Going to see Samantha Fish in concert is a no-brainer. It was my 4th time seeing her come through town and each time was better than the last. In 2025 she is out there supporting her latest, the 2025 album Paper Doll. I’ve had the record for a few months now and have grown to appreciate the power of Samantha’s songwriting. As always, her ever-growing guitar mastery is out front. So on November 19th, 2025, my cousin Paul and I returned to the Fillmore for a mid-week rock-blues-soul infusion.
Dues – PAID
If you don’t know about her, why not? Fish has been on the scene for quite a while. She comes from Kansas City, which apparently, has a fantastic music scene. She came from a musical family and took up the drums at first. Most of her family played guitar so she wanted to do something different. It didn’t take long for her to be drawn to the six strings, She never looked back. The guitar opened up the world to young Samantha. As she listened to her favorite rock stars, like Tom Petty and the Stones, she was inspired. Her curiosity was piqued, wondering what music inspired these rock stars! This, of course, brought her to the blues. She found her home.
Fish has been a recording and touring musician since 2009. In that year she recorded and produced a live album, “Live Bait” that landed her a recording contract. Since then she has recorded 12 records and racked up the accolades:
| Grammys | Nominations in 2024 and upcoming 2026! |
| Blues Blast Music Awards | Contemporary Blues Album for “Chill & Fever” (2017) Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the year (2018) |
| Independent Blues Awards | Over 20 awards to date beginning in 2016 |
| OffBeat Magazine | 13 awards to date starting in 2017 |
So Samantha is seasoned and respected in the business. She has paid those dues everyone talks about. And yet, because of the genre she plays in, she will probably never hit it really big. That is lucky for the rest of us who enjoy a raucous time at a concert. And enjoy hearing rock and the blues in smallish venues. But it makes it hard for the artist to break through.
Celebrating the New Music
As mentioned, I had been enjoying Paper Doll for a few months. The record took on a whole new meaning for me as I watched her work through those songs at the Fillmore. It’s not uncommon to find a deeper appreciation of the music after seeing it performed. Certain things just do not transfer as well when listening. Samantha can really deliver a song!
SETLIST – Samantha Fish 11-19-25 Fillmore SF!
She opened the show with a surprise (to me at least). “Kick Out The Jams”, the old MC5 banger. A perfect way to get the crowd quickly onboard. Her set was a snappy 14 songs. Six songs off the new Paper Doll record and the rest were “Fish favorites’ from the past. “I’m Done Runnin’” was a highlight for me. It’s a song that displays the essence of Fish. She plays a mean slide guitar as well as performing a stinging solo. This song is a locomotive with a great riff. “Fortune Teller” was another memorable song played live. It’s a slow -starting, quiet song that builds and builds until it explodes. I just remember vibing to the slow jam only to be jolted back to reality when she started the solo. I caught some of the fire on my phone!
Samantha Fish leaves it all on that stage. She delivers her music with confidence. This latest effort has some serious subject matter also. This lady’s songwriting is only getting better. Her playing can be as brawny as a bear or as subtle as a butterfly. It’s a tribute to how hard she works at it. She is either on the road or in the studio and has been on that treadmill for 15 years.
MORE CONCERT PHOTOS HERE
A highlight to any Samantha Fish show is when she brings out the cigar box guitar. She can take the gritty sound that the instrument produces and squeeze the emotion out. Her skill playing the slide can pull out all kinds of different colors. Such a simple 4-string instrument, made out of an actual cigar box. Samantha knows how to entertain, all those road-miles pay off. Her shows are bursts of energy and she looks just as good as she plays.
I love supporting artists like Samantha Fish! She successful in a male-dominated business. She works very hard and evolves with every new release. Her playing is undeniable! Musicians like her make their living on the road. With that comes a lot of experience playing for an audience. and Samantha Fish has perfected the way she presents herself to a crowd. Whether she’s part of a multi-artist Blues Festival or holding the fort down herself. The audience will not soon forget Samantha commanding the stage!
