SASAMI Gives a Ethereal Performance at Turf Club

Tuesday night at Turf Club was one I’ll never forget. SASAMI and Mood Killer brought performances that made the world feel lighter, while also being intense and all-consuming. 

Sometimes I like to be surprised, so I don’t look heavily into an opener. This was a great one to go in blind for. I had an absolute blast being introduced to Mood Killer while seeing the real thing. The LA artist brought a sense of magic and mystery through dimmed lights and thick fog. 

They took the stage in a full fishnet body suit, tank, feather skirt, and tall leather boots. Completing the look was their face wrapped in lace with a star over the face - reminiscent of Lady Gaga’s VMA’s look from 2009. I really can’t pin down a genre for you. 

Songs like “Happy Birthday” were beyond quirky and unserious with horns and siren whistles. “Abracadabra” brought an intense and serious mood and was rounded out with a ribbon dancing spell-casting session. Overall, the set was super fun, and a lot of the crowd was there specifically for them. Nights like this remind me of how diverse music community we have is. There’s truly room for everyone. Stunning. 

SASAMI took the fog to the next level as she ran out on stage in all white with her matching French horn adorned in pearls and lace. I have seen her before, but never with her French Horn. I got really excited to see how it would be incorporated. I know she is classically trained on the instrument, but didn’t know how it would go into a set with only a drummer to back her up on the cloud-like stage. 

“Figure It Out”, “Honeycrash”, and “I’ll Be Gone” kicked off the set with her insisting that we be in our bodies, be here together, and pretend it’s Friday night. The crowd took this to heart and bent to her every command from stage that night, including a happy mosh pit to bring some “punk energy” to 2025. She commanded the crowd so sweetly, while dressed like she’d scare your mom. 

SASAMI insists that she performs the same whether she’s in “an arena or dingy club” - she did just that. Surrounded by lights and strobes, I had never seen the Turf Club look so beautiful. The crowd almost felt like shows pre-pandemic. Everyone was friendly and respectful. No air of territorial energy was felt. Just fun and enjoying the moment with hard focus on the performance at hand.

One of the most charming things to me was her cover of Avril Lavigne’s “Anything But Ordinary” (my childhood favorite deep cut) on acoustic guitar. Afterwards she raved about her dreams to visit Wisconsin Dells to discover all that Mt. Olympus has to offer. “If I do a show at Wisconsin Dells will you guys come?” Yes, SASAMI, we will follow you anywhere. 

Finally, a French horn interlude transitioned us into the rest of the night. It was stunning. She truly looked like she was floating on a punk cloud around the stage while the adornments dangled in the fan breeze in the front of the stage. Her fuzzy boots kicking up every so often as she twirled around. 

Before her final song - title track on her latest album “Slugger”, she said “Are there any water signs in the room?” ****screams**** “Meet me at the Dells” The show was a brief 13 songs, but it felt other worldly. We were all so energized and felt like we had seen a marathon show. Truly perfect for those of us who like to rock out and go to work the next day, or go out after, I suppose!