Kiiara Live at (le) Poisson Rouge
Last week I saw Kiiara live at (le) poisson rouge. It’s a smaller more intimate venue with a knack for late night performances. The last time I saw a live show there was well over a year ago and the two experiences couldn’t be more different.
The first time involved a band of attractive brits who acted as a young female magnet and this time was much more laid back. In fact, it might have been a little too relaxed in certain areas but we’ll get to that part in a little bit.
Kiiara’s more than “Gold”
For those of you who may not recognize the name “Kiiara”, I think you may be more familiar with her smash hit “Gold” (see below). Whenever I happened to turn on the radio this summer it seemed to be on and I couldn’t have been happier for her!
Although I’m not much a radio gal no one can deny that having your song on major stations across the country is a huge deal!
I prefer to listen to something new and not get tired of the songs I do like so I usually hook up my Spotify account whenever I get into my partner A’s car. Long story short I don’t drive so I usually just become a playlist dictator and occasionally concede to him since, y’know, it is his car.
However, when I wasn’t listening to “Gold” on the radio I was listening to pretty much all of her other songs on a constant rotation. Her album ‘low kii savage’ is exactly that. A savage list of 6 tracks that just kill it one after the other!
Her reign is just getting started and after listening to a few of her new tracks at the show I’m confident she has much more than “Gold” up her sleeves. Get familiar with Kiiara and supporting acts Cruel Youth and Lil Aaron below!
The Wait
I’ve been to more concerts and festivals at this point than I can count. Now I’m not saying that to brag I’m saying that to illustrate that at this point, I feel like I can comment with authority on how smoothly a show runs.
Way back in my college days I even helped put together a few shows with high profile acts like Lupe Fiasco, M.I.A., Nelly and more. Maybe one day I’ll return to that life but we’ll see.
Before I digress too much the point I’m trying to make is that the wait between each act was noticeably long. There were two openers and the wait time before each went on was maybe only slightly longer than normal. However, the wait for Kiiara was probably well over an hour.
Concerts are notorious for delayed schedules. It’s just the nature of the beast when you’re dealing with so many personalities and variables. When you attend a show you should always be prepared for that. Still, in the moment when you’re in general admission standing
Still, in the moment when you’re in general admission standing there not knowing if the concert will ever go on . . . it’s a bit much.
Past Venue Features
On My Radar
When I grabbed up tickets to see Kiiara live at (le) poisson rouge I didn’t even pay attention to who else was performing with her. I had been so into her debut EP that I just knew I had to see her.
She was on my radar and once an artist goes on that list I watch for concert listings like a hawk. Didn’t matter who the supporting acts were I was going to get a ticket! I know the NYC venues now like the back of my hand and trust me, I’ve already been doing research on the concert halls in the DC area. Know any good ones? Leave a comment below and help a girl out!
The Openers
Typically I check out the openers before a show and at least browse through their discography. This time, however, the first I heard of Cruel Youth and Lil Aaron was at the venue.
Lil Aaron went on first and was a one-man show featuring a lot of autotune and rapping. Despite my hesitation, there were some catchy songs that are probably suitable for a late night. He gets points for crowd participation.
Cruel Youth, on the other hand, was a delightful surprise. I added them to my Spotify rotation and I’m happy I got to see them perform. Their songs are really different featuring throwback elements in one track and then something funky in the next. Songs like “Alexis Texas” have been on repeat since the show and I think there is a track in their arsenal for every taste!
A Note on Cruel Youth
Cruel Youth is a new outfit fronted by Teddy Sinclair of former Natalia Kills fame. Her, and her husband Willy Moon, another musical artist, were judges on X-Factor New Zealand. They made some harsh remarks to one of the contestants which caused a scandal and resulted in them both being ousted from the show after only one episode.
Afterward, Teddy and her husband laid low, created this new band and have been getting positive feedback ever since. Feel free to look into the matter on your own.
A Sampling of Kiiara at (le) poisson rouge
The performance
By the time Kiiara finally came to the stage all was forgiven in my book! No one likes to wait but when you have fun during the set you tend to forget the bad and focus on the good! I was front and slightly off center (the best placement for viewing/documenting in my opinion) and it was awesome.
The stage was pretty minimal for the openers and when the all the extra lights and light effects were brought out for Kiiara it really took things up a notch. Behind her were two other bandmates and at either end of the stage were platforms for her to stand on. Speaking of which, she was wearing the Rihanna Fenty x Puma black platform shoes of my athleisure dreams and I was beyond jealous!
A, if you’re reading this that might be a not so subtle Christmas hint. Haha.
Seeing Kiiara live at (le) poisson rouge was more than I was expecting. I added Cruel Youth to my music library and Kiiara’s light show was much more advanced than most new artists get on their first headlining tour.
Kiiara took a moment to thank the crowd for their support. Stating that she had never been on a real tour with a tour bus and that she had all of us to thank for that. That humble attitude from someone with heavy rotation on Z100 is sadly not the norm. Feel free to check out her music below, along with Cruel Youth!
What do you think of this recap of Kiiara Live at (le) Poisson Rouge?