Rainbow Kitten Surprise Bring the bones Tour to Berkeley
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Concert review: Rainbow Kitten Surprise with Spacey Jane at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California, on July 18, 2026
There are some artists you see once and immediately know you would go see again. Rainbow Kitten Surprise has become one of those bands for me.
We had seen them in Sacramento the year before, and although I wasn’t especially familiar with their music going into that first show, their live performance left enough of an impression that I wanted another chance to experience it. So when the bones tour brought Rainbow Kitten Surprise to Berkeley’s Greek Theatre, buying tickets several months in advance was an easy decision.
This concert also became the second half of a back-to-back weekend of live music. My boyfriend and I had been at the same venue the night before for Cannons and Bob Moses, and this time we returned with some friends for Rainbow Kitten Surprise, opener Spacey Jane, and a VIP experience before the show even began.
Concert Details
Artist: Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Opener: Spacey Jane
Tour: bones
Date: July 18, 2026
Venue: Greek Theatre
Location: Berkeley, California
Back at the Greek Theatre
Coming back to the Greek Theatre for a second night meant we were much more prepared than we had been the day before.
The venue itself is a great outdoor setting for a summer concert in the Bay Area. The cooler weather is comfortable while the sun is still up, but once evening settles in, that temperature can drop quickly.
We had already learned another very important lesson after night one: the Greek Theatre’s seating is concrete.
Before heading back for Rainbow Kitten Surprise, we made an IKEA stop specifically to pick up seat cushions. It may not be the most glamorous piece of concert advice, but after spending an entire night sitting on concrete the day before, it was absolutely worth it.
Unfortunately, I did not apply the same level of preparation to the weather.
I bought a tour T-shirt at the merchandise stand, but looking back, I really wish I had bought the sweater instead. I liked the design, and once the temperature dropped, it would have been much more useful.
Starting the Day With Rainbow Kitten Surprise
This concert started well before the main performance because we had VIP packages that included a soundcheck and Q&A with the band.
That made the day feel different from a normal concert where you arrive, find your seat and wait for the opener. Getting to see Rainbow Kitten Surprise in a smaller soundcheck environment before returning later for the full production gave us another side of the experience.
The VIP package also came with a collection of merchandise: a mini canvas tote bag, VIP lanyard and laminate, playing cards, a sticker pack and even a pack of matches.
Those types of items are part of what makes VIP merchandise fun. They are not necessarily things you would normally buy from a merch table, but they become little souvenirs tied specifically to that concert and tour.
Spacey Jane Came In Hot
We made it in time for Spacey Jane, and this was my first time seeing them or really listening to their music.
Sometimes an opener is simply something happening before the artist you came to see. Spacey Jane did not feel like that.
They came in hot from the beginning and immediately caught my attention despite my having no previous connection to their music. By the end of their performance, I was interested enough that I wanted to check them out afterward.
That is probably one of the best things an opening act can accomplish. You arrive knowing little or nothing about them and leave with another artist to explore.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise Are Built for the Live Stage
Seeing Rainbow Kitten Surprise for a second time reinforced what I remembered from the first show: their music works particularly well in a live environment.
They sound similar enough to their recordings that the songs remain recognizable, but something changes when those songs are placed on a stage in front of a large crowd.
The energy becomes a major part of the music.
Their stage presence did not disappoint, and the production complemented that energy with a lighting show that felt like another layer of the performance rather than something happening in the background. The lights changed with the mood and intensity of the songs, helping turn the set into something that felt designed to be experienced as much as heard.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise also seem to have the kind of audience that gives that energy right back.
There was plenty of singing throughout the night, and the interaction between the crowd and the band felt almost reciprocal. The band fed off the audience, and the audience fed off what was happening onstage.
After seeing them twice now, that relationship with the crowd feels like an important part of what makes a Rainbow Kitten Surprise concert work.
“Dang” Was the Standout
My favorite performance of the night was “Dang.”
It was also one of the few moments I managed to record.
After the Cannons and Bob Moses concert the night before, my phone battery was already something I was thinking about. Unfortunately, I still went into this show with a low battery, so I did not capture nearly as much footage as I might have otherwise.
I was able to record “Dang,” along with most of “Tropics,” before my phone finally gave up and died during the latter.
Maybe that is not entirely a bad thing. There is always a temptation at concerts to document everything, but once the battery is gone, there is only one option left: watch the show.
An Unexpected “Mr. Brightside”
One of the biggest surprises came when Rainbow Kitten Surprise performed a cover of “Mr. Brightside.”
I was not expecting a cover at all, which made the moment stand out even more.
There are few songs that can immediately turn a large concert audience into one giant singalong, and “Mr. Brightside” is one of them. Combined with the stronger crowd response to some of Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s older songs, it became one of the loudest communal moments of the night.
That was also where the connection between the band and their fans became especially noticeable.
Longtime fans knew exactly when to join in, and even someone who might not know every Rainbow Kitten Surprise lyric probably knows “Mr. Brightside.”
It gave everyone something to participate in.
A Set That Reached Across Their Catalog
Rather than feeling centered around only one album, the concert included a little bit of everything.
That made sense for my own experience with Rainbow Kitten Surprise. I originally saw them without being especially familiar with their catalog, liked what I heard live, and gradually developed a greater appreciation for the music because of the performance itself.
This second show worked in much the same way.
Some artists are easiest to appreciate by sitting with an album and letting it reveal itself over multiple listens. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, for me, works almost in reverse. Seeing how the songs function in front of an audience makes me want to go back afterward and listen more closely to the recordings.
Their music simply feels at home on a stage.
From the Stage to the Shelf
Because the set pulled from different parts of Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s catalog, there is not necessarily one record that represents the entire concert.
For someone discovering the band for the first time, however, I would start with How To: Friend, Love, Freefall.
It is a strong entry point into Rainbow Kitten Surprise and a good way to become familiar with their sound before exploring the rest of the catalog.
For anyone who came away from the show impressed by Spacey Jane like I did, their performance also made a convincing argument for exploring their music beyond what we heard at the Greek Theatre.
That is one of my favorite connections between live music and collecting physical music. A concert can send you back to an album you already know, introduce you to a record you have never heard, or completely change the way you understand an artist.
Explore the artist collections:
[Rainbow Kitten Surprise at Vibin’ Vinyl]
[Spacey Jane at Vibin’ Vinyl]
Two Nights, One Venue, Completely Different Shows
Going to the Greek Theatre on consecutive nights also made this concert more memorable.
The previous evening had moved from the dreamy atmosphere of Cannons into the electronic intensity of Bob Moses. Twenty-four hours later, the same venue felt completely different with Spacey Jane and Rainbow Kitten Surprise occupying the stage.
It was a reminder of how much the artist, audience and production can transform a venue.
The concrete seats were the same. The cold Berkeley night was definitely still the same.
The experience was completely different.
And thankfully, this time we had seat cushions.
Final Thoughts
Rainbow Kitten Surprise put on another great concert.
Seeing them for a second time confirmed that my enjoyment of the Sacramento show was not just about discovering something new. Their energy and stage presence translate consistently, and the way the audience responds to them adds another dimension to the performance.
Spacey Jane also ended up being a welcome surprise. I went into their set having never listened to them and left wanting to hear more, which is exactly what you hope to get from a strong opener.
Between the VIP soundcheck and Q&A, the full concert, the unexpected “Mr. Brightside” cover, the crowd singing along and finally getting to hear more Rainbow Kitten Surprise songs after becoming more familiar with the band, the second night of our Berkeley concert weekend felt worthwhile from beginning to end.
Would I see Rainbow Kitten Surprise again?
Absolutely.
And after this show, I would see Spacey Jane again too.
For anyone considering seeing Rainbow Kitten Surprise live, I would not judge the experience solely by how familiar you are with their catalog beforehand. I wasn't the first time I saw them either.
Sometimes the concert is what makes the connection.