Thee Sacred Souls with The Emkays (Show Recap)

Thee Sacred Souls with The Emkays
Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre :: San Diego, CA
October 3, 2025
Photos by @spicyanders

The meteoric, well-deserved rise of Thee Sacred Souls has been a true pleasure to witness over the years. The iconic San Diego trio comprised of lead vocalist Josh Lane, bassist Sal Samano, and drummer Alex Garcia first won the hearts of listeners with their self-titled debut album Thee Sacred Souls back in 2022, dawning timeless singles like "Can I Call You Rose?" and "Easier Said Than Done." The group followed up with their latest album Got a Story to Tell at the end of 2024 (actually a year today from when this article is being posted, so happy birthday!)

TSS have built an ever-growing list of accomplishments this year, gracing the stage at Coachella, touring the world with plenty headline dates, and most recently joining Kali Uchis' The Sincerely Tour over the summer. This week, TSS brought their energy to their hometown with a vinyl set at Part Time Lover, followed by back-to-back nights at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre for some of their biggest headline shows to date.

We had the great pleasure of attending the sold-out Friday night show, featuring an opening set from The Emkays. Dive into our recap below:

The Emkays opened the night with their classic sound led by Anthony Masino and Alec Kersenboom. The band played through a mix of recent singles like "The Right Track" and "Make It True," as well as a bundle of unreleased tracks hinting at a new project on the horizon. It was my first time discovering The Emkays (who last opened for TSS during their LA debut at The Wiltern last year), and after seeing them live I'll definitely keep them on my radar (and playlists).

Thee Sacred Souls took the stage right around 9PM with their evolving roster of bandmates, including a full horns and strings section, vocalists Astyn Turr and Viane Escobar, guitarist Shay Stulz, and keyboardist Riley Dunn. After a few minutes of jamming, Josh joins the group and strolls straight into "Love Comes Easy", beginning a well-earned victory lap filled with a warm tone that continues to grow.

TSS guides the sold-out crowd through a night of undeniable energy with soundscapes from Got a Story to Tell and Thee Sacred Souls, led by fan favorites like "Will I See You Again?" and "Love Is The Way." Each song unfolds as another turn on the rollercoaster of love, heartbreak, and everything in-between. The truly special concert stands as one of our favorites of the year.

Stay tuned for more from Thee Sacred Souls and The Emkays coming soon.