Written and Photos By Israel Lerma (more photos coming soon)
On November 7th, at the beautiful White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas I saw Thundercat headlining his Distracted Tour, with 54 Ultra as the opener. And oh boy, what a show. This was a special show for many reasons, as I just recently interviewed Thundercat! Additionally, my plus-one was the fellow station manager at KTRU, along with two of my friends from back home and my Rap Rice Club Treasurer. It was also a full-circle moment, as this was the first show I shot outside on the lawn of the white oak. My first ever show was inside at the white oak; now, for my 20th show, we're out here on the lawn snapping pics.
To start, we had a new opener exclusively for the Texas show: 54Ultra. A Domicant based out of New Jersey, 54 Ultra is the solo project of a singer, songwriter, and producer. Seeing him come out was so sick. Firstly, the background of Thundercat's setup is just so nice with the red and black cat logo, and the setup of the band was done quite nicely. 54 Ultra came out with " Talk to You, his biggest song that blew up on TikTok. Yet, while most of his recent numbers are from TikTok, it feels like he is such a professional in what he does. He came out with so much swagger and performed the whole song from Top to bottom, with the rest of the band accompanying him quite nicely. His next song was a big highlight to me, as he played my favorite song by him, Talk 2 Me. And bro, this song is special. It gives this sort of 80's disco vibe with a modern swing. The first buildup of the song, with the synths hitting you with that simple 1/3 snare pattern, is felt in my bones. As he sings about this girl in his mind, the song hits a climax of him talking to the girl as she is talking to meeee. Ahh, the way he delivers this, with his own ad-libs, makes this song so special. The content of this song is just so beautiful, as it makes me truly think about those people in our lives we just do not talk to anymore. Anyways, he played Heaven Knows and Where Are You, which went quite smoothly. He also did a cover of a very famous song; not going to lie, I do not know the title, but I know the song. It is a very famous Latin song that got everyone excited. He also mentioned a brief side of his history, coming from immigrant parents in Jersey, which was quite cool. While his set was only like seven songs, he genuinely felt like a professional up there. The funny thing is he does not even have an album!!! Yet he plays and handles himself so well in performing, almost like he was meant for this.
Now with Thundercat, we waited until 9:00 to see him come out as his band came out with the disco drip and bright colors. Thundercat himself came out wearing all black with the chain of his own logo, which is cool. He started off the set playing Children of the Baked Potato, an homage to the jazz club down in LA, where his parents played and took him to learn. It was also the first single for Distracted, making it not only the best way to open the show, but just a nice homage. The song was quite groovy, andtaking pictures for it was a vibe. He then played a slower song, being candlelight, which showed me what to expect for the rest of the night. As I was focused on taking pictures, I had to put my camera down sometimes just to appreciate the beauty of his shredding. The way he moves his fingers is insanely talented,
fast, and impressive in a way I've never seen before. No mistakes at all! He and the whole band grinded that shorter song so intensely. The next song played was one of my newer favorites, No More Lies featuring Tame Impala. This was one of the singles leading up to the album, and holy sh*t, what a song. Combining both of these veterans on a song was a recipe for success, and yes, indeed it is. The studio song is one of his best songs ever, and the way it was done live with the band was a chef's kiss. Thundercat even sang Tame's part and hit it quite well. With no backing track, it was very sick! And the fact that he just constantly shreds is just insane while he sings as well.
And wow, the next song featuring the beloved legend Mac Miller was played. The song She Knows Too Much features a rap performance by Mac, which is just beautiful to see. With his estate being so friendly, this has been, to date, the last song Mac has technically put out (there are talks of MacLib coming out, a collab album with the legendary producer Madlib, but these are rumors right now). The fact that Thundercat plays this, and even raps the parts, is just legendary, and a good homage, man! Speaking of Mac, he also played that bass riff of What's The Use of Swimming, WHICH OMG IT WAS SO AWESOME. Reminded me of the Tiny Desk Video man it was amazing to hear that live, and paying homage the legendary Mac Miller. And yeezus man, the next song played was Black Qualls, that features Steve Lacy, Donald Glover, and Steve Arrington. Like, this is some of the best tracks on a setlist in a row that are iconic. With him performing all the parts, shredding, and the band, it just led to so many beautiful and groovy moments. The background featuring his logo was also quite fitting and elevated the whole experience for me. Moving on to I Wish Didn't Waste Your Time, my favorite song off Distracted, it was hitting. Thundercat hit some notes here and added on to what was already established just to make it better. Those keyboard synths that were being played were hitting, and hearing those sort of ominous sounds elevates the experience.
I also wanted to highlight Dragonball Durag, just cause its such a funny song that shows Thundercat's personality. I mean, throughout the whole show, I loved Thundercat's banter and conversations with us. Unlike most fans, he actually talks and cares about his fans. Plus, he is not afraid to nerd out with us. He loved to mention Sonic and even dedicated a song to Shadow. Later in the show, he dedicated a song to Patrick Stewart (R.I.P. the Legend), who did excellent work in Star Trek and X-Men, of course. He even mentioned Pokémon cards, Star Wars, and overall was just a goofy guy that I enjoyed seeing.
Now, with the encore, Thundercat left and quickly came back with a new Super Sonic Bass! This Sonic decal on the bass is so clean and funny to me. Please go on his Instagram and look; it is so iconic and a good homage to Sega. He even, for the first time on the tour, covered Can You Feel the Sunshine by Richard Jacques. I am not a big fan of the franchise, so it wasn't as monumental a moment, but the fact he did, and seeing those around me being into it, was so cool. He then proceeded to band introductions, taking time with each member and properly introducing them. Here, we find out the background singers, well, background. The first background singer is his niece, who joined him on their first tour. Then, another background singer is Erykah Badu's daughter, Puma. When that was said, a crazy pop from the fans came out.
Now rating this show Letterbox Style
- Setlist - 1 --> Amazing songs, great order. Literally a perfect balance of new and old music. Only complaint was no Drink Dat.
- Stage Presence - 1 --> He had the confidence for sure, talked to the fans, and his fellow members. You can just tell he knows what he is doing, and that to me is so majestic.
- Performance - 1 --> From playing, it was great. He is genuinely, and no joke, one of the best live players I have seen in my life. Even his singing ability was nice.
- Audience - 1.0 --> Real Fans, Limited Phones, who just knew how to appreciate good music.
- Overall Experience / Vibe - 1 --> What a Time to Be Alive. What a show. The people I went with also elevated the experience. My photos turned out good. 54 Ultra was amazing. Thundercat exceeded my expectations. I wish every show was like this, ngl!
- Total: 5/5 Stars
yes, it was this good.