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Broken Social Scene in San Francisco

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Broken Social Scene
The Masonic — San Francisco, CA
Tickets+CalendarText Friend
Broken Social Scene
The Masonic — San Francisco, CA
Tickets+CalendarText Friend

About Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene started as Kevin Drew's solo project in Toronto in the late 1990s and grew into this sprawling collective that nobody can quite pin down. The band proper includes Drew, Brendan Canning, and a rotating cast of musicians that sometimes feels like half of the Toronto indie scene showed up to play. Their landmark 2002 album You Forgot It in People established them as people who cared more about textures and weird production choices than conventional song structures. Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl became their calling card—a song that builds from whisper to something almost anthemic without ever getting loud. They've made albums that range from the guitar-heavy brutalism of Self-Titled to the more restrained, orchestral work of Forgiveness Rock Record. Live, they've become known for their willingness to stretch songs and improvise, turning rehearsals into semi-public events. The band's influence on indie rock over two decades has been substantial, mostly because they proved you could be successful while being genuinely weird about it.

Their shows are controlled chaos with eight to twelve people on stage. Expect long instrumental passages where the crowd just watches, intently. The energy builds subtly rather than exploding. People talk less than at typical rock shows, actually paying attention.

Known for Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl, 7/4 (Shorelines), Feels Good, Cause = Time, Handsome Ghost

Broken Social Scene + San Francisco

Broken Social Scene has always felt at home in San Francisco's sprawling music venues. Their August 2018 set at Golden Gate Park showcased the kind of thoughtful curation their live shows are known for—opening with the intricate "KC Accidental" before moving through deeper album cuts like "7/4 (Shoreline)" and the surprisingly tender "Stay Happy." They closed with "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl," that perfect intersection of epic and intimate that defines their best work. It's the kind of show that reminds you why this band matters.

Broken Social Scene in San Francisco News

Live Music in San Francisco

San Francisco's indie and alternative rock tradition runs deep — a city built on experimentation and collaborative sprawl. That sensibility lines up naturally with Broken Social Scene's approach: orchestral arrangements that blur the line between indie rock and chamber pop, ensemble playing that sounds like controlled implosion. The Bay Area has always favored bands that refuse easy categorization, outfits that layer ambition onto vulnerability. Broken Social Scene fits cleanly into that lineage.

San Francisco road trip to see Broken Social Scene?

Stay in Hayes Valley or the Mission—both neighborhoods have the kind of restaurants and bars that make a weekend feel deliberate rather than touristy. Head to State Bird Provisions for dinner if you can get in; it's precise and inventive without being pretentious. Spend a day in Muir Woods or hiking around Twin Peaks for actual views of the city. The de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park is worth a couple hours if the weather holds. Hit up a coffee place on Valencia Street in the Mission just to sit and watch the neighborhood move around you.

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