- Jul 31, 2018
- 3 min read

Concert Review: King Princess ft Donna Missal (San Fransisco GAMH)

“I can't get enough of you”-King Princess “Upper West Side”

We can’t get enough of the 19 year old singer King Princess. From the gentle lullaby of a beginning to the punk rock finish of her set, King Princess enthralled the audience in the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

King Princess at the Great American Music Hall

The sold out, 450 person-capacity venue had a fan-filled line down the street hours before the doors opened for the show. We had the chance to chat with a few fans about why they loved both King Princess (aka Mikaela Straus) and her opening act, Donna Missal.

“Donna Missal’s voice is absolutely beautiful...she’s inspired me to start singing again”- Haley Summit (this fan also gave a chain off her belt to Missal after the show and the artist said they had a “moment”)

“King Princess is an amazing artist with the greatest stage presence. She’s someone you want to watch perform and then hang out with after the show”- Madison Cardern

Opening act, Donna Missal, left the crowd in awe as her powerhouse vocals consumed the venue. Long-time Donna Missal fans and new listeners alike all cheered as she belted out note after note, starting with her song, “Girl”. She filled her set with non-stop energy, moments for a killer guitar solo, and many hair flips.

During her set, Missal announced that her upcoming album would be released in September and told the story of how she joined King Princess (KP) on tour. According to Missal, the KP show near her home in New Jersey

sold-out, so she DM’d KP for tickets and instead was invited to be the opening act for the West Coast leg of the tour.

“I hadn’t heard Donna Missal’s music prior to the show, but I immediately downloaded her tracks after her performance and have been listening ever since”- Anonymous

Before the end of her set she brought everyone back to the 90’s with a full venue sing-along to “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia. That all built up to her closing with her most popular song to date, “Keep Lying”. Donna danced, posed, screamed lyrics, and slid onto her knees, earning applause and shouts of admiration all throughout the crowd.

When King Princess came on stage, the venue echoed with the roaring sound of cheering fans all thrilled to see their favorite artist on stage just a few feet in front of them. Rather than matching their enthusiastic energy, KP started the night off from behind the keyboard with “Make My Bed,” allowing fans to soak in not only her vocals, but her instrumental talent as well. She picked up the tempo and an electric guitar to sing the rest of the songs off of her debut EP, “Make My Bed.” King Princess also sang several songs off her upcoming album including “Best Friends,” “House Burn Down,” and “Ohio.” Despite her new songs outnumbering her released ones, KP’s passion-filled delivery ensured that the crowd was never lost.

“King Princess’ vibe is unreal and she’s just being true to herself; it’s just the fact that she went out with a juul and she doesn't care about what others thought about it, hella dope. And Donna, the thing that’s similar between KP and Donna is that they were really feeling the music and they sang with their heart. The overall show experience was great; the best night of my life” - Anonymous

When it came time to play the fan favorite, “1950,” you could feel the acceptance and love in the room. Couples in the audience, regardless of their sexuality, were carefree in their showing of affection, and everyone in the predominantly LGBTQ+ audience felt like they were in a safe bubble of almost literal rainbows. “1950” also gave fans a teaser of what the upcoming album could be like with more of a rock influence, like that of her unreleased songs. King Princess rocked out to the final chorus of her hit song and newly-adopted LGBTQ+ anthem.

“I loved how genuine King Princess was and [how she] encouraged such an open environment. There was such a special energy in the audience that I have never experienced before”-Felicia Johnson

Closing the set with the unreleased song “Ohio,” King Princess pulled out all the stops. She danced, played her guitar, hair flipped, and belt/screamed the lyrics, ensuring that the audience would go home eagerly awaiting the release of her next EP or album and with a night to remember.