‘The Eyedress Tour Bus’ takes its wild ride to San Francisco

Filipino alternative/indie singer-songwriter Idris Ennolandy Vicuña, also known as Eyedress, performed on March 9. “The Eyedress Tour Bus” made its second stop at August Hall in San Francisco, California. He and his band delivered a show full of rock and funky synth to welcome the crowd onto their version of “The Magic School Bus,” the spoofed graphic used to represent the tour.

Eyedress quickly entranced the eager audience in the intimate space of the San Francisco venue. After his opening song “Can I See You Tonight?”, he asked the crowd who was from the area, saying that he loves the city. Many locals raised their hands with an onset of cheers before he moved on to the next song of his set “Romantic Lover.”

An assortment of fluorescent colors lit up the August Hall stage. The eyes of fans adjusted as the room changed between purple, blue, green and pink for each song. Every hue complemented the song Eyedress performed as smoke steamed off the stage. The pink lights dressed the stage in a relaxed tone during his more soothing songs and the green lights spiked a vibrant energy into the audience for his uptempo songs. After the first two or three songs, he was surprised when he discovered that fans were also watching his show from the balcony area above.

“Holy shit, there’s people up there too!” Eyedress exclaimed.

To go with Eyedress’s mellow vocals was his musical prowess during instrumental breaks. He stepped away from the microphone for solos during certain songs and ripped away on his electric guitar. Eyedress wore his signature shades for most of his show which even stayed on as he zealously rocked and bobbed his head. Concertgoers matched his energy by also rocking and bobbing with a bit of thrashing.

The easygoing songs that Eyedress performed in his set fostered a groovy atmosphere in the venue. The audience was spellbound by the notes that flowed through his guitar. This welcomed fans to actively sway along in appreciation of his alternative music. This energy with the same sentiment was doubled and even tripled during his songs that picked up the pace.

Eyedress picked up the energy more in his song “Something About You” and told the audience to sing along if they knew it, poking fun at one of his most popular songs. Phones poked out above the sea of fans as they tried to capture the moment of this fan-favorite track. The crowd energetically sang and danced along to the groovy and punky song.

Eyedress continued the lively wave of energy by performing “Teen Mom,” dedicated to his mom and childhood in the 90s. His passion for the song seeped through his mic and instrument as he lovingly sang about his family and nostalgic childhood.

“I wrote this next song for my mom,” Eyedress said.

The crowd’s pulse remained high when Eyedress played “Jealous,” another one of his most well-known songs. Caught up in the music’s extremities, the audience caught a glimpse of his eyes when his shades came off for a moment. As a classic concert move, the audience was duped into thinking this was his closer when Eyedress and his band returned backstage after the song’s last note. Fans reacted by chanting and rumbling for more. He ultimately stepped back on stage for his final song.

The fast-paced synths, drum tempo and guitar riffs resumed as Eyedress ended with “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend.” Several fans rushed near the stage to clash into the fairly-sized mosh pit that formed. He stepped off the stage onto the dance floor which ignited fans around him with excitement. This made way for an organized chaos that Eyedress initiated for this song. Fans jumped around and crowded the musician with some heightened fury when he joined them below. They were passionate about participating in the action shown in how many were drawn to go closer to the stage.

Quickly after joining fans on the dance floor, Eyedress returned up to the stage to use as a platform to hop back into them for a crowd surf this time. Their passion prevailed as they mightily hoisted Eyedress above their heads during his crowd surf.

When the surf subdued at the end of the song, Eyedress thanked his fans for the great show. The crowd departed from the stage still buzzing with excitement and on a new high from the laid back and intensely composed show. Eyedress and his band delivered a memorable performance that gave fans an opportunity to see their favorites played live and leave with a fonder appreciation for his discography as a whole.