I’ve been a fan of Thee Sacred Souls for a while now. The last time they came through Fresno, in January 2025, at the Saroyan Theatre, Josh Lane spent half the set in the crowd, working his way up to the second floor and the back rows like the stage was optional. So when I heard they were coming back, I was in. My girlfriend’s family gifted us tickets, so we all went together.
This time it was the Save Mart Center, on the Constellation Tour, with The Womack Sisters and LA LOM opening. Honestly, I was a little worried going in. Thee Sacred Souls make intimate music, and an arena is not an intimate room. I figured we’d get a scaled-up, flattened-out version of the band I loved in a theater.
I had to stash my lighter in a bush outside because of security, entirely my fault; I definitely could’ve sunk it in. First thing I noticed once we were in: everybody was dressed. Button-ups, dresses, heels. Gentlemen and ladies. You don’t always get that at an arena show.
The Womack Sisters opened, and I’d never heard of them before that moment. Every song was great. Their self-titled debut came out on Daptone two days before the show, so Fresno caught them on the first weekend of their record being in the world, which I didn’t know while I was standing there.
LA LOM stunned me. I went in blind on the openers, and I didn’t realize I already knew their music until they played “Santee Alley” and I smacked my forehead, wondering how I hadn’t put it together sooner.
For a band with no vocalist, the stage presence is unreal. The guitarist, Zac Sokolow, paces the whole stage and does his talking through that clean tone. Bassist Jake Faulkner looked like he was having more fun than anybody in the crowd, at one point he twirled that huge upright bass. Then they brought the Womack Sisters back out to do a song with them.
Between sets, people were getting drinks, mingling, and complimenting each other’s outfits. Easiest room I’ve been in for a while.
The lights dimmed, everyone stood still, and Thee Sacred Souls came out. They played the classics, “Can I Call You Rose?”, “Easier Said Than Done,” and more, and whatever I’d been worried about on the drive over didn’t survive the first few songs.
Then “Running Away” came and Josh did what he did last year and spared no one. He ran through every section, all the way to the back. At one point he was holding somebody’s baby while he sang. Lol.
In a room that size, they didn’t try to get bigger to fill it. They made everybody come closer instead.
Thanks for reading. I’m Diego, a writer and web designer for Setlist Media. Read more of our articles here or watch our videos here.
