The Powerlines Tour | Sam MacPherson featuring Mike Ferrari - April 18, 2023

Sam MacPherson - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live 

April 18, 2023

There was a slight chill in the air as I had approached the venue for Sam MacPherson’s Philadelphia tour stop on the Powerlines Tour. He had recently played at the Ardmore Music Hall but this was his first time playing Philadelphia proper. The main support Mike Ferrari opened up the night with a stellar performance that won over many fans. The downstairs lounge of World Cafe Live had two levels with a mezzanine overlooking the stage and general admission floor. The room itself was spacious giving fans comfortable spots to watch the live performances. 

Mike Ferrari is the main support on the Powerlines tour stood front and center with an acoustic guitar ready to showcase his vocal prowess for the crowd in Philadelphia. Noting that it’s his first tour – he made sure the first impressions reigned on a positive note. His companion for the tour is a bear statue aptly named “Boss” who Ferrari said has a striking resemblance to the singer/songwriter sans the specs he wears onstage. Ferrari does a great job at engaging fans, new and old, to his performance and even includes some crowd participation during his final two songs. Which crowned the fans two thumbs as witnessed from my vantage point in the mezzanine. 

Ferrari thanked the crowd for their rad energy and stated he would be at the merch table in between sets and he would love to catch up and meet them. Mike Ferrari didn’t let being a solo act hinder his performance; his vocals and guitar shone bright through his 30 minute set. Ferrari’s charm and charisma is a nice added touch to the tour as he is the crema to Sam’s musical body and heart. (Espresso nerds rejoice as I squeezed a coffee pun into this review.) By the end of his set he had made his presence known and true to his form made a bunch of new fans.

The view from the mezzanine showed the crew putting together the finishing touches as it was Sam’s turn to wow the crowd at World Cafe Live. Walking out to a darkened stage, fans could only get a glimpse of his silhouette of Sam MacPherson’s frame. He kicked off the set in Philadelphia with “Homesick” which is a ballad dedicated to places and feelings he call home. He drove in the high octane energy with “Counts”, “Backseat (All I Got)” and then went moodier for “How Do You Dress For The Rain” which accompanied by the lighting and added sound amplified through the room. Made it feel like you’re standing in the living room of your home staring at the rain and wondering if you’ll go out in the rain. MacPherson has a knack for connecting with fans on a deeper, intimate level. And when mentioned that he had been to the Philadelphia area before (he had played Ardmore Music Hall last year) — he had noted that it was a nice night for good live music with even greater company. 

One thing that is admirable about Sam is that he is down to earth, and just grateful to be performing his songs for the masses. Despite having songs being a coveted part of social media platforms like TikTok. Everything about Sam’s performance was carefully thought, from the lighting to the placement of songs in the set. It was done to bring fans on a journey through; as if he was sitting on an emotional rollercoaster with his fans. Furthermore, he can hit those high notes with such ease and bravado. We can’t wait to see what else he will get to this year and beyond. 

You can see the rest of the photos from the show linked here in the full gallery. 

You can catch Sam MacPherson on tour with Mike Ferrari this Spring on “The Powerlines Tour” 

He will be hitting Schuba’s in Chicago* and rolling through the midwest and closing out the tour in California at the Troubadour in West Hollywood on May 19, 2023. 

Set List:

Homesick
Counts
Backseat (All I Got)
No Bad Memories
Forget I Exist
Play Dumb
How Do You Dress For The Rain?
Safe to Say
Solar Flare
First Place
Routine
Crash Course
Stretch
Powerlines
Maggie Will
Last Minute 

Review and Photos: Meg Duong
*The tour rolled through Shuba’s in Chicago at the time of writing this review on April 28, 2023.