Danielle Balbuena- better known as 070 Shake- drew a mighty and dedicated audience to The Van Buren at the Phoenix stop of The Pretrichor Tour this week. The rapper and singer is bringing her latest album to fans across the country, accompanying the music with strong, stark visuals.
Johan Lenox surprised fans with his eclectic onstage accompaniment of a DJ, a violinist and a cellist to support his piano-driven songs. Lenox seemed to craft his set on the fly but each note was deliberately chosen for maximum impact and it worked- the crowd was mesmerized from the first moment Lenox’s haunting vocals were unleashed. He also serves as songmaker and keyboardist for 070 Shake and seeing his precision at work was a stunning way to start the show.
Emotive R&B singer Bryant Barnes took the stage alone and paced up and down, impressing the crowd with his soaring vocals. Occasionally he would sit behind his piano and show off his range of talents. Midway through his set, he prompted the growing audience to raise their phone flashlights and performed a song illuminated only by the strength of the crowd’s participation. It was a true moment of connection with his audience and got everyone properly ready for the main event.
070 Shake has made waves for her work both as a soloist and with her contributions to the catalog of some of hip hop’s biggest names. Her own music has drawn in fans of all ages and her lyrical content has found footholds with a community of listeners searching for something deeper. Starting her set behind a sheer curtain, the audience was immediately captivated and singing loudly to “Sin” and Elephant”.
Leaving her band behind the curtain, she emerged to use The Van Buren’s vast stage as a blank canvas to project colorful patterns and contrasting bright lights and deep shadows as a visualizer behind the music. She also often wandered to her own keyboard for live instrumentation alongside her skilled band and the fans ate up every moment and every fleeting interaction.
The combinations of visuals and vocals made for a compelling show, translating her new album beautifully for a live audience. Fans were thrilled to get a rich tapestry of nearly 20 songs before 070 Shake faded into the background and ended a beautiful evening.
