It’s October 15th, and the crowd at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion is getting antsy. Camden, NJ, is flooded with fans of Steve Lacy, whose latest album, Oh Yeah?, dropped less than three months ago.
Fans are pressed up against the barricades, screaming for the artist who has produced hits for more than a decade, despite not even having turned 30 yet.
At 8:45, the venue’s lights go out, and a magenta glow envelops the stage. Musicians take the stage one by one as the light show’s hue shifts.
The band starts playing the title track from the latest album, which has gone viral on TikTok, and the crowd roars as Steve Lacy takes the stage. It’s an immediate sing-along, and the vibes are immaculate, with Steve smiling through the lyrics about the pain of separating from people you no longer fit in with. He ends the song with a little inside joke for Philly, changing the last lyric from “Come on, Come on, Come on” to “LeBron, LeBron, LeBron.”
The band goes directly from there into ‘Is It Cool?’ the second track off of the new album, getting the crowd to scream along to SZA’s part in the verse.
When that song ends, the lights come up, and Steve looks over the crowd in awe. He’s humbled, visibly stunned by the 17,000 fans in attendance. He lets us know that this is the largest show he’s ever headlined and even asks the various sections of the crowd to wave to him to confirm they’re real. Then he sits down on the stage and talks to the crowd for a moment before getting back to the setlist.
Over the next two hours and change, the band will play more than 30 songs, including covers of The Smiths and The Internet (Steve Lacy’s former band), some deep cuts, and of course, the big hits from his solo career.
The audience’s goodwill is palpable. Philly can be a tough city to win over, but Steve seems to do so effortlessly. Even when he forgets lyrics or stops halfway through a song, the crowd stays engaged, cheering, dancing and singing along.
He finishes his setlist with an encore of ‘Oh Yeah,’ the same song he began with, this time with the crowd waving along in unison.
Listen to Steve Lacy’s latest album Oh Yeah on Spotify and follow him on Instagram @Steve.Lacy.