Slywave (AKA Joywave, Sir Sly, and Jaenki) Sold Out AF
For a first Friday, spending the night with Slywave was full of ecstatic energy. Attendees, strangers, gathering in groups, becoming friends and dancing the night away. The emotion presented by the artists left the crowd begging for more. The night of 11/02 will not be easily forgotten. The passion and love will be implemented in memories forever.
As doors open, people flood in getting as close as they could to the stage. The show was insanely sold out and the audience was breathtaking. Jaenki, from our very own Kansas City, opened up for Slywave. Performing singles Passion Fruit, Done For and more. Jaenki was bubbly and energetic throughout their performance. They set the mood for the crowd to transition into Slywave. Great choice of an act to open for the evening.
As Slywave being a co-headline tour the crowd awaits to see who's taking the stage next. With a dramatic reveal of a black tarp taken off of the brain that glew with color. Sir Sly takes the stage as the second act. Jumping on stage the crowd gives a warm and loud welcome. The group starts of with “Welcome the pressure,” a new single that will be featured on their third album being currently produced. Bringing back “Ghost” and “Gold” from first album, “You Haunt Me” pleased the crowd from the beginning. “Don’t You Worry, Honey” is their newest and sophomore album, they performed many tracks for the first time. “Trippin,” “2am,” “Astronaut” were newly added to setlist. How the group performed the emotion behind each song, the vulnerability shown and given to the crowd, was reciprocated. DYWH is written about lead Landon Jacobs life. “Altar” expressing his love and dealing with his recent divorce. “Oh Mama’ is written about the passing of his mother from brain cancer. It gets me every time during the song where they sampled a voicemail she left for Jacobs. So raw and pure of the love and bond they shared. It strikes a chord when the song finishes with “One day, I'm gonna sing with you again. Oh, mama.” The soulful vulnerability and melancholy presented during the performance was beautiful. DYWH is a rare gem; when performed live it is so raw and phenomenal. Each track presents a dark time in a span of three years. Some songs are so dark and heavy with meaning, brutal truths and realizations coming from anxiety caused by life. The group creates such a powerful sound that is so lovely and up beat; it’s so fascinating how they transform pain into something so astonishing, a positive feeling of content. As their set came to an end, the group performed hit singles “High” and “&Run.” As an avid concert goer myself, in such a tight space of an insanely sold out show, I have never experienced a crowd sing lyrics in such perfect, high volume harmony. It was absolutely an incredible experience to be apart of. The expression of the artists faces were priceless. One for the books for sure; KC will be awaiting their return.
Aaaah, Joywave. Man oh man, where to even begin. The crowd is buzzing from the well done performance of Sir Sly. Music is humming in the background as fans continue to chat as they wait for Joywave. Lights dim, the band begins coming on stage and the volume of the crowd welcoming them was surreal. Kansas City has supported this group and Sir Sly since day one, and the reaction as they set foot on stage showed proof of reunion. Once on stage they took in the crowd with excited intent and “blastoffff” the beginning of an unforgettable evening. Never a dull moment as the progression into the set. Phones are down from the crowd, fans are singing word-for-word, jumping and screaming with delight. The band providing endless surprises. Performing new song “Obsession,” captivating the crowd as they dance. Classics from their album “How Do You Feel, Now?”, they presented songs ‘Somebody New,’ a fan favorite, ‘Traveling at the Speed of Light interlude’ infatuating the audience with the soothing melody, and ‘Now’ with vivid animation. As ‘Now’ ends and music starts humming slowly the crowd sways blissfully, taken in the end of the gradual decrescendo of the percussion. Lead vocalist, Daniel Armbruster begins speaking to the crowd, walking toward the end of the stage and taking a seat. As the band takes in the crowd, they give a surprise, letting Kansas City know this is a song they’ve never performed live before. Off of the newest album, they begin performing ‘Let’s Talk About Feelings.’ What a joyous surprise.The track was graceful and magnetic. Concert goers began dancing with one another, swaying and twirling. The adoration of the crowd was beautiful. How much KC cherished this gem left me speechless. The end of the night was nearing, Armbruster dramatically began ‘Tongues’, a song that started it all. The song verged into verse two and another surprise arrived. Lead singer of KOPPS, Patricia Patrón came out to help perform. The audience erupted in cheers. Before the song ends, there happened to be a glitch or malfunction of some sort. But of course, it’s another surprise. They band goes into “Destruction” and the crowd roars. Such a pleasant feeling watching the bodies of the crowd bobbing up and down with their hands in the air singing word-for-word. The crowd wanted more, but an encore couldn’t be given. As a goodbye and a thank you for the evening, Joywave said goodnight to KC by playing double “Destruction.” Who knew second time around the audience would be even louder, fervent and grateful.
An evening with Sir Sly and Joywave was a remarkable night. Kansas City loves these artists and will be eager for their return. Thanks KC for being a wonderful city supporting live music and artists.
