Ha*Ash lights up SF's Fillmore, leaves us wanting more
Even before Ha*Ash, the Latin American duet from Mexico by way of Lake Charles, Louisiana, ever sang a chord on stage Tuesday night at a sold-out Fillmore, the anticipation was the size of a San Francisco block.
Literally.
Fans lined Geary and around Steiner hours before the kickoff of their “100 Años Contigo Tour,” a nine-city leg of shows in promotion of their most successful studio album in their 16-year career.
The duo is probably used to this treatment in places around the globe already in love with their pop. In 2016, Ha*Ash sold out 35 shows across Latin America and “100 Años Contigo” isn’t too far removed from a 130-concert run with “Primera Fila.”
But to see that sort of treatment by San Francisco for the sisters was quite the sight to behold.
Maybe Ha*Ash’s fans were eager because the duo hadn’t performed in San Francisco in what feels like forever. Or maybe a recent string of hits — enough to see their “30 de Febrero” album debut at No. 1 on iTunes and nearly crack the Latin Billboard Top 10 — made their concert the first true can’t-miss Latin-American show of the year in the Bay Area.
Either way, the expectations were already high even before Hannah and Ashley stepped on stage. And after a 20-song set list, the duet left zero doubt that they were worth the wait.
Although the Fillmore was packed with lifelong fans of Hannah and Ashley, it’s safe to say a good bulk of the audience was witnessing a live Ha*Ash concert for the first time. The energy in the room made that very palpable. Fans hung onto every lyric, chord and melody, seamlessly singing along to 2004’s “Estes en Donde Estes” just as easily as 2017’s “Eso No Va Suceder.” Ha*Ash rewarded this energy with a reciprocal vivacity — taking fans through a 16-year journey touching base throughout a musical catalog easily overlooked for it’s staying power.
To Ha*Ash’s credit, they know their fans very well. The girls kept it light-hearted -- synchronized dancing, interacting with the crowd, bantering about broken hearts and exes -- all to the delight of the sold-out crowd. And while stage-side manner seems to be an art not lost on the ladies, Ha*Ash gave fans what they really came to see by showcasing their musical prowess — switching from the mic, to a guitar, to playing the harmonica, or piano all while singing the sister-perfect harmonies that are a trademark of their country-infused sound.
Ha*Ash left the historic SF venue after a three-song encore, and fans exited the Fillmore with ear-to-ear grins the size of city blocks. Let's hope the duet comes back sooner than later to San Francisco.