Wolfmother Rock San Diego
Photos and words by Alex Matthews
Australian hard rockers Wolfmother brought their 20th Anniversary Tour to The Observatory North Park in San Diego, California, performing their first album in its entirety. This fantastic live band started in 2004 and released their self-titled debut in October 2005. Featuring hits like “Woman,” “Joker & The Thief,” and “Mind’s Eye,” the record reached gold status in the US and 5x platinum in Australia, establishing them as global stars in the heavy music scene ever since. The band and its one constant member over these twenty years, singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale, have thankfully been regular visitors to San Diego since that debut. The group first performed here at the Mission Beach institution Canes back in 2006, followed by memorable appearances at Street Scene later that year and at Qualcomm Stadium with Stone Temple Pilots in 2008, alongside many opening spots on large tours and more recent headlining visits to The Observatory.
Frontman Andrew Stockdale—sporting short curly locks for this show and some wicked facial hair—was a phenomenal entertainer as always. Showing his appreciation for a dedicated, sold-out San Diego crowd, he seemed genuinely happy to revisit some of the lesser-played tracks off that first record. It’s always refreshing to see a three-piece rock band with no backing tracks or amp simulators—just real musicians playing real guitars and drums, slamming away. Stockdale is a ferocious guitar player, churning out tons of heavy riffs on his red Gibson SG while wailing with a signature screeching vocal style that fits this heavy music so well. Current band members James Wassenaar on bass and Brett "Wolfie" Wolfenden on drums provided a rock-solid rhythm section, bringing an infectious energy to the stage. The band was tight all evening, making for a fitting finale to the US leg of their tour before heading to Europe for the summer.
The fifteen-song setlist included the entire first album played in order, alongside a few other Wolfmother favorites: “Dimension,” “White Unicorn,” “Woman,” “Where Eagles Have Been,” “Apple Tree,” “Joker & The Thief,” “Colossal,” “Mind’s Eye,” “Pyramid,” “Witchcraft,” “Tales,” “Love Train,” and “Vagabond,” followed by an encore of “Cali Queen” and “New Moon Rising.”
