Photos and words by Dani Weinstein
Turning the corner to enter The Fillmore, a huge crowd raced to the barricade and they were dressed to impress. Many fans replicated the signature shirt that Steve Lacy and his band wear – a white button up with an ‘S’ printed onto the front complemented by a black tie. Their dedication showed and I absolutely loved it. Walking into the venue and towards the pit, the thought that I was going to be photographing Steve Lacy was completely surreal. It hit me all at once when I saw his guitar set up on stage and looked out into the crowd. Opener Fousheé warmed up the crowd with her big personality. Combining R&B and punk, she embedded her unique style into each note – Fousheé’s amazing range delivered an impressive performance.
By 9:30pm, the fans were eager for Lacy to take the stage, pumping signs in the air to declare their love. He opened with “Buttons”, from his latest LP Gemini Rights, and instantly the crowd sang and danced. Fans on the barricade couldn’t contain their excitement during his performance of “Static” when he stopped singing and held the microphone out to the crowd. Everyone screamed the lyrics to the song and it was the most amazing feeling. Fousheé joined him back on stage and together they sang “Sunshine”, while the stage lit up bright yellow.
Lacy turned up the intensity with his hit song “Bad Habit”, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He pretended to forget the chords to “C U Girl” and then casually went into the song, sending the crowd into screams. After the song ended he exited the stage while fans chanted for “Dark Red”. The dedicated crowd sang the lyrics, enticing him back on stage. He began with a slow rendition of the song, then picked up the tempo to close out the show with an amazing performance.
Lacy first gained interest in guitar through the video game series Guitar Hero. Since that early influence, his talents have multiplied as a gifted singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. His performance was one for the books and he deserves every ounce of love his fans brought that night. From the second he emerged, the energy in the venue was electric. He reciprocated every bit of the crowd’s passion, and his banter had everyone dying laughing. My eyes were glued to him and I got a glimpse into one of the coolest fanbases ever. From sitting in my room listening to Steve Lacy to seeing him live is life changing. It’s only the start of the Give You The World Tour and the upcoming dates are in for an amazing treat.
Check out the music video for “Bad Habit” below and keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
