October 16, 2023
9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Week: 361
This week’s thing: Jessie Ware’s been on my radar since a friend showed me the incredible music video for her song “Spotlight” a few years ago and I’ve been following her on Instagram waiting for a tour announcement ever since. Well we finally got one with two nights in DC and luckily I got a ticket for the 9:30 Club date and not the Lincoln Theatre show – this was a show I wanted to be standing (and dancing) at.
Music: 5/5: Disco is still here and I’m really hoping the trend never goes away. Jessie did a disco-heavy set of songs from her newest album but also of course folded in hits from previous albums, and her voice sounded great.
Lighting/backdrop/visuals: 4/5: Jessie created a nightclub within the 9:30 Club called The Pearl where the show took place. The Pearl had everything: a nice little neon sign, a full band, two background singers that did some dancing, two background dancers that did some DANCING, costume changes, and more. I only wish there’d been more variation in color: the show was very blue and red and purple.
Overall vibe: 5/5: Jessie Ware’s fanbase seems to be 99% gay men and they rocked this show: dancing was on point and attendees were dressed to the nines with lots of sequins and glitter. Very nice vibes.
Bonus points:
Cover (s, at least that I recognized): +1 for a cover of Cher’s “Believe” that almost felt like cheating given the makeup of the crowd, and the fact that:
Artist performing in the crowd: +1, she performed that cover of “Believe” starting from the balcony and making her way through the crowd to the stage
Stage banter: +1, very funny and charming
Fashion: +1 for a few different outfits that each slayed
Disco ball use: -1, the damn disco ball was RIGHT there and somehow went used during this very disco show
Final: 17/15
What else I saw this week:
John Mayer in Baltimore. This was a solo acoustic tour and he really stuck to that. I think he broke out the electric guitar for one song all night. You can’t deny his talent, and I guess it’s mostly my fault for going even though I knew it would be an acoustic show… but John Mayer should not be doing acoustic-only shows. He’s too good.