NYS Music 202​2

Tag: Show Reviews

  • Take Two: Beabadoobee and Lowertown take on Albany’s Empire Live

    Indie bedroom-pop musician beabadoobee marked her second-to-last US tour stop at Empire Live last Saturday, Dec. 3, with support from rising alternative duo Lowertown. 

    beabadoobee performing solo at the start of her set / Photo Credit: Sumaiya Nasir

    Empire Live, located on Pearl Street in downtown Albany, is a mid-sized room for bands with a mid-sized following. It boasts a spacious floor with standing-room-only, ideal for dancing. 

    Sandwiched between MVP Arena and the Palace Theatre, Empire Live offers locals a unique taste of both upcoming and well-established musical artists. The intimate venue was packed from the stage barricade to the bar with highschool to late-20s aged fans, plus a few hesitant parents here-and-there, with no shortage of energy.

    Beatrice Kristi Laus, stylistically known as “beabadoobee,” is a Filipino-British musician who came into popularity in 2017 with viral hit “Coffee.” Her most recent album, “Beatopia,” evokes childhood nostalgia with an MS-Paint or restaurant-tablecloth-crayon drawing looking album cover. Stuffed animals were scattered across the amps on stage, one fan even throwing a teddy bear to Bea halfway through the show.

    beabadoobee performing “Coffee” solo during the encore / Photo Credit: Danielle Modica

    Atlanta-based Lowertown started off the night strong with a spirited and punky set. In album sessions, the band has more of a soft, shoegaze sound. Live, they pull out all the stops and are nothing short of a high-energy garage band experience.

    Olivia Osby of Lowertown performing / Photo Credit: Sumaiya Nasir

    The songs were fast and loud with jam interludes by guitarist Avshalom “Avsha” Weinberg. Lead singer Olivia Osby encouraged the audience to go wild, opening a mosh pit, crowd surfing and spitting water into the crowd. Fans followed through, opening a large circle in the center of the already sardine-can-packed venue and going hog wild.

    Olivia Osby of Lowertown crowd surfing / Photo Credit: Danielle Modica

    Songs “No Way,” “All My Friends” and “Best Person You Know” stole the night with the most jumping and chanting.

    Lowertown performing / Photo Credit: Danielle Modica

    beabadoobee began her show after a quick stage reset and suspenseful audio introduction. After performing “10:36” solo, the band joined Bea and only added more flair to her soulful, soft and sweet singing style. Bea’s band kept up a late 90’s grunge/pop punk vibe. Bea’s guitarist and back-up singer, Jacob Bugden, complemented her baby-like pitch with a Billy Corgan-esque tone.

    beabadoobee & her band / Photo Credit: Danielle Modica

    “The Perfect Pair” and “She Plays Bass” stood out with the most energy and crowd engagement. The audience passionately shouted the lyrics back to Bea while she maintained control, coordinating group audience jumps.

    Bea frequently stood towards the back of the stage during instrumental portions, allowing for her band to receive all the attention. She shared her gratitude with the crowd various times, even joking about her inability to pronounce “Albany,” butchered with a subtle British accent.

    beabadoobee jamming on guitar / Photo Credit: Danielle Modica

    Both bands’ sets were thoughtfully planned out, seamlessly transitioned and well-executed, there was never a “when will it end” moment like other drawn out shows. The crowd stayed engaged with electric excitement, loudly chanting the lyrics to the songs they knew – even the venue playlist pre-and-post show. The good vibes seemed to encourage both sets to go a little harder with each song, giving fans a night to remember.

    After an hour-and-a-half-long performance, Bea and her band briskly exited the stage to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” playing from the venue speakers. Audience members stayed behind to dance along.

    Lowertown Setlist: It’s It’s It’s, Debris, Scum, No Way, At the End, My Friends, Bucktooth, Best Person

    Beabadoobee Setlist: 10:36, Apple Cider, Care, Fairy Song; Yoshimi, Forest, Magdalene; Worth It, Together, Charlie Brown, The Perfect Pair, Sunny Day, Sorry, She Plays Bass, See You Soon, Don’t Get the Deal, Back to Mars, Last Day On Earth, Talk
    Encore: Coffee, Ripples Cologne

  • Glass Animals Brings The Euphoric Dreamland To Brooklyn Mirage

    The evening of August 9 will certainly be one for the books as hundreds of fans wait eagerly to enter Glass Animals’ Dreamland. The Brooklyn Mirage is known for hosting big events but nothing compared to what the Glass Animals put on.

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    Glass Animals have come a long way since forming in Oxford in 2010 by childhood friends Dave Bayley, Joe Seaward, Ed Irwin-Singer, and Drew MacFarlane. In their live shows, they play re-worked, dance-heavy versions of their songs. Their song “Heat Waves” reached number one in Australia in February 2021 and was voted number one on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2020. The song surpassed one billion streams on Spotify and eventually reached number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 and five on the UK Singles Chart. Recently, they received their first Grammy nomination in the Best New Artist category at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

    To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of their album, Dreamland.IRL, the band brought a one-of-a-kind celebration to Brooklyn Mirage. Dreamland is the album that brought us the global smash hit “Heat Waves.” The band now has over 5 billion global streams and 38 million monthly listeners, but it’s live events where Glass Animals come alive.

    As soon as guests entered the venue one can immediately tell this show would be like none other. Decorations, electronic displays, and a Pac-man game room were all part of the band’s numerous activations. As the band’s set time approached all patience was lost when the stage brought out pineapples. Fans have started bringing them to gigs and even dressing as them at shows – due to the lyric, “pineapples in my head” from the song “Pork Soda”. The detail and precision that went into the show’s visual displays were nothing short of astonishing.

    The band performed most of their set off their album Dreamland.IRL but also included fan favorites including “Life Itself” & “Youth”. As the sun set and night approached, fans refused to lower their energy level. Demanding 1 more song after the band wrapped up, Glass Animals couldn’t resist performing the staple song “Heat Waves”. Unfortunately, the band mentioned they won’t be in America for a while but the good news is they do not plan to slow down with live shows. Heading overseas, the band looks forward to several festivals including Mad Cool Sunset headlined by Rage Against The Machine.

    Setlist: Dreamland, Life Itself, Tangerine, Black Mambo/ Hot Sugar, The Other Side of Paradise, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Waterfalls Coming Out Your Mouth, It’s All So Incredibly Loud, Your Love (Deja Vu), I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance), Youth, Helium, Gooey, Pork Soda

    Encore: Tokyo Drifting, Heat Waves

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  • Dave Matthews Band Continues Summer Tour With Stop at Bethel Woods

    On a hot steamy Hudson Valley night, the Dave Matthews Band summer tour 2022 made a stop at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The pavilion and its extended grass area were filled to the max on July 20 with excited fans who were treated to three glorious hours of DMB.  

    The band behind Dave included: Tim Reynolds on guitar, drummer Carter Beauford, Jeff Coffin on the saxophone, Rashawn Ross was the trumpet play, Stefan Lessard on the bass and Buddy Strong on keyboards. Beauford demonstrated incredible dexterity with his arm movement while on the cymbals while simultaneously keeping a heavy beat with his double drum pedals. Tim Reynolds demonstrated why he has been part of Dave’s crew for years with his guitar prowess. The horn section of Ross and Collins sprinkled jazz grooves taking previously released records in new directions. 

    If having a talented band was not enough, Dave Matthews Band audio tech Joe Lawlor joined the band on stage for “Cornbread”.  As soon as Lawlor plugged in, he cranked out the opening notes of “The Star Spangled Banner”, ala Jimi Hendrix, to pay homage to the hallowed grounds of the Woodstock festival.   

    With little to no banter from the stage, Matthews would occasionally speak directly to the crowd offering his humble thanks to everyone for spending the evening with them. The set of 21 songs was filled with DMB staples “Crush,” “Funny the Way it is” and “Stay or Leave.”  Throwing in a wild card, Dave pulled out Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” which proved to be a crowd pleaser.

    For the encore, Matthews came out solo to play “Some Devil.” The band then joined him to close out the night with “Ants Marching.”

  • Spoon Play Hammerstein Ballroom with Margaret Glaspy and Dan Boekner of Wolf Parade

    Spoon finally played their twice-delayed Hammerstein Ballroom show on Friday, May 6 with support from Margaret Glaspy. Fans came in shaking off their umbrellas and raincoats, damp from the rainy Friday night, but buzzing as the venue filled up.

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    Spoon at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann

    The lights dimmed before Margaret Glaspy took the stage to cheers and smiles. Fans listened, enraptured, as she played through her set.

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    Margaret Glaspy at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann

    Spoon played an energetic and jam-packed 16 song setlist. Their set included some personal and fan favorites, “The Underdog” and “I Turn My Camera On” as well as several tracks off their latest album, “Lucifer on the Sofa.” They ended their main set with “Wild.” They left the stage, the lights dimmed again, and the crowd cheered for more.

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    Spoon at Hammerstein Ballroom, photographed by David Reichmann

    The lights finally came back on, and Spoon started their encore with a cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation.” Then they played “The Mystery Zone.” Next they brought Margaret Glaspy on stage for a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6DV3xFkcFw&list=PLIVq5zNeLC7hM0mJsUtz2ELqw_EGA83Ct&index=19

    Finally, Wolf Parade’s Dan Boekner joined Spoon onstage to a boom of cheers and applause for a cover of Wolf Parade’s “Modern World.” He helped Spoon conclude the night with “Rent I Pay.” They thanked the audience and exited to cheers.

    https://youtu.be/IodZaCWs_V4
    Spoon & Dan Boekner, video: Ironchefwong on YouTube

    Follow Spoon’s ongoing tour and listen to their latest album, Lucifer on the Sofa. Check out Margaret Glaspy’s music and listen to Wolf Parade here.

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    Photographed by David Reichmann

  • Carly Pearce Gives a Heartfelt Performance At The Egg

    After winning female artists of the year at the American Country Music Awards this past month, Carly Pearce headed to Albany to perform at The Egg to give a heartfelt and award-winning performance on Friday, March 18.

    Hannah Ellis opened up the show with her guitarist Kevin Monahan where they sang her first hit single “US” and a cover of The Band Perry’s fire starting song, “Better Dig Two” which got the crowd stopping their feet back to their southern roots while singing along. The set list consisted of nine songs with three being covers.

    Carly Pearce, left and Hannah Ellis, right

    The lights dimmed low while the fog began to emerge out onto the stage and just when Carly’s band finished setting up, she strutted onto the stage in her vibrant red outfit and glitter boots. Without hesitation she opened up her show with the first song off her current album 29: Written In Stone, “Diamondback.”

    The songs were uplifting everyone in their own way. As you looked around the venue you could see the hand on the heart swaying motion and the hand in the air emphasizing the heartbreaking words Carly sang that touched the individual. Heading into the fourth song on her 29 album she paused to explain to the crowd the meaning behind her album and how the order of the songs were intentional in order to tell the story of her life.

    Halfway through the show it was time for the track named after the album “29” and this was where the crowd began showing its vulnerability and intimacy. As Carly explained the meaning behind the song and how she came from a line of very strong women in her family, so she didn’t want to shy away from the truth and embarrassment she felt during the emotional year of her marriage. A women in the crowd made a cheers to all the women in the room prior to the start of the song and everyone followed her as well as Carly.

    There was an instant connection with this shows crowd and Carly Pearce. She brought two girls to the stage who held a sign up about their troubles and Carly didn’t let them go unnoticed or unheard as she talked to them on the stage about the struggles a lot of women face.

    As the last song of the show began to be strummed and the cords of “Every Little Thing” began, the crowd stood up and swayed along feeling every soft lyric Carly sang. All a sudden at the half way mark of the heartfelt song they stopped and switch the beat to “Hide The Wine” a song from her first album that led to the crowd to begin jumping up in down at their seats to the all too familiar girl power song.

    Waving goodbye to her fans as they stood and cheered for her, Carly left everyone with an adreanline rush. As the fans headed out of the venue the singing didn’t stop, a few women walked down the stairway singing the last song “Hide The Wine” lyrics and cheering.