Samantha Fish didn’t just play the blues in Atlanta — she set them on fire. Her 2025 stop at the Tabernacle felt like a baptism in grit and guitar tone, a night where every slide, every growl, every stomped heel on that wooden stage hit like a declaration of raw independence. Over the years, Fish has been called many things — blues prodigy, guitar goddess, rock rebel — but in Atlanta, she was something bigger: a fully realized force of nature.
From the very first second of “Kick Out the Jams” — her blistering MC5 cover that opened the night — you could tell this wasn’t going to be a safe or polite blues show. The stage lights pulsed red, her white guitar gleamed like a weapon, and the band tore through the track with punk-rock urgency. Fish stalked the edge of the stage like she owned every inch of the room, barking out the chorus — “Kick out the jams, mother—!” — with a mischievous grin. The Tabernacle crowd lost its collective mind. That opener set the tone perfectly: this was about attitude as much as technique.
Without missing a beat, Fish slid into “Paper Doll,” that smoldering mix of modern blues and smoky heartbreak. Her voice — raspy but elastic — filled the room, dancing between vulnerability and defiance. The way she bends her guitar strings feels like a conversation between pain and power; every note drips emotion but never loses control. The visuals behind her — swirling blue lights and a backdrop of smoke — added to the mood, turning the song into a cinematic swirl of melancholy.
By the time “I’m Done Runnin’” hit, the crowd was completely locked in. It’s one of her more recent songs, but it feels like a mission statement. Fish leaned into the microphone, eyes half-closed, pouring out each lyric like a confession. There’s something about her delivery that makes it impossible to look away — she plays like she’s exorcising ghosts, and you feel every chord.
When she took on “I Put a Spell on You,” the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins classic, the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Fish’s version isn’t a carbon copy — it’s darker, slower, sexier. Her slide guitar moaned and wailed like something alive. The way she whispered the opening line — “I put a spell on you…” — drew a collective breath from the crowd. By the time she hit the solo, she wasn’t playing the guitar so much as summoning it. The performance was electric and eerie, a high point of the set that bordered on spiritual possession.
After such intensity, “Can Ya Handle the Heat?” brought back the swagger. It’s a perfect showcase for Fish’s dual identity as both blues traditionalist and rock innovator. Her riffs were thick, dirty, and drenched in fuzz, while her voice carried a sly challenge — part flirtation, part dare. The song’s groove turned the Tabernacle into a roadhouse, and Fish seemed to revel in the energy, laughing between lines, egging on her band.
“No Angels” slowed things down again, letting her show off her songwriting chops. It’s a song about temptation and grace, and she sang it with understated beauty. The band — tight but understated — followed her every move. Drummer Sarah Tomek laid down a pulse that felt alive, while bassist Chris Alexander anchored the low end with thick, steady warmth.
With “Lose You,” Fish took the audience on a different emotional journey — part breakup anthem, part catharsis. The Sphere-like lighting rig at the Tabernacle bathed the stage in violet and gold, matching the bittersweet tone of the song. She played a solo so melodic it felt like another verse entirely, wringing every ounce of emotion from her guitar. You could hear fans singing softly along — not shouting, but sharing the weight of the song with her.
“Sweet Southern Sounds” was pure magic in Atlanta — a love letter to the South delivered right in its beating heart. The crowd erupted the moment she introduced it, and Fish leaned into her rootsy side with pride. There’s something about that song — the way it balances nostalgia and grit — that feels like the modern South personified. It’s tender without being sentimental, tough without being cold.
Then came “Bulletproof,” and the whole venue exploded. This has become Fish’s anthem, the track that turned her from a cult blues favorite into a crossover rock powerhouse. As the opening riff hit, phones shot into the air, and the audience roared. Her slide work on this one is feral — metallic and wild — but her voice carries it with swaggering coolness. The lyrics hit differently live: “I’m bulletproof, nothing left to lose.” When she yelled that final line, it felt like the entire crowd shouted it back at her in solidarity.
Fish didn’t pause long before launching into “Miles to Go,” one of her most emotionally mature songs. It’s weary and hopeful all at once — the kind of track that feels like it’s been lived in. The live version carried more grit than the album, driven by a slow, pulsing groove that built to a beautiful crescendo. It was the sound of an artist who’s been on the road for years and still finds joy in the journey.
“Fortune Teller” was pure fun — a cover that’s become a staple in her set, blending New Orleans funk with bluesy attitude. Fish turned it into a jam session, trading solos with her band and grinning the entire time. The crowd clapped along in perfect rhythm, and it was one of those rare concert moments where the line between performer and audience disappeared completely.
Then came “Rusty Razor,” one of her darkest and most cinematic tracks. The lighting turned crimson, her guitar snarled, and her vocals turned raw and dangerous. It’s blues at its most primal — dirty, haunted, and beautiful. Fish’s guitar tone here deserves its own paragraph: she coaxed out a sound somewhere between a growl and a scream, every note dripping with character.
She followed with “Don’t Say It,” a song that perfectly captures her balance of vulnerability and defiance. The lyrics hit with an honesty that few can pull off live, and her delivery — weary but fierce — made it one of the night’s quieter triumphs. Her ability to shift gears from explosive rock to emotional storytelling is what separates her from the pack.
As the main set closed with “Black Wind Howlin’,” Fish went fully feral again. It’s her signature closer — an absolute barnburner that lets her unleash her guitar like a storm. The solo was pure chaos and control — blistering speed, slide riffs that cut through the mix, and feedback used like punctuation. The crowd screamed through the final chorus as Fish threw her head back, eyes closed, lost in it. When she hit the last chord, the applause was deafening.
After a quick break, she came back out to the roar of the crowd and launched into her encore, “Bitch on the Run.” There was no pretense, no intro — just pure adrenaline. The song is her victory lap, a statement of defiance and independence. Fish strutted across the stage like a gunslinger, trading solos with her guitarist, smiling wide. When she hit the chorus — “I’m a bitch on the run, yeah, I’m chasing the sun” — the crowd sang every word back. It was cathartic, wild, and perfect.
By the end, Samantha Fish was visibly moved. She thanked the Atlanta crowd, talked briefly about her years of touring, and closed with a grin: “You keep showing up — I’ll keep showing up.” And judging by the response, that was a promise everyone in the room wanted her to keep.
Fish’s Atlanta show proved once again that she’s one of the most vital artists working today — not just in the blues world, but in all of modern rock. She’s managed to evolve the genre without betraying it, fusing blues tradition with alt-rock energy, soul, and punk defiance. Her voice is raw but melodic, her guitar playing is ferocious yet articulate, and her stage presence is pure magnetism.
What’s most striking about a Samantha Fish concert is how she connects — not through showy solos or pyrotechnics, but through authenticity. She wears her heart on her fretboard. Every song feels personal, every note lived in. Watching her perform, you realize she’s not trying to save the blues — she’s expanding it, kicking open the door for a new generation.
Atlanta got the full experience — the swagger, the sorrow, the sweat, and the soul. In an era where so much live music feels packaged or choreographed, Fish’s show felt dangerous in the best possible way: unpredictable, passionate, alive.
If you walked into the Tabernacle that night thinking the blues was something your dad listened to, you left converted. Samantha Fish doesn’t just play guitar; she tells stories with it. And in 2025, her story is one of power, freedom, and pure musical fire.
Final Grade: A-
Setlist:
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Kick Out the Jams (MC5 cover)
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Paper Doll
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I’m Done Runnin’
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I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover)
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Can Ya Handle the Heat?
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No Angels
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Lose You
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Sweet Southern Sounds
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Bulletproof
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Miles to Go
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Fortune Teller
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Rusty Razor
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Don’t Say It
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Black Wind Howlin’
Encore:
15. Bitch on the Run