Pop artist Keshi is in the middle of an ever-growing moment and that tidal wave crashed down in Phoenix this week for a sold out show at The Van Buren.
The rising star has been on an upward trajectory for years, building an organic and rabid fanbase that only got bigger after the release of his debut album, Gabriel. The Hell/Heaven Tour brought the youth of Arizona out in droves as we were treated to tracks from that album and plenty of older favorites.
Emerging in a detailed mesh shirt (this is important for later) and chunky platform shoes, Keshi’s set began with “Get It” and “Somebody”, two melancholy bangers from Gabriel. The very excitable crowd knew every word and were not shy about it- sometimes even drowning out Keshi’s mellow vocals.
As the night went on, fans turned up the levels of unhinged, shouting “take it off” as he jokingly told them that his clothing was already sheer- what more did they want?
Turns out Phoenix wanted it all and the rest of the setlist provided the perfect balance of old and new music in a walk through Keshi’s musical progression. He spoke very little to the room, preferring to let his music do the talking, but still made everyone in the audience feel special and included in the night’s experience.
He closed things out with the album’s title track and a lovely encore of “2 Soon” as fans raised their voices and phones to the ceiling. Yes, Keshi is having a moment- and after Sunday’s show, we hope that moment lasts for a good long time.
Check out all the photos from the show!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
