I grew up going to the TLA and on concert days, you’d find me and my friends perched up against the sides of buildings on South Street waiting for the venue doors to be opened. Flash forward nearly a decade plus later and I am back at the TLA, with my camera, seeing the familiar faces and energy of RUEL’s fans as they await the opening of the doors. It’s a magical experience and a first for me as I patiently (and semi-awkwardly) wait in line. I time the processional of ticket scanning and security checks from the time I got in line to the time I was in front of the doors and it was a solid 32 mins later. I had walked in. I looked up today’s artists, RUEL and (to my wonderful surprise) Sam MacPherson, and was thrilled with the photos and videos coming from fellow photographers who have photographed this tour before me. I knew it was going to be a good night. I just had to get out of my head. Through the back of the sold out crowd I went and waited until the time the lights dimmed and the crowd cheered. It was explosive. It was louder than life.
We had caught Sam MacPherson back a few weeks ago when he played a headlining show at the World Cafe Live and I was so excited to see him again. This time he walked out solo with just a guitar and his swooning vocals; he jumped into all of his most revered songs. How Do You Dress For the Rain had the crowd interactions going hard and echoed throughout the spacious venue and songs like Forget I Exist, Last Minute, Backseat (All I Got) and No Bad Memories made for a wonderful night. The crowning moment during Sam’s live set was that he covered a song that he had only played once before live and that was Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin’ Bout You” and it made the entire crowd swoon amidst the unison singalong coming from every part of the room. It was definitely a great tone set for the two night residency here in Philadelphia.
The crowd let out a deafening cheer when RUEL’s keyboardist, Beau Golden and drummer, Sisa Koroi took the stage and the sounds of an announcement with a stern request looking for RUEL and how the organization 4th Wall was searching out for him. I really find that introductions like this add a special level of excitement to any live show as it keeps you on your toes looking for clues and wondering what’s going to happen next. The theme throughout the show was pretty much cohesive with the theming of throughout his debut album 4th Wall and his life performance did not disappoint. RUEL sauntered around the stage wearing a varsity type sleeveless cardigan with a burgundy tie and corduroy pants to pull the look together. I can definitely describe his live performance as energetic, full of zest, and high-octane. You’ll be dancing and singing along as evidenced by the sold out crowd’s energy throughout the entire show. It was my first time seeing RUEL perform and hearing his debut album 4th Wall live and it sounded majestic. Best of all, the fans made the show that better by giving off the best vibes.
He did sprinkle in a few covers of “I GOTTAFEELING” and then a JVKE and One Direction song. The way he threw in parts of the 1D song “Night Changes’ made my heart swell like The Grinch when his heart was warming up for the first time, in a long time. I just couldn’t believe how far photography has gotten me to where I am photographing some epic artists, in venues that I grew up going to. Onwards and upwards is my mantra and the main reason I keep going as a music photographer and creative artist.
he tour is currently in Chicago, Illinois at the House of Blues and will be concluding the North American leg on July 7th at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, CA before embarking on the South American leg (just announced) and European/UK leg in the fall of this year.
Everyone knows the name YUNGBLUD, it’s a household name and rightfully so as he’s breaking the barriers of music with his new single “LOWLIFE” which he premiered live on Zane Lowe’s show on Apple Music. The release comes out on June 27th, via Locomotion/Geffen Records is sonically refreshing as it as anthemic for the new generation of young (and young at heart). This song definitely amplifies the emotions of the last few years as staying inside does a better job for our mental health then dealing with the world. It is definitely a push and encouragement to take care of your mental health and how we should drive in our own lanes regardless of what the masses say and do to us. I definitely get Gorillaz’s vibes and can hear some influence on this gen z driven anthem. We can’t wait to see this perform live at The Met here in Philadelphia on June 30th. It’ll be a good time for those involved.
About the single LowLife:
Speaking about the track, Yungblud says: “I wrote ‘Lowlife’ because I just didn’t want to leave my house. I was sick of people, of games, of myself, my friends, anytime I did anything some idiot had an opinion about it. What I should do or be. The truth is I didn’t want to be anything at all sometimes, I wanted to be nothing. So I just didn’t leave bed. I was dissatisfied and craving some sort of boredom. The type of boredom where you sit in your house, in the same sheets and watch fucking mind-numbing TV, so I wrote a song about it.”
The coolest thing about how this single was teased was that he had sent handwritten notes to fans all over Los Angeles, London and Germany with details of a location where a black sports car with the words LOWLIFE emblazoned on it would be at. The experience attracted a mass of thousands of fans from all over and definitely was the hype and flex this artist was going for.
LOWLIFE experience in London, Los Angeles and Germany. Photos provided by Press.
You can see the tour dates here and listen to LOWLIFE, out now.
LISTEN | LYRICVIDEO ‘LOWLIFE’ NORTHAMERICANTOURDATES 06/27 - Jannus Live - St. Petersburg, FL * ^^ ⦽ 06/29 - Pier Six Pavilion - Baltimore, MD ^^ ⦽ 06/30 - The Met - Philadelphia, PA ^^ ⦽ 07/01 - The Dome at Oakdale - Wallingford, CT ^^ ⦽ 07/03 - MTELUS - Montreal, QC ^^ ⦽ 07/04 - HISTORY - Toronto, ON ^^ ⦽ 07/07 - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill - Sterling Heights, MI ^^ ++ 07/08 - TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park - Indianapolis, IN ^^ ++ 07/11 - Jacobs Pavilion - Cleveland, OH * ^^ ++ 07/12 - Stage AE Outdoors - Pittsburgh, PA * ^^ ++ 07/14 - The Rooftop at Pier 17 - New York, NY ^^ ++ 07/15 - Stone Pony Summer Stage - Asbury Park, NJ ^^ ++ 07/16 - MGM Fenway Music Hall - Boston, MA ^^ ++ 07/18 - The Red Hat Amphitheater - Raleigh, NC ^^ ++ 07/19 - Ascend Amphitheater - Nashville, TN ^^ ++ 07/21 - St. Louis Music Park - St. Louis, MO ^^ ++ 07/22 - The Armory - Minneapolis, MN ^^ ++ 07/24 - The Criterion - Oklahoma City, OK ^^ ++ 07/25 - Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO ^^ ++ 07/27 - Coca-Cola Roxy - Atlanta, GA ^^ ++ 07/30 - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory - Dallas, TX⤯⦽ 08/02 - Brooklyn Bowl - Las Vegas, NV⤯⦽ 08/03 - The Complex (Indoor) - Salt Lake City, UT⤯⦽ 08/04 - Revolution Concert House and Event Center - Garden City, ID⤯ 08/06 - The Paramount Theatre - Seattle, WA⤯⦽ *Not A Live Nation Date ^^The Regrettes Supporting ++Games We Play Supporting ⦽Caspr Supporting ⤯Jean Dawson Supporting ⇹Festival Appearance
When Reading, UK rock band The Amazons announced that they were going to tour the US (particularly Philadelphia, PA) we were stoked as two of our team members are massive fans of the British trio whose new record How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me (2022 release) shook their fan base to the core. The Amazons gave an ace performance as they had promised fans a rocking good time when they announced the postponement of their show back in October. Matt Thomson, Chris Alderton and Elliot Briggs are just a handful of musicians who have successfully navigated the American radio waves and charts and are some of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet as they took time to meet with their fans here in the city post-show. Each of them took time to catch up with fans, take photos and also handed out high fives as several were celebrating birthdays and/or other life goals. They even got a bunch of cheers from fans when they yelled “GOBIRDS” to a crowd that stretched to the back of the room. I was pleasantly surprised to see the recruitment of local band Stud Wiser on the bill as they made sure the crowd had a great first hour with 2000’s Taking Back Sunday-like songs laced with modern takes. Plus they weren’t afraid to have fun and get the crowd involved.
The Amazons - Reading, PA - photos taken by Meg Duong
Stud Wiser - Philadelphia, PA - photos taken by Meg Duong
The best part was that Toni Bacon (our music contributor from Atlanta, GA) joined us for the live show and life coming back full-circle as we both introduced each other to our favorites. (I showed her the fine parts of Philadelphia, and she shared with me her musical favorites in The Amazon.) As you can see from the photos – last Thursday was a lot of fun. You can read her review and see her photos down below.
The Reading UK trio opened the night with the title track from their third album, How Will I Know if Heaven Will Find Me? It’s a track full of doubt and longing but most of all, it’s full of hope. The hope that whatever situation you’re stuck in will get better. They seamlessly slide into another new one, Ready for Something. An anthemic belter made for stadiums and for standing a field with 10,000 of your closest friends, singing at the top of your lungs. Or on this occasion, a cool dive bar in Philadelphia on a random Thursday night.
I’ve been lucky enough to see The Amazons six times over the years and no matter how big the festival or how small the venue, they give 100%. They are who they are. Matt, Chris and Elliot are affable, amiable and honestly likable people, which makes their appeal that much stronger. There are no airs, no gimmicks, no smoke and mirrors. They don’t need them. You don’t need any of that when your talent shines through.
The rest of the set was a brilliant and rocking mix of old favorites and new ones and a brand, spanking new song called Night After Night. Personally, the highlight for me will always Doubt It, from their second album Future Dust. Rounding off the tight set was Black Magic, one of the true stand-outs from their catalog.
I’ve said this before, but i feel it bears repeating, The Amazons are well and truly flying the flag for rock n roll.
Regardless of crowd size, venue or country, The Amazons hold you spell bound with their (black) magic.
For now, huge huge thanks to The Amazons for a wonderful first show and to Stud Wiser for the first of many local shows in 2023 and beyond.
