by Rachel Bui
Whoever crafted the lineup for the New Haven stop of Eric Bellinger’s Obsession Tour had their finger on the pulse of pop culture – all the artists are talented multihyphenates, and the common thread was their R&B discography.
The night at Toad’s Place started with a warmup with Melody Shari. She performed her whole discography – which consists of 2 songs as of the writing of this article. Though it did seem disjointed from the rest of the night’s lineup stylistically and timewise, I still enjoyed her set.
The next performer is not new to the music scene, but hadn’t released her own music until recently. Even if her bright red suit or her signature blue hair didn’t catch your eye, GoGo Morrow’s vocal performance commanded your attention. The songstress struck a nice balance between slow jams and punchy tracks, with energetic backup dancers enhancing the performance. With a long list of accomplishments as a performer under her belt, she’s got the making for a strong artist in wherever she wants to go. I hope to have the privilege to see her live again and see how she grows.
Trevor Jackson brought the heat up a notch from the moment he entered on stage. As if he hadn’t already mesmerized the crowd with his performance, later in the set he jumped the barricade and joined the audience for part of his performance, exciting the crowd with the surprise visit. With how well known he is, it was refreshing to see how much he trusted his audience and rewarded them with his up-close presence.
Before the man of the night came out, a crew set up three giant picture frames as props on stage – perhaps as a nod to his affinity for trilogies? The setup had a nice framing effect of the three musical elements on stage: the DJ, the guitarist, and Bellinger himself. Bellinger has such a rich discography to pull from, and he made great use of it when executing his setlist. Starting off the night with “Obsession,” a track from his latest album, 1(800)HIT-EAZY: Line 2, he weaved his way through his discography, performing songs from his discography as early as The Rebirth.
Initially when I saw that Bellinger was coming to New Haven to perform at the local dance club/small concerts venue, I admit that I was a little perplexed, considering how big of a name he is. After seeing what the team did with the show, I’m beginning to understand the decision to choose a smaller venue in order to create an intimate version of a tour stop. From the get-go fans had connected with Bellinger, matching his energy and singing the verses word-for-word, even on tracks that were only recently released. Until the very end he had his audience enthralled. It truly was a treat to watch an artist who has perfected his craft early in his career, and yet he will continue to soar. Not even the sky is the limit for Eric Bellinger.
