A new year means new tours and Glaive took the reins to kick off 2025 with his headlining tour. Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix was the home of the tour’s first show and a sold out crowd showed up early to pack the room.
The energy was running high, helped along by the pre-show playlist that took fans through a range of genres not unlike what was coming up for Glaive’s set. The venue turned pitch black and Glaive emerged, lit only by a single backing spotlight turned projector that splashed various images across the opaque backdrop behind him.
The live debut of “For God and Country” had the audience screaming and waving their phones, determined to capture all the best moments of the night. The set occurred in near total darkness and Glaive would flash in and out of view so the fans lit him up with their camera flashes and jumped in unison through “60.000 ISK” and “ik”.
Glaive’s latest album was enormously well received by his fans and many of the night’s songs had never been performed prior to this Arizona show. He also took the middle section of the set and devoted it to remix performances of “huh” and “astrid”. The audience knew every word and followed Glaive’s lead with their hands up for the entire set.
He spoke sparingly between songs but his huge grin throughout the set said everything the fans needed to hear. The performance was an hourlong sprint to the finish line, including more live debuts of songs like “Freudian” and “joel”. A breathless crowd demanded more and he was happy to come back out for a three song encore, ending with a hyperpop-style remix of the already massive “ik”.
Fans looking for a midweek party to kick off the year found exactly what they wanted with this fast and fun show. With such a warm reception from the Arizona crowd, Glaive has already promised to return with new material on his next tour- and the frenzy to have him back is already felt by his devoted fans.
