Currently on her Paper Doll tour, which kicked off in February 2026, blues-rock artist Samantha Fish dominated the stage at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City, IA on Wednesday, May 13. A beautiful, old theatre built in 1912, this charming venue plays host to a plethora of amazing artists, and to have Samantha Fish grace that stage was no exception.
Two supporting artists took the stage that night as well. First to perform was a local band from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Evan Stock Band. They brought some true classic rock sound! Next up was 2023 International Blues Challenge and Best Guitarist winner, Matthias Lattin. This was the perfect pairing of opening artists, combining rock and blues music, leading into the sensational blues-rock sound of Samantha Fish.
The packed house anxiously awaited Fish’s arrival on stage. The house lights dimmed at 9:15, and tour manager, guitar tech, and overall band wrangler, Danny Bland was on the ready to hand Samantha her first guitar of the night. Aptly kicking off her set with “Kick Out the Jams,” an MC5 cover, the dynamism was immediate! She came out donning black flared, rhinestone-embellished trousers with accompanying black vest. Samantha’s outfits often show off her true style, and enhance her stage presence that much more.
She followed up “Kick Out the Jams” with the title track of her 2025 album, Paper Doll, (also the title of this tour) and the vivacity increased twofold. Samantha continued highlighting Paper Doll with another song off that album, “I’m Done Running.” This album was the first ever recorded with her touring band; bassist Ron Johnson, drummer Jamie Douglass, and keyboardist Mickey Finn. It definitely seemed fitting to place a lot of emphasis on performing several songs off of that album throughout the night.
Cover songs are not uncommon with Samantha’s performances. Aside from the MC5 song performed to begin the evening’s show, she honored rhythm & blues artist Barbara Lewis, performing a cover of her 1963 hit “Hello Stranger,” a track from Samantha’s 2017 album, Chills & Fever. This smooth, mellow-sounding tune brought one back to the early days of this style of music.
One of my absolute favorites of hers, “Gone For Good,” followed. This 2017 release from the studio album, Belle of the West, completely changed up the tempo. The rhythm and sound of this tune, complete with Samantha’s tremendous guitar riffs, made this one an instant favorite of mine. There’s no other way, in my opinion, to listen to this song other than live at one of her shows.
After “Sweet Southern Sounds” and “Lose You,” which was instrumentally heavy, guitar tech Danny Bland made yet another of his several trips onto the stage to hand off one of Fish’s guitars. This time, it was a cigar box guitar for a performance of her 2019 hit “Bulletproof,” off of the album Kill or Be Kind. The crowd went wild with this one, and even provided a standing ovation afterwards. This tune is definitely on the top of my Samantha Fish favorites!
“Fortune Teller,” another track off of her 2025 album, Paper Doll, started low, slow, deep, and sultry. The bridge of this one, however, blasted off into high gear. The crowd’s energy continued to increase throughout the venue, with several starting to get on their feet at this point, and jam right along with Samantha and her band.
After a much needed break for a few gulps of water, Samantha encouraged her fans for a bit of audience participation for “No Angels,” another from her 2017 album Belle of the West. Nothing too difficult, just a bit of an echo of “no there ain’t” during the hook portions of this tune. I even participated a bit from the shadows while jotting notes from the evening.
After performing “Dream Girl,” another from her 2019 album Kill or Be Kind, Fish’s finale for her set was the title track off of her 2013 album, Black Wind Howlin’. The entire audience rose to their feet! About halfway through, she introduced her band members, highlighting each one. Rays of light shone down onto her and bassist Ron Johnson as they played facing each other, and it became quite a jam session for the remainder of this number.
In true rock-and-roll fashion, no show would be complete without an encore. Hype man Danny Bland emerged from the wings once more. This time, he was all by himself on stage after the band exited, holding a guitar in one hand and getting the crowd fired up. Samantha and her band then returned to the stage for one final song. Even a special guest accompanied her on this; Matthias Lattin took the stage alongside Samantha Fish to join her in “Bitch on the Run,” from her 2015 album, WIld Heart. This tune frequently sneaks in there on her setlist as an encore performance.
Matthias conquered with a guitar solo part way through the number in a true jam session form, the chorus of “Right now, right now I’m feeling it” was sung by the fans, and the entire venue turned into a genuine, high-energy rock show. What a way to end the night!
Throughout the evening, Samantha was, of course, the focus of the spotlight, and her unique look, complete with bouncing blond locks as she jams during each of her performances, completes her entire persona. She is a stand-out artist in both sound and appearance. The continuously changing colored strobes enhanced each song that night, and smoke and haze effects played their role as well during the evening.
With numerous shows left on this tour in the U.S. and Europe, Samantha Fish is definitely not one to miss. After a late July performance in Rochester, NY, Samantha Fish will take the stage one last time on her tour in September for the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival in Telluride, CO on September 18 & 19.
GALLERY: Samantha Fish, Matthias Lattin, and The Evan Stock Band at Englert Theatre in Iowa City, Iowa (May 13, 2026)
