by Sean Reiter

Violet Grohl first made her professional singing debut when she joined her father – Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl – at a 2018 Oakland benefit with an Adele cover that blew up the internet. She was only 12 years old. Fast forward to this week at Rickshaw Stop and a now 20-year old Grohl pulled into San Francisco near the tail end of a US tour that started back in April. Grohl’s stellar 2026 debut album “Be Sweet To Me” was heavily featured as all 11 songs were played as the nucleus of the 14 song set.

Grohl took the stage with the unreleased “Stimulant Breakfast” – an impressive move given this was her first headlining tour and with one album out. The sold-out crowd did not seem to mind starting off with the unfamiliar one bit and it was clear at the outset that she had the audience mesmerized.

It would be easy to make “apple does not fall too far from the tree” type of references to her talent, but in reality, Violet’s vocal approach was impressive in-tune singing vs. her father’s scream/shout style (don’t get me wrong, LOVE the Foos!). Her voice was more Kelly Clarkson or Amy Lee of Evanescence than a scratchier/punk approach. Where she did resemble her father was in the stage confidence she projected throughout the night with the gleam in her eyes of someone who knows she has it.

“Just checking in with everyone. How’s everyone doing?” Grohl asked the audience with a wide smile. “I’m so happy,” she said while stellar guitarist Salar Rajabnik tenderly launched “Applefish” before the song built up into a bombastic power ballad. Songs such as the unreleased “Sun is Blind” and “Bug in the Cake” (which she lovingly dedicated to her late grandmother) seemed to really hit home with the packed Rickshaw.

At 20 years old, Grohl not only wowed with her voice, but also demonstrated her songwriting is top-notch, as well. Witness these lyrics from the night’s closer “Plastic Couch”:

Cornered in a room, paint cracks on the wall
Feeling sad and dull, but too alive
Dust likes to gather here, I’m clean but never clear
When the window thinks I’m lonely, all I do is stare

The next time she comes through, Grohl will no doubt be playing a much bigger room and a bigger stage. Tuesday night, she was comfortably anchored to the microphone stand at the center of Rickshaw Shop’s tight stage throughout the performance. Her next step in performing will be expanding her movement on stage so that she can connect with all audience members and spread her energy.

Opener Suzy Clue, on the other hand, had no problem staying in motion on stage during her entire 30 minute set. Clue’s backing band set an impressive driving metal sound while Clue prowled, pranced and threw herself around the stage with a shoegaze-style performance. The Albania-born and NYC-raised singer projected a big stage presence that filled the room.