The warm summer air was already humming before Japanese Breakfast ever touched the stage. That had everything to do with Ginger Root, the “aggressive elevator soul” outfit helmed by Cameron Lew, who set the tone for the night with equal parts groove and quirk. Early in the set, he grinned, “Surf’s up, San Diego!”—a line that felt tongue-in-cheek.

Known for multimedia-infused performances, Ginger Root turned the Open Air Theatre into a funky, technicolor dreamscape. A live cameraman weaved around the stage in sync with the band’s rhythms, projecting odd-angled closeups and audience shots to giant screens. The visual humor paired perfectly with songs that combined city pop and indie soul.

Before their final track, Lew reflected on the winding path to this tour, recalling how he and his band once “unofficially” played SXSW by sneaking into dive bars and pool halls while still in college. He even shared that an assignment back then asked him to write about a piece of music that changed his life. His choice? Psychopomp, Japanese Breakfast’s 2016 debut. It was a full-circle moment, cementing why Ginger Root’s presence on the second leg of this tour feels so natural. “You’ll fail a lot,” Lew told the crowd, “but you have to believe in what you want to do and just do it.”

Michelle Zauner emerges from the sea

By the time the headliner’s set began, fog crept across the stage and revealed the band’s elaborate “seascape” production, anchored by a massive pink clamshell glowing center stage. Out stepped Michelle Zauner, in a dress that she playfully admitted limited her usual movement.

The show opened on a hushed note with selections from For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), including the sweeping “Here Is Someone” and “Orlando in Love.” Those slow-burning tracks showcased Zauner’s delicate vocals against strings and synths, immediately drawing the crowd in. Midway through, the band pivoted into fan favorites from Soft Sounds from Another Planet and Jubilee. “Road Head” and “Boyish” invited the audience to sing along.

And then came the encore, an exhale of pure joy. Zauner led the crowd through “Be Sweet,” the pop anthem from Jubilee. The finale was both euphoric and bittersweet, a reminder of how Japanese Breakfast has evolved from the grief-soaked Psychopomp days into a project equally defined by unabashed joy.

Zauner may have sung of longing and melancholy, but by the time she left the stage, the feeling that lingered was one of lightness. It was proof that her songs, whether whispered or shouted, have the rare power to make sadness feel communal.