Foster the People @ Emo's - Austin
October 3rd 2024: Foster the People @ Emo's - Austin, TX
Foster the People | Photos Courtesy of: Bernadette Castillo
Foster the People made a stop at Emo’s for a sold-out show with ACL Fest Nights to kick off their upcoming appearance at Austin City Limits Music Festival. ACL Fest Nights make it a bit more accessible for people to see their favorite artists who are also playing at the legendary music festival without having to buy festival passes. Instead, fans can purchase individual tickets to smaller venues across the city!
The crowd was buzzing as soon as I walked in the doors, and local artist, Skateland, had already captivated the audience as the opener, with many singing along to his songs. It was immediately apparent that his sound was the perfect complement to what would be the headliner’s indie-pop vibe.
The set for Foster the People was delayed for about 20 minutes as the crowd continued to grow restless. But as soon as the band took the stage, the room was transformed into a massive dance party with near constant cheering from the crowd. Song after song, nearly everyone in the crowd was dancing throughout their entire set.
Phosphorescent @ Mercury Ballroom - Louisville
September 27th, 2024: Phosphorescent at Mercury Ballroom - Louisville, KY
Phosphorescent | Photos courtesy of: Emily May
Nashville-based artist Phosphorescent (stage name of singer-songwriter Matthew Houck) brought his current tour, An Evening With Phosphorescent, to Louisville, KY on September 27th to a modest but passionate crowd of fans. What might have normally been a larger turnout was hampered by rain and the Louder Than Life Festival this same weekend. Houck has been performing as Phosphorescent since 2001 and has amassed a dedicated fan base over the past 20+ years with his electric stage presence with his backing band and his thoughtfulness and talent as a songwriter. This evening was a bit of a different approach, in that Houck opened for himself. “Good evening”, he said after coming out on stage. “I’ll be opening up for Phosphorescent tonight! Thank ya’ll for coming out in the rain.” With just him and his electric guitar, he explained to the crowd that he would play some of his older and popular tracks acoustically before bringing his band out for the full band experience. “With a new album out, I didn’t know if we, as a band, would have time to play a lot of the old favorites, so I had this idea.” Performing such favorites as “C’est La Vie No. 2”, “The World Is Ending”, “Any Old Miracle” (a Vern Gosdin cover from his Full Moon Project), “My Dove, My Lamb” (mentioning that he doesn’t get to play this song too often but loves it), and “Terror In The Canyons (The Wounded Master)”. A really impressive part of his solo set was how quiet and respectful people were while he played!
Towards the end of his solo set, he talked about how he’d had the chance to score a movie directed by a Canadian documentary filmmaker named Paul Schrader called ‘Oh Canada’. “I got the idea to look over my own life and some old songs I had done, some of which gelled so well with the movie. So, I got to re-record a few of my old songs from when I was young and didn’t know what I was doing. They sound much better now!”. He ended the set with some of those songs! He then brought out his band and revved up the energy a bit, starting the set off with “Revelator”. He and his band had fun together on stage and with the crowd, who was singing along to each song. Houck would periodically acknowledge fans in the crowd with fist bumps and seemed particularly enthusiastic about a young boy in the crowd, to whom he gave one of the set lists as they finished their set. Performing 9 songs with the band, including “Impossible House”, “Wide As Heaven”, “Wolves”, a cover of “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain”, and their popular hit “Song for Zula”, they left the stage briefly before coming back out for a 3-song encore that had the crowd singing their hearts out! It was a great night of music and well worth braving the rain to come out for!
Valley @ Union Transfer - Philadelphia
September 28th 2024: VALLEY, Mickey Darling @ Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA
Rob of VALLEY - Photos Courtesy of: Carolyn Lederach
After several years off the road, the world can celebrate again as Valley returns to the road in support of their latest album, Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden. Fans gathered at Philadelphia’s Union Transfer for the kick-off to the tour on Saturday, September 28th. Scattered throughout the crowd you could catch fans holding up handmade paper flowers in support of the album’s aesthetic. A compliment to the stage design, which was filled with grass and dandelions, which could only make someone smile.
With the new album to add to the band’s vast catalogue, fans were curious what the setlist would consist of. The majority contained the latest tracks from Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden - and for the OG fans, you can catch tracks like “Swim” and “A Phone Call in Amsterdam”. If you’re a fan of the last several Valley releases you’ll be sad to not find a lot of those songs on this setlist. Regardless though you’re going to have a great time and a much-needed dopamine hit by attending any Valley show.
Opening the night were the equally amazing Charli Adams and Mickey Darling.
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Setlist
Water the flowers, pray for a garden
Have a Good Summer (Without Me)
Bass Player's Brother
A Little More
Growing (Apart)
A Phone Call in Amsterdam
sucks to see you doing better
Swim
Closer to the Picture
hiccup
Break for You
Mosquito
Let It Rain
Crawlspace
When You Know Someone
Life Goes on Without Me
Cocoon
There's Still a Light in the House
Bop Ba
Mickey Darling
Kehlani @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville
September 23rd, 2024: Kehlani, FLO, Anycia @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY
Kehlani | Photos courtesy of: Emily May
California artist Kehlani brought their Crash Tour to Louisville to a sold-out crowd of adoring fans on September 23rd. Having started their musical career over a decade ago, their music blends pop, soul, R&B, and Hip Hop elements. Being my first Kehlani concert, I wasn’t sure what to expect but was blown away by the whole experience. Mentioning that they hadn’t performed in Louisville since their very first tour, they told the crowd how good it was to be back and how cute and quaint the venue was, saying “I appreciate nights and moments like this. I haven’t played a show like this in a while (a smaller venue). It feels intimate and I can see your faces!”. On the stage this evening, starting at the back centre and going close to the front of the stage was a large staircase, with the stairs being rather wide, which they, their dancers, and bandmates spent time singing, playing instruments, and dancing on. There were tall platforms on each side of the stage, one for their guitarist and keyboard/keytar players and one for their drummer.
As their set began, Kehlani came out at the top of the stairs and spent the first song on the stairs. Starting the set with “Next 2 U”, “Groove Theory”, and “What I Want”, they performed a 31-song set this evening that encompassed older and newer songs. From the second song until the end of the set, each song they performed featured their incredibly talented dancers. Everyone was having fun on stage and Kehlani and their dancers incorporated various moods, from fun and upbeat dancing, with jumps and kicks and hair flips, to more sensual and slower dancing at times. It was a beautiful stage production with the fans dancing and singing along. Right off of the middle part of the stage was a small staircase that allowed Kehlani to go down into the crowd, which they did several times throughout the set, to walk amongst their fans while singing. This had their fans buzzing excitedly, smiling and with their phones out to record and take pictures of the moment. Kehlani and their fans have a mutual love and respect for each other, with fans singing and dancing along all evening, everywhere I looked. There was such a joyous energy in the air. Kehlani and their band gave 100% for all 31 songs and the crowd matched their energy. It was a magical evening of music. Opening the show this evening was British girl group FLO, who was impressed with their matching outfits, coordinated dance moves, and beautiful harmonies, as well as Atlanta ascending rapper Anycia, who got the crowd warmed up and hyped with her sharp beats!
FLO
Anycia
Khruangbin @ The Anthem - DC
September 23rd, 2024: Khruangbin, Arooj Aftab @ The Anthem - Washington, DC
Khruangbin | Photos Courtesy of: Nicole Cummings
Musical trio, Khruangbin played Washington D.C. on September 23 – the first night of their two sold-out shows at The Anthem. From Houston, Texas, Laura Lee, Mark Speer and DJ Johnson captivated the audience with their instrumental rock and psychedelic feel. Laura Lee always shows up with a great fashion look – this time dressed in pink from head to toe, she looked striking amid the fog and vibrant lights.
Hot Mulligan (Riot Fest Aftershow) @ Metro - Chicago
September 21st, 2024: Hot Mulligan @ Metro - Chicago, IL
Hot Mulligan | Photos Courtesy of: Allie Loven
Hot Mulligan visited Chicago, Illinois for Riot Fest weekend 2024. The Lansing-based band started their weekend by playing on the Cabaret Metro Stage on Friday evening. It finished off with a bang Saturday night, September 21, 2024, with a sold-out after-show held at Metro Chicago supported by fellow Midwest locals, New Age Thief. Pulling up to the venue, there was a line full of fans, waiting in suspense for the doors to open, wrapping around the building into the alley. Hot Mulligan has remained a Chicago pop-punk favorite over the past decade, so this was no surprise.
Up-and-coming opening pop-punk band, New Age Thief, definitely brought the surprise factor though. The duo Gino Savarino and Brady Corcoran are well-known in the Midwest as well from former music, but New Age Thief is the most recent and growing project he has been a part of. These members had the perfect way of setting the tone for Hot Mulligan’s performance. It is safe to say New Age Thief is already established in Chicago and seemingly more growth is coming each day, especially after their opening set on Saturday. By the end of New Age Thief, the crowd was non-stop moving and ready for Hot Mulligan.
Once Hot Mulligan was ready to take the stage, the room quickly started to pack in even tighter. Some fans travelled over 1,000 miles for this show specifically. For a band who has been non-stop touring and doing festivals, there was impressively no lack of energy to be found. From the front of the barricade to the balcony viewing, fans filled the room screaming along to a variety of Hot Mulligan songs. The band started with three of their songs from their 2016 Album Opportunities and continued on the night with 16 more of their top hits including: “Digging In,” “SPS,” “ *Equip Sunglasses*,” and many more. Hot Mulligan never fails to provide their following with lively, upbeat performances every time they touch the stage.
New Age Thief
Medium Build @ The Mann Center - Philadelphia
September 14th 2024: Medium Build @ The Mann Center - Philadelphia, PA
Medium Build - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
Nicholas Carpenter, aka Medium Build, returned to Philly to play his largest crowd yet in our city. Coming off his headlining tour a few months back in support of his latest album, Country, we now find Nick opening for the one and only Rainbow Kitten Surprise. The setlist was a perfect intro to the Medium Build catalog for any new fans in the audience. For anyone like me who has gotten the pleasure of seeing all of Nick’s shows he’s played in Philly, his live show has only continued to grow better in comparison to the solo first show, to the duo set up with Nick and the man behind the keyboard, Paul Rogers. Now performing as a 4-piece you can truly embrace the music how it was intended. Despite Medium Build not being the headliner, there were folks scattered around the crowd you know were there to see MB, standing and screaming back the lyrics. I can’t wait to continue to see Medium Build grow and share his sentimental songs with the world.
Royel Otis @ HISTORY - Toronto
September 12th, 2024: Royel Otis @ HISTORY- Toronto, ON
Royel Otis | Photos Courtesy of: Peyton Mott
Stepping out onto the Toronto stage, HISTORY, the Australian power duo Royel Otis graced the eclectic crowd with a giant shrimp in tow. The pair fittingly made up of founding members, Royel Maddell and (the notoriously mysterious) Otis Pavlovic shot themselves to international fame with Billboard-ranked covers of The Cranberries, 'Linger" and the Saltburn classic, "Murder On The Dancefloor". While both covers are captivating and lovingly screamed along to during their set, their self-produced songs stand well on their own, the indie pop tunes like "Sofa King" and "Oysters In My Pocket" (hence the massive shrimp on stage) cement themselves as future classics in the genre. While Pavlaovic understandably hides his face from the public, his shredding fills the room more than any stage personality ever could, with Maddell filling in the blanks with charming smiles to the crowd. The tour runs across North America to late October and is a certifiable unmissable show.
