H.E.R. Dazzles at NYC’s Apollo Theater for SiriusXM and Pandora’s Small Stage Series: Recap
The post H.E.R. Dazzles at NYC’s Apollo Theater for SiriusXM and Pandora’s Small Stage Series: Recap appeared first on Consequence.
“I performed on this stage when I was nine years old,” said H.E.R. on Tuesday, November 2nd, as she reached the bridge of her second song, “I Can Have It All.”
She was referring to performing on a kids’ version of Showtime at the Apollo, a famed variety show at the iconic NYC theater, after her mom submitted a tape to the show back in the day.
“My parents put on a fundraiser to pay for the flights to get us to New York City,” she continued. It all worked out, H.E.R. sang “Freeway of Love” by Aretha Franklin on the show, and the rest is history.
H.E.R., photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM
All that is to say, last night was a full circle moment for H.E.R. The wildly talented R&B artist performed for SiriusXM and Pandora’s new Small Stage Series, which allows fans across the globe to hear intimate shows from their favorite artists. And though it was intimate in a Broadway-style setting (as opposed to huge arenas and theaters, which she is now capable of selling out), H.E.R. was seemingly effortless during the special Apollo gig, breezing through her many hits with a career-spanning setlist.
Career-spanning is a bit tricky for H.E.R., as she’s only been releasing music for 5 years — but in that time, she’s released five EPs, two compilation albums, one full-length album. She’s won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and a Grammy for Song of the Year. Needless to say, her ascent to stardom has been swift, and all of it is due to her mastermind approach to music.
Her live show is no different — H.E.R. was playing every instrument last night, from keys and guitar to bass and drums. This was not an anomaly; she is an absolute virtuoso on multiple instruments, and she very consciously expands her R&B sound to include much more than just synth pads and 808s.
She kicked things off with a bang by singing her part on DJ Khaled’s “We Going Crazy,” and after “I Can Have It All,” she performed a medley of songs from her first few EPs, including the gorgeous “Focus” and the steamy “Could’ve Been.” For the most part, though, many of the songs in the set came from her excellent 2021 LP, Back Of My Mind.
Back Of My Mind was certainly a sprawling effort (the track list is 21 songs, with a runtime of nearly 80 minutes), so she couldn’t do everything from the new record. Her performances of “Damage,” “Come Through,” and “Slide” were definite highlights, but some of the more contemplative and vulnerable tracks from Back Of My Mind — particularly the stunning “Hold On,” “My Own,” and “Bloody Waters” — were omitted. It’s difficult to pick a set when it’s being recorded for radios around the world, but since it was a “small stage” series, even more moments of pared-down simplicity would have made the show extra special and unique.
That being said, the focus last night was H.E.R.’s passionate and impressive vocal performance. She can seemingly hit every note in any octave, her tone can span from ethereal and angelic to full of power and fury, and her command and control suggests she’s been singing for her entire life. She was certainly having fun as well, taking many moments to veer off from melody and execute impressive and intricate runs — again, virtuoso.
H.E.R. also added some covers to her set. In addition to the usual cover of Foy Vance’s “Make It Rain” (which she nails in nearly every single one of her shows), H.E.R. honored the Apollo’s history by covering Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues,” Lenny Kravitz’ “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” and even a snippet of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”
And all the while, she was expressing a great deal of gratitude. “I have a number one record and that’s because of you,” she told fans at one point.
The performance was certainly a victory lap for H.E.R., who is undoubtedly coming off of her biggest year, and as she shredded through her guitar solo for “Hard Place” last night, it was once again a true representation of her limitless potential. The Apollo is undoubtedly a legendary venue with years and years of historic black art taking place there — and now, H.E.R. has cemented herself among them… again.
H.E.R., photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Catch H.E.R. on tour with Coldplay in 2022; tickets are available here.
H.E.R. Dazzles at NYC’s Apollo Theater for SiriusXM and Pandora’s Small Stage Series: Recap
Paolo Ragusa
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