American Football stuns at the Observatory North Park with Mei Semones
Sunday May 24th, Genre-paving American Football, brought their 2026 tour to San Diego. Joined by Mei Semones, the tour was celebrating the release of their new album, American Football or LP4.
Orchestral and grand, New York-based Mei Semones was distinctly calming. Jazz-adjacent with a strong indie rock influence, her music was both emotional and vast. Bandmates on String (violin and viola) shared a magnetic field with impressive mastery and perfect harmony of their instruments. With slow drums carving out the pace of the music and distinct bass a perfect complement, Mei Semones rhythmically feels as if one is a cat laying in the sun on a warm day or a caterpillar crawling along a leaf in spring. Her voice is the cherry on top; a soulful whisper with beautifully written lyrics. And her incredible guitar riffs had the crowd cheering in awe.
American football took the stage and the room erupted into captivated silence. Their hypnotic stage visuals and gorgeous lighting reflected the true effort put into the experience of their show. Between on brand images of the American football house to gorgeous sunsets and blooming flowers, the music was enhanced by the graphics. Their signature guitar did not disappoint, and was beautifully accompanied by a lulling sense of repetition crafted by the drums. The band had a contemplative air to their music that almost felt like a deep exhale. Lead singer Mike Kinsella’s voice was raw with tears that never broke. Truly impressive, American football was unlike any other; nostalgic and melancholic but not lacking energy they filled the room with an emotional static.
The band, of course, played “Never Meant,” prior to a 3-song encore; complementing it with new and old hits like “Bad Moons” and “Honestly?” though their set did mostly consist of newer material. American football is taking their 2026 tour to a variety of places all summer, with international locations like Milan, Brussels, and even London in June, before bringing it back to the states in July and August.
