On Friday 29th August 2025 Robyn Hitchcock performed the Safe As Milk album live at The Chapel, San Francisco. A second set Deep Cuts & Classic Tracks included a selection of other Beefheart songs from the later albums.
The musical director for the show was Allyson Baker from the San Francisco rock band Dirty Ghosts. She and her husband played a couple of Beefheart songs with Robyn Hitchcock at The Chapel in May 2025 – Electricity and Zig Zag Wanderer – and enjoyed the experience so much that they wanted to do it again. By coincidence the promoter of the show that night had an idea of Robyn playing Safe As Milk with a bunch of musicians and asked Allyson if she’d be up for organising it. So she sounded out many local musicians and singers to see if they’d be interested with the following result :
Captain Beefheart:
Robyn Hitchcock – lead vocals (3,4,8,11,12,13,15,16,17,18,25,26)
Lydia Walker – lead vocals (5,9,14)
Kelley Stoltz- lead vocals, saxophone (6,10,20,21)
Shannon Shaw (of Shannon & The Clams) – lead vocals (7)
Chuck Prophet – lead vocals, electric guitar (19)
Blag Dahlia (of Dwarves)- lead vocals (1,2,22,23)
Nick Waterhouse – lead vocals, percussion (24)
The Magic Band:
Joe Gore (of Tom Waits and PJ Harvey bands) – electric guitar
Allyson Baker (of Dirty Ghosts) – electric guitar, musical director
Pete Straus (of Dwarves) – electric bass
Warren Huegel – drums
Marc Capelle – flugelhorn
Jamin Barton – saxophone, harmonica, theremin, backing vocals
Meryl Theo Press – backing vocals
Lydia Walker – backing vocals
with special guest:
Cyril Jordan (of Flamin’ Groovies) – electric guitar (24)
Set 1: “Safe as Milk”
1 (intro)
2 The Dust Blows Forward ’n the Dust Blows Back
3 Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do
4 Zig Zag Wanderer
5 Call on Me
6 Dropout Boogie
7 I’m Glad
8 Electricity
9 Yellow Brick Road
10 Abba Zaba
11 Plastic Factory
12 (banter/tuning)
13 Grown So Ugly
14 Autumn’s Child
Set 2: Deep Cuts and Classic Tracks
15 Big Eyed Beans From Venus
16 Clear Spot
17 (band intro)
18 Moonlight On Vermont
19 Too Much Time
20 Apes-Ma >
21 Hot Head
22 Ashtray Heart
23 Bat Chain Puller
24 Diddy Wah Diddy
25 (band intro)
26 Tropical Hot Dog Night