A silver Saturday at The Fillmore with ALO

On March 25, 2023, I got the opportunity to witness the blooming and time-suspending band called ALO at the famous Fillmore in San Francisco. ALO, standing for Animal Liberation Orchestra is a rock jam-band closely tied to the likes of Jack Johnson and is known for their heartfelt lyrics accompanied by a distinct form of soulful rock. The band consists of Zach Gill, Steve Adams, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, and Ezra Lipp. This show was particularly significant to the band because not only was it the 25th anniversary of their annual “Tour d‘Amour,” but it was also the largest venue they’d headlined and sold out. . This was an especially magical night to be in the audience, success and celebration hanging in the air. The Fillmore has hosted some of the greatest bands and artists to date from the Grateful Dead, Aretha Franklin, to Radiohead. It was beautiful to imagine their picture being hung alongside some of the greats. 

Despite being  relatively unknown in the mainstream, the band itself is widely celebrated by music enthusiasts. They have an intense and steadfast fandom of self proclaimed “Shapeshifters” who routinely follow the quartet on their tours. “Shapeshifter” is a reference to an early ALO song off the 2005 debut album, “Fly Between Falls”. 

On the night of the show, I got to speak with some of the most passionate superfans I’ve ever come across. They dressed themselves in silver as a tribute to the band and swayed and danced with a certain assuredness. . Something that quickly became apparent to me was that half of the experience at an ALO show was the audience. Exactly how the band’s name suggests, this performance liberated the animals. ALO has a very special and riveting way of letting their egos fall away while playing live. I grew up with ALO playing in the background of my house my whole life, but on stage while they were incredibly clean, they were also vastly atypical. ALO transferred their energy to the crowd through their music, expanding, stretching and molding it at will. This is particularly true when their lead guitarist and fan favorite “Libo” takes the crowd on undulating guitar solo adventures that expand beyond the original song.. Then,the audience is brought back down to Earth with the tender vocals of Zach Gill. While all of the members sing, Gill is the stand out by miles. He has an honesty and ease in his voice that makes their songs sound new every single time. . Gill sings the words “Oh Maria, I’m in the dark” in “Maria” off  the 2007 record “Roses & Clover” as earnestly as he would  if Maria had been swaying in the corner of the room. 

ALO brings you into their own little eccentric world. Gill throws rose petals as Steve Adams rises from the shadows to sit on the ledge and play bass closer to the audience. Adams has an acutely endearing meekness about him that grows to be impressive due to his importance to the band. I feel that his abilities took center stage at the beginning of their song “Suspended” of their 2009 album, “Man Of The World”. Bringing down the tempo of the show, “Suspended” was definitely a highlight. Ezra Lipp, while joining the band more recently, is an incredible drummer and even does solo songs such as “Goodnight Song” off their new 2023 release, “Silver Saturdays”. A common thread that ALO carries with them is that they are always all about love. They have a way of being silly in a way that simultaneously gives a person chills. They are no stranger to lasers, strange hats, and waving to their mothers at shows. A jam-band that has truly stood the test of time and makes music for the right reasons. They simply love music. They want to connect with people who love music. I don’t think there could be a better motive to play at the Fillmore. As ALO admits on “I Love Music” from 2009’s Man Of The World: “I can’t tell who’s running this thing, the music we play or the love that you bring.”