Re:SET day 2: One other day of greatness with Lacy, Blake and extra

“It’s my buddy’s birthday!” a concertgoer yelled throughout a quiet second in Steve Lacy’s set at day two of Re:SET.

“I don’t give a rattling!” Steve Lacy replied. “Completely satisfied birthday, buddy! No tea, no shade. I simply don’t give a rattling.” This charming second of viewers interplay is the right encapsulation of that night time of performances: quirky, distinctive and forceful.

Final Saturday was one more triumph at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater. As one of many first hosts of the progressive new competition Re:SET, Stanford noticed a number of the most notable artists within the nation performing a dozen units over the weekend. For day two, Steve Lacy headlined with James Blake, Toro y Moi and Fousheé supporting.

Fousheé’s intimate opening set primed the gang for day two of Re:SET. She sang in entrance of two giant mirrors that mirrored her physique, her viewers and the bushes surrounding the amphitheater. Fousheé hypnotized the gang, pairing her raspy voice with acoustic guitar to nice impact.

Toro y Moi and his band took the stage shortly thereafter because the solar started to set. With a sound palette of clean ’80s synths, booming bass and exquisite vocals, the artist represented the height of the Web style of chillwave.

The music itself was unbelievable. Even with solely 4 performers on stage, every music was full of wealthy psychedelic element and crafted from a soundscape of distinctive synthesizers. There have been dozens of catchy synth melodies and vocal hooks written into every composition as properly. General, I couldn’t have been extra glad.

One of the crucial fascinating components of Toro y Moi’s efficiency was how clean and exquisite his voice sounded: even when chatting with the viewers between tracks, he sounded luscious! His crystal-clear enunciation stood out amongst all the artists I’ve seen dwell — let’s simply say that he would make an ideal radio present host.

On the subject of nice voices, James Blake got here out because the third and closing opening act. The British R&B singer, songwriter and producer was a welcome addition to the lineup, bringing the strongest and saddest feelings to Re:SET that day. Not like the upbeat Lacy or groovy Toro y Moi, Blake labored finest with the sparse R&B backing that allow his dynamic baritone vocals shine.

He performed fairly a number of covers, together with Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” (a music Blake produced for Ocean) and “Hope She’ll Be Happier” by Invoice Withers. He made every of those songs into his personal by means of minimalist, piano-driven magnificence — they blended proper in with the remainder of his set.

The 6’5” artist towered over everybody else round him, however he additionally exuded sensitivity and thoughtfulness. In truth, after his set, he gently made his approach into the gang to take images with excited followers. It was a candy second that broke the obstacles between artist and viewers.

Steve Lacy arrived about quarter-hour late — being the primary artist to not come out on time for the complete competition (a powerful feat for the organizers to say the least). After receiving roughly 4 straight minutes of cheering over an instrumental model of “Cody Freestyle,” Lacy broke from his static robotic pose into “Helmet,” a spotlight from his new viral sensation document “Gemini Rights.”

Lacy introduced probably the greatest backing bands I’ve seen at Re:SET thus far. His drummer was dominating his package with daring fills and dynamic, in-the-pocket enjoying. Nonetheless, Lacy’s stage setup was by no means conducive in highlighting the work of those hard-working musicians. From my perspective, on the appropriate facet of the entrance row, I might barely see them behind a big display screen projecting random b-roll footage behind Lacy.

The present would have drastically benefited from somebody aside from Lacy being the one particular person seen for many of the live performance. For your complete efficiency, I might solely suppose, “Lacy, don’t cover your musicians!”

Nonetheless, he’s nonetheless a compelling stage presence in his personal proper. His vocals had been constantly spot on, with him even making the word that he “doesn’t use Autotune.” He introduced a radiant vitality to every part from his large hits to deeper cuts from his larger discography.

Whereas performing the gorgeous “Sunshine,” which options Fousheé, he truly introduced her again on stage for a duet! This was a pleasant bow to tie collectively the occasion. Lacy went out with a bang with two of his most interesting (and largest) hits, “Unhealthy Behavior” and “Darkish Pink.”

General, Re:SET day two didn’t disappoint. The competition used day two to focus on extra in style music with a well-paced, good lineup. It was, fairly merely, a clean and well-organized occasion that includes nice music and even larger vitality.

Editor’s Word: This text is a evaluation and consists of subjective ideas, opinions and critiques.