REVIEW: Tommy richman In San Francisco
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY ELIJAH CLOWER☆
Tommy Richman’s Coyote Tour made its stop at August Hall in San Francisco, bringing a performance that showed why the rising star and his genre-blurring sound has fueled his rapid rise and captured a unique audience. The night opened with sets from Paco and mynameisntjmack, both of whom warmed up the crowd with their distinct styles. By the time Richman took the stage, the energy in the room had settled as there was about a 30 min gap between the sets, but as soon as his intro music hit the crowd lit up.
The setlist was a well-paced journey through Coyote and beyond, opening with “Whitney” and moving through highlights like “Temptations,” “What Do U Like,” and “Fever.” Richman’s ability to shift between moods—sometimes introspective, other times high-energy—was seamless, keeping the audience engaged throughout the hour-long performance. His stage presence was natural, and he carried himself with the right balance of charisma and control, never letting the energy dip. While of course “Million Dollar Baby,” his breakout hit, was a clear crowd favorite. It was actually very surprising on one hand and not surprising on the other that he didn’t place the song in the encore as it's currently his biggest hit.
The track debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, amassing 38 million streams in its first week. It also set a record on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart, holding the No. 1 position for ten consecutive weeks and as of now, the song has surpassed 1.1 billion streams on Spotify. It wasn’t surprising on the other hand as I recall in an interview with Zane Lowe after the release of the album Coyote, Tommy mentioned he’s very grateful for the song but doesn’t wanna be defined by it which is one of the reasons he didn't put it as a bonus song on the album. So I guess it was his way of continuing to move forward on the next chapter.
There was a real sense of connection between him and the crowd—something that was especially evident during “Seems Like Time Moves Forever,” where he seemed to take a moment to reflect on the journey that brought him here. Ending with his newly released track, “Actin Up,” as the encore felt like a statement of where he’s headed next rather than a simple closing note.
The performance didn’t feel overproduced or reliant on gimmicks—it was a direct, confident display of his ability to hold a room and deliver a dynamic, engaging show. If this tour is any indication, Richman is only going to keep expanding his reach while maintaining the authenticity that got him here.
