A bluesy spell was cast in Baltimore
You ever walk into a place and just feel the voltage in the air?
I’m not talking static cling or nervous excitement here: I mean full-blown, skin-prickling, ribcage-thumping electricity. That kind of buzz that hits you before the lights even dim, before a single chord is struck, before the first “whoo!” ricochets off the walls.
That was the Baltimore Soundstage on Sunday night, June 29. A night pinned between a muggy Mid-Atlantic heatwave and the tail end of Pride weekend. The humidity was thick enough to bite through, but no one gave a damn — we were all packed shoulder to shoulder and already sweating bullets by the time Samantha Fish took the stage.
And I swear to God, when she did, that little club cracked open like a thundercloud. Opening with a scalding, no-prisoners take on Kick Out the Jams was about as subtle as getting rear-ended by a Harley. It wasn’t just a cover — it was a warning shot. That snarl in her voice, the way she lets her guitar scream like it’s being exorcised? That wasn’t nostalgia, that was a dare, her way of saying if you came here for a just a blues show, you better buckle up, cause you’re gettin’ baptized in gasoline.
And the Soundstage responded in kind. That floor felt like it was alive, with people stomping and swaying and elbowing past for a better view — like every damn one of us suddenly remembered what live music is supposed to feel like. Real and loud and messy, even. Human.
Samantha moved straight into “Paper Doll,” the title track of her new album. There’s this ghost of vulnerability in that song — the kind you almost miss on the record. But live, in that sweaty vortex of amps and fog and red wash lights, it turned into something else. She played her guitar like it’s an extension of her soul. There’s raw bite in her solos, but there’s also restraint. You don’t get the sense she’s shredding to show off, it’s more like she’s telling secrets only her guitar understands.
Stream “Paper Doll” by Samantha Fish on YouTube:
“Can You Handle the Heat” was next, and by that point, the answer was “probably not.”But when she dug into that groove, it didn’t matter. That track is bluesy, yes, but it veers into swamp-funk territory in the best way. Her band were locked in like they were all sharing a heartbeat. Drums just behind the beat, bass crawling like molasses.
It all simmered and smoked, until it boiled over during the bridge — just pure, sticky, sonic lust.
“I’m Done Runnin’” cut through the sticky hot air like a razor blade. It had this open-wound quality to it — equal parts defiance and exhaustion. There’s something about Samantha’s voice when she sings ballads. It frays at the edges, like it’s too full to hold everything in, and when she whispered that final “I’m done…” you could’ve heard a damn pin drop, because everyone was holding their breath.
Watch Samantha Fish perform “I’m Done Running'” live for Esplanade Studios on YouTube:
This was the kind of moment that live albums never quite capture. It’s not just the music, it’s the way the air shifts, the way you could feel the crowd is totally into the performance.
And then she hit us with “I Put a Spell on You.” I’ve heard plenty of people cover Screamin’ Jay and Nina Simone. I’ve seen good ones, great ones, some that made me grin. But what Samantha Fish did with it was full-blown ritual. She didn’t sing that song — she summoned it.
Her guitar tone turned sinister, borderline spooky. Think roadhouse séance with a bottle of rye in one hand and a dagger in the other. She pulled notes out of that thing like they were being dragged from the bottom of a well. The crowd were hypnotized. Nobody filmed. Nobody talked. We just stood there and felt it.
“After Lose You” and “Sweet Southern Sounds,” which both echoed with that deep, gospel-soaked Americana ache, she slid into “Off in the Blue.” That track has a warmth to it live and you could tell, she wasn’t playing for applause. She was telling you a confession through six strings and a cracked-open heart.
By the time she launched into “Bulletproof,” the place came unglued. That’s her anthem, right? Blues-rock with a hard southern edge and a defiant spine. The kind of song you blast with the windows down after a breakup — or on your way to one. She tore into that solo like it owed her money, and the crowd response was damn near feral.
Watch the official music video for “Bulletproof” by Samantha Fish on YouTube:
“Fortune Teller” followed — a witchy, stompy little number that felt like a New Orleans street party soaked in bourbon and bad intentions. Then “Don’t Say It,” where she leaned back and just wailed; not just a performance, a release.
There’s something weirdly uplifting about a song called “Rusty Razor,” but that’s the Samantha Fish magic trick. She can wrap heartbreak in a fireball of slide guitar and make it feel liberating and that’s the thing that takes blues and roots and southern rock and makes it touch your soul.
By the time “Dreamgirl” and “Black Wind Howlin’” rolled in, she had us in the palm of her hand. The former was slow burn; the latter was an explosion. She didn’t just end the set — she torched it to the ground.
The band cranked it to 11. The lights pulsed red and blue like a siren. She stalked the stage like a woman possessed, and then, just when you thought she couldn’t push it further, she did.
Nobody moved an inch. They were waiting for the encore and when Samantha strolled back out — smiling, drenched, defiant — you knew “Goin’ Down South” was coming.
It had that greasy, grimy, Delta-blues energy, but dressed up in leather and steel. She played it like it was a personal exorcism. Like every note she wrung out had been stewing in her bones for years. It wasn’t neat, it wasn’t pristine, it was alive.
And when the last note rang out and the lights came up, nobody clapped politely, they roared.
Some folks then staggered toward the bar like they needed a stiff one to process it all.
Look — I’m not gonna get all “you had to be there” on you, but… yeah, you kinda did. Because last night at the Baltimore Soundstage wasn’t perfect. It was sweat and spit and tears and blood and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t one of the best nights of live music I’ve had in years.
Setlist
1. Kick Out the Jams
2. Paper Doll
3. Can You Handle the Heat
4. I’m Done Runnin’
5. I Put a Spell on You
6. Lose You
7. Sweet Southern Sounds
8. Off in the Blue
9. Bulletproof
10. Fortune Teller
11. Don’t Say It
12. Rusty Razor
13. Dreamgirl
14. Black Wind Howlin’
Encore
15. Goin’ Down South
Here are some photos of Samantha Fish performing live at Baltimore Soundstage on June 29, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
