” Lisa said.

Jesse Jo Stark performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on April 3, 2024.

Once the band launched into “This Is How It Feels,” the dance party was officially on. After play bouncy new track “Jungle” for the first time, it was all about fan favorites. The Veronicas concluded with a trio of “Here to Dance,” “4Ever” and “Untouched.” The encore included a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Shallow,” from A Star Is Born.

Opener Jesse Jo Stark kicked off the night with a moody and dark 40-minute set that fused bluesy hard rock with heavy bass-laden pop. The singer and her band attacked the performance with rock star prowess and snark.

Stark powered through some technical problems she said e=affected her on stage but didn’t impact the sound in the audience, her performance soaring and energy dialed in. The set included a cover of Johnny Cash classic “Ring of Fire” and  hard-driving and “pissed off’ anthem “patterns.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald. Follow photographer Chloe Catajan at Instagram.com/riannachloe.