Vanessa Labi

Sacramento

Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor at San Francisco Chronicle

Asst. arts editor @SFChronicle @sfc_datebook. Former deputy editor @comstocksmag.

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Articles

‘The start of something really good’: Channel 24 venue energizes Sacramento arts landscape

1 month ago | modbee.com | Vanessa Labi

May 5-For decades, Sacramento concertgoers have packed into cars or boarded trains to see their favorite artists in San Francisco or Oakland. But a new addition to the city's Midtown district could signal a shift in the region's migrational patterns.
Navigating tariffs and turmoil: Films and plays to make sense of it all

2 months ago | datebook.sfchronicle.com | Lily Janiak |G. Allen Johnson |Vanessa Labi |Chris Vognar

When the Chronicle first got the idea to write this round-up, it was going to focus on TV, theater and film that could help you contextualize or commiserate about President Trump’s new tariffs. But in a whiplash-inducing feeling that’s become the mark of just another day gone by in this term, we discovered we should also include works that can help us make sense of a 90-day pause of said tariffs.
Navigating tariffs and turmoil: Films and plays to make sense of it all

2 months ago | sfchronicle.com | Lily Janiak |G. Allen Johnson |Vanessa Labi |Chris Vognar

When the Chronicle first got the idea to write this round-up, it was going to focus on TV, theater and film that could help you contextualize or commiserate about President Trump’s new tariffs. But in a whiplash-inducing feeling that’s become the mark of just another day gone by in this term, we discovered we should also include works that can help us make sense of a 90-day pause of said tariffs.
Noise Pop Festival pops off in S.F. with modern-day funkmaster

Feb 21, 2025 | sfchronicle.com | Vanessa Labi

Amid California Academy of Sciences' lush rainforest, dazzling aquariums and the swampy home of its famed albino alligator Claude, a vibrant transformation was underway. Sure, the science museum was hosting one of its weekly NightLife parties that regularly attract hundreds of attendees. But on Thursday, Feb. 20, the after hours event doubled as a kick-off for the 32nd annual Noise Pop Festival, complete with a headlining set by Southern California funk star Dam-Funk.
East Bay’s Toro y Moi brings a ‘Hole’ lot of guests onstage for Greek Theatre show

Oct 26, 2024 | sfchronicle.com | Vanessa Labi

East Bay indie artist Toro y Moi has officially broken out of the bedroom. The bedroom pop producer played a loud, confident and notably grungier hometown show at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, the chillwave artist’s largest show to date. It’s fitting that the artist, whose real name is Chaz Bear (formerly Chaz Bundick), played to a massive audience on Friday, Oct. 25, to promote “Hole Earth,” his eighth and most collaborative studio album.
On repeat: These are the best record stores in the Bay Area

Apr 12, 2024 | sfchronicle.com | Aidin Vaziri |Zara Irshad |Vanessa Labi |Mariecar Mendoza |Tony Bravo |Shwanika Narayan

Stepping into a record store is like walking through a time warp — you never know which decade, genre or sonic adventure you’re in for. With inventory that ranges from must-have hits to the obscure and everything in between, these small businesses throughout the Bay Area are havens for music lovers. This Outer Sunset shop has a great selection of jazz, soul, world music, rare finds and more.
Bar Italia at Great American Music Hall

Apr 2, 2024 | datebook.sfchronicle.com | Vanessa Labi

Music Datebook Pick Bar Italia, the trio of Londoners who kept their identities under wraps for its first few years on the scene, is coming to San Francisco to introduce itself to American fans. The enigmatic indie rockers — Sam Fenton, Nina Cristante and Jezmi Tarik Fehmi — only recently stepped out of anonymity.
Bad Bunny gave S.F. fans what they wanted most in exuberant Most Wante

Mar 2, 2024 | sfchronicle.com | Vanessa Labi

Yes, there is a horse in Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour. Not a majestic chrome stallion, like Beyoncé’s, but a real, chestnut brown horse that the global superstar momentarily mounts to drive home the Wild West concept of his latest album, “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.” But it wasn’t the horse, the pyrotechnics, the lasers nor the flames that lit up San Francisco’s Chase Center that made his Friday, March 1, show memorable.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to celebrate 30th anniversary in San Francisco

Jan 20, 2024 | sfchronicle.com | Vanessa Labi

The ’90s hip-hop group is set to perform at the Curran in March on “the first of the month.”
San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore celebrates 70th anniversary

Jan 5, 2024 | sfchronicle.com | Vanessa Labi

City Lights Bookstore has been an influential gathering place since it opened in San Francisco’s North Beach in 1953. Here is a timeline of the store’s history.