Sep 12, 2023 | ktru
By Rachel Bui
We started out the beginnings of September covering a show at the Beeracks, an unassuming brewery and small venue out in New Haven. Headlining the night was The Inside Out, comprised of James Howard, John Landino, Zach Stout, and Andi Wright. With performances by John DeMarco, Sounds & Scenarios, Valoria, and Fear the Masses, The Inside Out closed out the night at Beeracks with fun and much gusto, despite the pushed back set. With as much energy as they have when they perform, it’s hard not to have fun while dancing along to their music. A highlight of their set was their latest single, “Mr. Arrogant,” a fun, punchy indie track to help close out the end of summer.
Jun 25, 2023 | ktru
By Jacob Pellegrino
The Re:SET Concert Series is a new music festival format that works to address common complaints and issues with the typical format seen in large festivals. No more competing stages; attendees of Re:SET could easily see every artist performing. As the festival traveled around the country, stopping in Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, New York, and more places, the festival brought an unprecedented accessibility to a format that is normally localized to one place. With an exemplary lineup, Re:SET was a great experience that will hopefully come back for years to come.
We attended the Dallas stop of Re:SET, fighting a hot Texas summer to see the bands perform. While it cooled down at the end of each day as the sun set, finding shade was essential until then. Unfortunately, day three, headlined by LCD Soundsystem, was canceled due to storms and lightning that prevented the artists from playing for the crowd. Updates were handled in a timely manner via the festival’s Instagram account to keep potential attendees safe. Even with that unavoidable change, the first two days of the festival more than made up for it.
Day one was headlined by Boygenius and started with Bartees Strange, who began with a high energy set. Up next was Dijon, who had a video display showing a birds eye view of the group as they jammed for the crowd. A highlight of their set was “Talk Down” and their chemistry led to a great time for the audience. On site food options provided some tasty street tacos and water refill stations were available throughout the experience.
The crowd began to fill in more for Clairo, crowding the stage. While the stage setup was largely similar to other festivals, one point of annoyance was the VIP section, which was sparsely populated for its large size and made it harder for the average attendee to see the show and move through the crowd. Aside from her own songs, Clairo gave a great performance of “Bitter With the Sweet” by Carole King, whom she credited as an influence. Closing with “Bags,” Clairo restarted the song to get help for a concert goer fainting from the heat. The live instrumentation added another dimension to “Bags,” giving a strong close to a great set.
Finally, it was time for the headliner, Boygenius. Featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, the supergroup gave a high energy and emotional performance, getting reactions from the crowd not just for their music, but also for a resounding condemnation of Texas governor Greg Abbott led by the band. Coming out onto the stage with Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town” blaring, the group’s comfortable humor and group dynamic captivated the crowd throughout the night, closing with a solo track from each of the members of the group. Their set again had interruptions to help keep crowd members safe, but kept up steam even with the delays.
There was a severe thunderstorm warning on day two that led to different stage setups than initially planned: Steve Lacy was unable to use his usual video screen. However, the storm that was warned of never materialized and the day went along smoothly with more attention given to making sure the crowd stayed hydrated. Learning from day one, none of the artists had to stop their sets for crowd members.
Fousheé began the day with a set that showcased her unique style. Toro y Moi came up next and brought a chill vibe to the venue with his atmospheric music. The crowd continued to fill in throughout the sets. There was a long delay after Toro y Moi as James Blake took the stage around a half hour late due to issues getting his instruments set up. Blake’s layered instrumentals and incredible vocal range were on full display throughout the night, hitting a wide range of notes when he asked the crowd to sing along. “Hummingbird” was a joy to hear live after seeing it in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Blake’s cover of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” was beautiful and the closest most fans will ever get to seeing Frank perform.
Out of the weekend, the final act, Steve Lacy was perhaps the most engaging to see live. Lacy’s energy and inimitable stage presence kept the audience engaged and showed why he’s such a unique artist to follow. Lacy’s most recent tour sold out with a large margin added to the resale tickets online. The crowd at Re:SET hung onto every word from Lacy, singing along with most of the tracks, with an impressive knowledge of his words. Starting with “Helmet,” Lacy humorously talked to the audience throughout the show, guiding them through his catalog. Fousheé also came back out for a joint performance of “Sunshine.” Near the end of the show, Lacy asked the crowd to “watch this,” going right into playing his viral hit “Bad Habit.” Ending with “Dark Red,” Steve Lacy gave an unforgettable performance that was a fitting end to the festival.
Re:SET largely delivered on its promises to redefine the festival experience. I loved that I was able to see every artist playing, something that I am never able to do at traditional music festivals. Focusing on creating a quality, no-frills lineup, Re:SET also condenses the time commitment of a festival, something that is welcome with how exhausting a weekend-long music festival can be. Re:SET brings a more accessible festival experience around the country with quality acts who often sell out their own solo shows.
Jun 19, 2023 | ktru
By Rachel Bui
Photo by @HenryHwu
New York City’s Governors Ball (Gov Ball for short) returned this year with a new location – Flushing Meadows Corona Park. This change in venue turned out to be an ideal location: not only was the festival in a proper park (which offered often overlooked benefits like trees and grass to compliment the vibe), it was also located by public transportation, making it more accessible for festival attendees to get to and from the venue. By holding the festival at the park, this allowed some flexibility in the spacing between stages, which wasn’t terrible to trek when traveling between stages for different sets. And with a lineup so strong, there was a lot of traveling between stages rather than camping at certain stages.
Another thing to note besides the music was diverse food options for everyone. A particular vendor to highlight is Everything Legendary, a plant based food company founded by Duane Cheers. The company had previously been on Shark Tank and secured funding from Mark Cuban, and has partnered with Live Nation to serve as a vendor at many of its locations. Flavorful, I can hardly tell it’s vegan.
The weekend was opened by Awfbeat, a fresh-faced duo who are “hip-hop inspired” when it comes to their music. As two young men who don’t take themselves too seriously, it was entertaining and fun to watch them perform their set.
Rina Sawayama was one of my favorite performers of the weekend. A triple threat (can act, sing, and dance), she utilized all of her talents during her set, creating a theatrical performance. It was mesmerizing to watch her switch between flirty, vulnerable, awkward, and confident within her set while belting out her lyrics.
Other highlights of the festival aside from the headliners (Lizzo, Odesza, and Kendrick Lamar) (in no particular order) include KayCyy, Saba, Giveon, Ari Lennox, Remi Wolf, aespa, and Lil Nas X.
all photos by Rachel Bui except where noted
May 30, 2023 | ktru
By Jacob Pellegrino
R&B singer-songwriter hyejin creates music that combines personal lyricism with dreamy vocals and production that envelop listeners in her world. We recently had the opportunity to talk with hyejin after the release of her most recent single, “DAVID LEE.”
Born in South Korea, hyejin currently lives in SoCal and discussed how the differing cultures have influenced her sound.
“When I was in Korea, I definitely grew up listening to a lot of American records. And then once I left Korea, I fell in love with Korean music… There’s a really huge city pop and fusion jazz scene in Korea and those artists really influenced my sound right now,” hyejin explained.
hyejin went on to discuss some more specific influences and how she listened to American music in her youth.
“In Korea, my dad would take me to like those bootleg CD stores. Foreign exports were really expensive back in the day, so a CD would cost like $60. So you would go to a record store and get the fake ones. I bought a bunch of records and I grew up listening to a lot of James Taylor, Keyshia Cole,” hyejin recalled. “But I think that really, the influences are there with my song ‘I’VE SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE.’ And that song, people view it as just like an R&B ballad, but it’s an homage to the Korean ballad scene. So I kind of like to sprinkle in the influences, like Eastern influences.”
Currently a student at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, hyejin released her newest single during finals week and move out. She discussed how production and songwriting classes complement her music career while other general education classes “take up a lot of [her] energy.”
“It’s kind of weird. A lot of us are professionals in the music industry and we do so much stuff outside of school that school kind of feels like a side hustle at times,” hyejin said.
hyejin’s single, “DAVID LEE,” came out on May 19th and begins with a bouncy production style and smooth vocals before moving into a melodic and ethereal chorus. The track is a “straight to the point trap, R&B, pop song” that sees hyejin described as an “outlier” sonically and something she had never done before with more rap influenced vocals.
“There’s a huge community of Korean boys that like church is a huge thing. Like religion is like everything, you know, over here and so like, they go to church and they go to praise band… but when they’re not in church, they like to screw girls over and there’s a huge like cultural awareness surrounding that and we just wanted to kind of tap in and make fun of that,” hyejin explained. “But David Lee is not like a specific person.”
hyejin’s lyricism is very open and bold, addressing a variety of situations that can arise in romantic relationships and embracing an empowering pessimism. She spoke some about the differences between her personal life and the view listeners get from her songs.
“My daily life is more low key… I would say I grew up as a super introverted, like shy girl. And then once I got to college, I think I realized that not a lot of people care. So I became more extroverted. So I kind of did a 180 with my personality,” hyejin said. “I think a lot of people who used to know me, they view my music as an, ‘oh, what the hell happened to her’ kind of thing. But the music that I’m making right now, especially the things that I talk about, have been thoughts that I’ve had for my whole life… it’s how I express it. Like, I’ve never been able to express those thoughts. And then my music, once I got to college, became an outlet where I just talk about whatever I want to talk about.”
As a musician, hyejin started on the production side when she was 14, volunteering at her mother’s church to get her mother to buy her a USB mic and later Logic Pro, before being able to buy her own equipment. hyejin’s focus soon shifted to songwriting, “realizing that music’s such a collaborative thing and you gain a lot by working with other people.”
“With my producers, I met them my freshman year of college, and it was a very interesting process… I’d never been in the studio before. I was just writing songs in my room. And then once I got to college, it was kind of like figure it out in the studio,” hyejin recalled. “And so what I did was, I was super shy, so they would arrange the song first and then I would go to my bathroom floor to write it because I couldn’t write in front of them for a while. Now I don’t have an issue, but I used to be unable to top line or do anything in front of people. So I would do it in my dorm and then my roommate would come in at night to sleep, so I would go to my bathroom. Like all my songs are songs from my dorm bathroom floor. Just gross, but that’s how it happened.”
With a diverse taste in music, hyejin has also been collecting records since she was 14, which can help her to find new sounds and inspirations.
“My dad would drive me to a bigger store in LA called Amoeba Records. That was like the greatest, greatest happiness of like, being able to buy like a $40 record. You know, I mean, it’s an investment piece, and I have a few that are like rare finds,” hyejin shared. “My favorite one is a record called Oasis by Roberta Flack. I bought it at a bookstore in LA for 99 cents. I’d never heard of the record. Like, I love Roberta Flack, but that was not her hit album, I think. I listened to that and I fell in love. A lot of my songs are inspired by her and that album, especially my song, ‘I’VE SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE.’ The reference I had was a song from that album, so that’s such a special album to me.”
As a musician, hyejin has recently started doing live performances and connecting with fans in person. When asked if there were any artists whom she listens to that someone might not expect from her catalog, hyejin discussed an upcoming track.
“I’m a huge Radiohead fan. I’ve been super inspired by Radiohead since high school, and I think my current catalog doesn’t reflect that, but I have a few songs that are going to come out that are sort of alternative rock. I don’t want to say it’s a rock song, but it has the influences of rock music. So I’m very excited for that,” hyejin said.
After the interview, I was able to listen to the referenced track, titled “My Favorite Pillow.” It melds her unique style with more experimental stylings, mixing together multiple vocal and instrumental sections in an exciting new direction.
hyejin’s music is available wherever you stream music.
Photo courtesy of hyejin.
May 23, 2023 | ktru
By Rachel Bui
The launch of Head in the Clouds NYC started off soaking wet, but despite the potential for the rain to complicate logistics, the festival still ran smoothly. The queue for entry was long despite the downpour, and many people were waiting in cold rain to see the strong lineup, from EDM to rap to K-Pop.
Forest Hill Stadium had an interesting venue layout where the 88Rising stage (main stage) and the Honda Double Happiness stage were relatively close together, but this didn’t pose a problem due to no overlap in the schedule, so acts weren’t competing for attention, sound-wise. For those who attended Head in the Clouds LA 2022, it was evident how strong the lineup was, considering that main stage acts from the previous festival were now on the Double Happiness stage. And with how close the stages were to each other, it was easy for festival goers to travel back and forth between the stages to see everyone, if they so wished.
An underrated act that I enjoyed was singer-songwriter Paravi – despite having one leg in a cast, she exuded lots of energy and personality, a bright sunshine character amidst a rainy day. Her husky voice was like a warm hug, delivering a heartfelt performance that offset the drizzling conditions for a little while. A thread that ran through her setlist was that of an Asian American woman honoring both the cultures she grew up in as well as her heritage. While some people may think this is an overdone storyline, I believe the reality is that this narrative still rings true for many people to this day, and I’m thankful that she told her story this way. I’m hoping that she and 88rising will continue to have a flourishing relationship so that she can perform again at Head in the Clouds in the future.
Thai rapper/singer Milli was part of Head in the Clouds LA 2022, and it was a joy to watch her perform again in New York. With dancers to match her energy, she performed her hits like “Sad Aerobic” and “Mirror Mirror.” Her performance was hotter than last year’s cheeky set, though she still touched on her playful side by ending her set with “Mango Sticky Rice,” a nod to the moment she went viral for last year at Coachella for eating mango sticky rice on stage.
Beabadoobee has been on tour with Taylor Swift over the last few weeks, so it was great for KTRU to see her again at this festival. Singing tracks like “See You Soon” (a favorite of hers, she confessed beforehand), “The Perfect Pair,” and “Glue Song,” the indie singer demonstrated with her soft, almost wispy voice still has a strong presence in the industry.
One particular act that had most people buzzed with anticipation for day 1 was ITZY, a 5-person K-Pop girl group that is popular worldwide. What was fun to watch with the girls was they treated their slot like a mini K-Pop concert, squeezing in time for games that the members played.
Another act that had people humming with excitement was XG, a 7-person girl group based in South Korea. Their North American debut was treated like a showcase, with different subunits within the group showing off their skills as either rappers or singers. They would be remiss to not perform “Left Right,” a song that was remixed with Jackson Wang and Ciara at Coachella this year.
Other notable acts include Wolftyla, whose silky voice started Day 2 strong, Loren (South Korean alternative rock singer), whose self-deprecating humor won many people’s hearts;, P-Lo, whose hiphop set brought probably some of the most hype to the Double Happiness stage; and Atarashii Gakko!, whose stunts while performing never ceases to amaze me. (Disclaimer: due to an injury, I wasn’t able to see DPR Live + DPR Ian or Niki, so I wasn’t able to review them).
With another debut of the Head in the Clouds series closing this weekend out strong, I’m hoping that 88rising will continue to hold this festival annually in New York for years to come.
Photo by @Bryan.Kwon.Photos
May 14, 2023 | ktru
By Jacob Pellegrino
Lewis Capaldi recently finished a US tour in advance of his upcoming album, “Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent.” Capaldi’s 2019 debut album, “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent,” comprises emotional ballads that primarily address lost love and the dissolution of relationships. While his music is often drenched in melancholia, Capaldi’s public image and stage presence embraces direct and honest humor. This contrast, along with the quality of musical performance, makes for an engaging show that had the audience laughing, crying, and singing along.
The show began with opener Medium Build. They played a short set with a lot of humorous interjections. The lead singer began with a long white wig that complemented their often silly persona. Medium Build’s opening set and overall attitude was a great pairing for Lewis Capaldi.
After a short break, Lewis Capaldi came out onto the stage with his band. He began the show with “Forget Me,” a single from his upcoming album. The set as a whole, primarily consisted of tracks from “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent” with some of the singles from “Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent.” Touring in advance of his album release is an interesting strategy, but it worked really nicely here. The show made me even more excited for his sophomore release.
Capaldi’s trademark sense of humor helped to make him an engaging live performer, regularly talking to the crowd. Beginning the show, he claimed to the packed room that “at least 100 people here will leave disappointed… there will be no f—ing refunds.” I would be surprised if anyone left disappointed after the show that we saw. Capaldi’s vocals were great, sounding as good as on the studio recording throughout the night. His humorous quips provided a great lightness in contrast to his often heavy subject matter. For example, when introducing “Lost on You,” a song about letting someone go, Capaldi asked if there were any couples in the crowd before dedicating the song to “when you inevitably break up.”
One of the most emotional moments of the show was when Lewis Capaldi played “Wish You The Best” with its full music video playing in the background. The music video, which features the relationship between a dog and an old man, is well known for making people cry and the live version was no exception for much of the crowd.
In his most unhinged moment of humor, Capaldi hyped fans up that he had talked to Ed Sheeran, who co-wrote his new track “Pointless,” about performing with him. He recounted a lot of communications, building up excitement and cheering before letting the crowd know that Ed Sheeran could not, in fact, make it to the show to play with him. He quickly made up for the brief deception with a beautiful performance of the song.
As the show neared its end, Lewis Capaldi told the audience, “I have two songs left, and by that I mean: I’m going to stand just over there and I’m going to wait,” sardonically describing the encore process. The night ended with “Someone You Loved,” as the rapt crowd sang along with Capaldi. Through his combination of heartfelt lyrics and open humor, Lewis Capaldi won over the crowded Dallas venue with a memorable show.
His sophomore album will be released on May 19th.
May 10, 2023 | ktru
By Imogen Brown
Yves Tumor is an explosive force. Leather-clad and enigmatic, Tumor strutted onto the stage of Warehouse Live on April 27 to deliver a stunning, powerful performance bathed in blue and red light. Tumor’s Houston stop of their “To Spite or Not to Spite” tour left audiences’ ears ringing for an eternity.
Tumor opened with “God Is A Circle,” the first song on their latest album “Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds).” With meticulous breaths and an unshakeable three-piece ensemble, Tumor’s passionate performance was tight, coordinated and precise. Chris Greatti tore up the lead guitar while Gina Ramirez and Rhys Hastings plowed through bass and drums. At one point, Tumor jumped into the crowd, prompting deafening audience screams.
“Echolalia” was Tumor’s next standout track. A pumping, sweaty dance party, “Echolalia” electrified the room. Just when I thought I couldn’t jump anymore, Tumor wailed “helloooo?” whipping out a steel double mic contraption on “Operator.” Though their set generally centered around hits from the newest album, Tumor also included older classics like “Jackie” and “Kerosene,” which had the crowd teeming with energy. Towards the end of the show, I was even surprised to find myself sucked into the vibrant, thumping mosh pit.
Tumor compounds the stylistic excitement of glam metal with technical otherworldly talent. Their driving basslines, show-stealing guitar licks, glitter-covered face and outrageous voice make for a singularly awe-inspiring performance.
May 4, 2023 | ktru
By Keegan Pierce
On our way into the Lightning Bolt show, we passed someone who told us, “You’d better hurry up; they’re tearing down the walls in there!” (We were admittedly running a little late.)
We rushed in wondering how much of the set we’d missed, if the walls would still standing, and where the tallboys were at. However, the enduring question of the Lightning Bolt set was, “how are there only two people up on stage?” You only see Brian Chippendale pulverizing the drums with a contact mic held to his face by a mask and Brian Gibson’s bass tuned in fifths with banjo strings up top, yet you hear thunderous crashes and torrential noise as if a tempest were on stage. A noise rock band that we love playing at the station, Lightning Bolt has been playing since 1994 honing their unique mixture of drum and bass. Their origins are house parties, playing right in the middle of whatever crowd they are bringing to a boil, and, while they’ve now climbed up on stage, they’re still completely in tune with the discord they cause. We had headaches on the way home, but we loved it and so did the rest of the crowd. The pits were unlike the testosterone fueled fireworks at punk shows and more like ritualistic dances around a bonfire.
You are never comfortable or completely in tune with Lightning Bolt, but it is breathtaking to see those two dudes tear down a stage.
Photo courtesy of Lightning Bolt.
May 1, 2023 | ktru
By Jacob Pellegrino
Yves Tumor is currently embarking on their “To Spite or Not to Spite” tour on the heels of the release of their fourth album “Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds).” Tumor’s experimental rock music lends itself perfectly to live performances that make it feel as if you’re in a club out of a slightly dystopian futuristic movie.
Yves Tumor opened with “God Is a Circle,” the first track from their most recent album. The song, which features heavy breathing as part of the instrumental, felt expanded live, letting me hear more of the guitar and drums. It also gained more of a push and pull in the tempo, starting slightly slower and quieter beginning before opening up to start the show.
Tumor performed in front of a stark stage, with his band behind him and an array of lights to bathe the venue in a variety of colors depending on the song being played. At times, they jumped into the crowd, inspiring cheers and excitement throughout the venue. The crowd was moving throughout the entire night, at one point shifting back to create a mosh pit around the front of the stage.
The setlist primarily drew from Yves Tumor’s newest album by a large margin, but other fan favorites like “Gospel for a New Century” and “Kerosene!” were integrated into the set. Having previously seen Yves Tumor in 2021, it was nice to hear their new tracks live. Tumor did not interact with the audience a ton by talking, rather they focused on performing their songs to the best level possible.
Yves Tumor is one of those artists that pushes the boundaries of rock music through constant experimentation. This hunger for new forms of expression is perfect for a live environment as it brings a strong energy to the performance.
May 1, 2023 | ktru
By Jacob Pellegrino
Kali Uchis has already shown the world her talent as a performer throughout her career and during her Coachella performance in April. For her show at 713 Music Hall, Uchis performed her music to a sold out concert hall with an engaged crowd hanging on to every word.
Uchis’ show was the most packed I’ve ever seen 713. Sold out months in advance, the concert drew a line of ticket holders that wrapped not only around the venue but to the back of Post, an attached dining hall. People came out dressed up in high heels and outfits evocative of the attitude Uchis conveys in her music, ready for an unforgettable night of music and visual spectacle.
The show began with opener RAYE, a British singer-songwriter whose music crosses a range of genres, including dance, R&B, and pop. RAYE recently gained more creative freedom of her music after leaving a restrictive label and performed tracks that addressed a wide range of topics. One of the most striking was “Ice Cream Man,” a powerful song that addresses her experience with sexual assault and its after-effects. RAYE talked a lot to the audience about her life and the meaning of the songs she played.
Kali Uchis’ stage setup included the three arches and steps up to those that were seen in her Coachella performance, which gave a lot of room for visual layering with the backup dancers. The show began with an extended intro, juxtaposing images of the sun and rain on the backing display. Then those visuals changed to a heart, and backup dancers led a Uchis up to the center arch, blocked from the audience with what looked like palm leaves. They pulled the leaves aside and Uchis emerged. She and her dancers danced to “Frikitona” by Plan B before opening with “Telepatía” from her album “Sin Miedo.”
Her Houston stop was the second show on Kali Uchis’ “Red Moon in Venus” tour. Songs from her most recent album, for which the tour is named, such as “Moonlight” and “I Wish You Roses” were intoxicating live with the power of their melodies only increased by the live atmosphere. As it was so early in the tour Uchis repeatedly told the audience that she was still working on the setlist, thanking the packed house for being there and enjoying her music.
Kali Uchis interacted with the audience a lot throughout the show, speaking about family members telling her that there were more attractive and better singers than her in an effort to stop her from pursuing music. However, Uchis drove home, “they’re not you,” encouraging the crowd to pursue their own passions and not listen to those who doubt them. With her Colombian heritage, Uchis also discussed how happy she was to see so many Latinos come to the show to support her.
Throughout the show, Uchis’ dreamy music combined with a considered stage design and choreography to create a memorable experience that saw both her Spanish and English language music shine.
Finally, it was time for the headliner, Boygenius. Featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, the supergroup gave a high energy and emotional performance, getting reactions from the crowd not just for their music, but also for a resounding condemnation of Texas governor Greg Abbott led by the band. Coming out onto the stage with Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town” blaring, the group’s comfortable humor and group dynamic captivated the crowd throughout the night, closing with a solo track from each of the members of the group. Their set again had interruptions to help keep crowd members safe, but kept up steam even with the delays.
Out of the weekend, the final act, Steve Lacy was perhaps the most engaging to see live. Lacy’s energy and inimitable stage presence kept the audience engaged and showed why he’s such a unique artist to follow. Lacy’s most recent tour sold out with a large margin added to the resale tickets online. The crowd at Re:SET hung onto every word from Lacy, singing along with most of the tracks, with an impressive knowledge of his words. Starting with “Helmet,” Lacy humorously talked to the audience throughout the show, guiding them through his catalog. Fousheé also came back out for a joint performance of “Sunshine.” Near the end of the show, Lacy asked the crowd to “watch this,” going right into playing his viral hit “Bad Habit.” Ending with “Dark Red,” Steve Lacy gave an unforgettable performance that was a fitting end to the festival.
Tumor performed in front of a stark stage, with his band behind him and an array of lights to bathe the venue in a variety of colors depending on the song being played. At times, they jumped into the crowd, inspiring cheers and excitement throughout the venue. The crowd was moving throughout the entire night, at one point shifting back to create a mosh pit around the front of the stage.
Uchis’ show was the most packed I’ve ever seen 713. Sold out months in advance, the concert drew a line of ticket holders that wrapped not only around the venue but to the back of Post, an attached dining hall. People came out dressed up in high heels and outfits evocative of the attitude Uchis conveys in her music, ready for an unforgettable night of music and visual spectacle.
Kali Uchis’ stage setup included the three arches and steps up to those that were seen in her Coachella performance, which gave a lot of room for visual layering with the backup dancers. The show began with an extended intro, juxtaposing images of the sun and rain on the backing display. Then those visuals changed to a heart, and backup dancers led a Uchis up to the center arch, blocked from the audience with what looked like palm leaves. They pulled the leaves aside and Uchis emerged. She and her dancers danced to “Frikitona” by Plan B before opening with “Telepatía” from her album “Sin Miedo.”
Kali Uchis interacted with the audience a lot throughout the show, speaking about family members telling her that there were more attractive and better singers than her in an effort to stop her from pursuing music. However, Uchis drove home, “they’re not you,” encouraging the crowd to pursue their own passions and not listen to those who doubt them. With her Colombian heritage, Uchis also discussed how happy she was to see so many Latinos come to the show to support her.