In the early stages of her career, singer-songwriter Maggie Lindemann was more of a pop princess than a punk anarchist. 

Yet on March 23, as the lime-green stage lights washed over the crowd at San Francisco’s Bimbo’s 365 Club, it became obvious that Lindemann had come a long way in her journey as an artist. Lindemann’s newfound grunge aesthetic easily overshadowed the moody speakeasy atmosphere of Bimbo’s like something of a punk invasion, fitting for the third stop on her Suckerpunch World Tour — the first headlining tour of her career.

For the most part, audiences saw Lindemann succeed in this endeavor. She delivered the kind of carefree, raucous performance that fans would expect to accompany Suckerpunch, one that was easily danceable and left no room for dullness. However, throughout her set, one couldn’t help but feel like vital energy and enthusiasm was lacking from Lindemann, especially the kind necessary to support her high-energy, high-tempo discography. The performance was one of definite highs and lows, peaking when Lindemann seemed to finally let the music guide her on stage, but still often dipping to a lull when she couldn’t seem to muster her full force as a performer. 

At the very start of the show, the band still playing the intro to her first song, Lindemann walked out on stage struggling with her mic and earpiece. This and other technical difficulties loomed throughout the remainder of her set, with the band’s noise level frequently drowning out Lindemann’s seemingly turned-down vocals. At times, standing right next to the stage, one couldn’t hear the lyrics Lindemann was singing clearly, as they were buried by overpowering drums and guitar. It was similarly difficult to discern whether or not Lindemann’s voice was loud enough to overcome her pre-recorded vocals, oftentimes making the performance feel less than live. 

Lindemann did, however, seize the moments that she could. For example, while performing “She Knows It,” the singer tapped into much needed enthusiasm, bringing a whole new energy to the intimate venue. She danced and moved across the stage with the exact kind of ferocity the song calls for, bringing the show to a peak by feeding off the audience’s immense love for the track. 

Lindemann’s rapport with the audience can’t be easily understated. At many high points throughout the night, Lindemann gladly brought this relationship into focus, whether by helping a fan record the concert by taking their phone onstage, or by playfully joking about the bra that someone had catapulted at her in the middle of “She Knows It.” In these moments she seemed to dismiss everything but the music and fans, engaging with the energetic sold-out house. 

During the hopeless anthem “Self Sabotage” Lindemann conjured outstanding emotion and impressive vocal range, one of the few times that her voice was centered among the instrumentation and backing track. Her performance of “Scissorhands” marked another highlight of the night as audience members jumped and head-banged right alongside Lindemann. Pop punk was in full-force. 

Aiding in the punky vibe was Lindemann’s low-budget yet efficacious set design, mainly consisting of an array of beaming lights pointed directly at the audience. These flashed various hues throughout the night to accompany the mood, and were typically used like strobe lights — the ideal chaos for Suckerpunch to thrive. Most of the time it did, since even when Lindemann’s stage-presence wavered, the music itself did not; there was always a heavy beat to rock-out to and a well-equipped atmosphere to sustain the energy. 

Despite its rough edges, Lindemann’s set was undeniably fun. The music she creates is well-suited for live performance, and even though she may have fumbled the delivery at some points in the night, there was never a moment of boredom or emptiness. Rather, what Lindemann brought to Bimbo’s was a reminder of the joys of pop punk and a hope that she would return for her next headlining endeavor.