Leon Bridges ignited hearts and put a little pep in the crowd at The Vic on Oct. 27.
Columbian born, D.C. raised and current Los Angeles dweller Kali Uchis started off the show, dancing around in a sassy pink satin mini dress and platform heels. Her sound is like sipping a strawberry milkshake in a diner before dinner. With Latin tinges and R&B vibes, Uchis prepped the audience for a night of deep jams. Her powerhouse song, “Know What I Want” describes what she’s all about: with the onstage confidence of Lady Gaga, she’ll be queen of something.
Bridges is undeniably retro. Without being antiquated, he takes listeners straight to the 60s in musicality, nostalgia and feeling. Even the details—the band clad in suits, a deep red curtain serving as the backdrop, to Leon’s black and white Instagram of the Vic’s schedule—are vintage. You can liken him to a modern-day Otis Redding, but he’s not looking to replace anyone—just to bring the old sounds back.
A year ago, a young Bridges was a dishwasher and played gigs in empty bars in Texas. Tonight, his show was sold out. Although his rise in the music scene has been quick, he is a humble man, always thanking the audience for listening, being there to watch him perform. His main prerogative is to make everyone happy.
“Turn to your neighbor, say I love you, and give them a hug,” he said before singing fan favorite “Coming Home.” The audience was heavy in couples and pairs of friends, many of whom turned to each other during Bridges’ hit single and sang the lyrics to each other. There was a notable absence of cell phones, and maybe this crowd wasn’t preoccupied with thoughts of their Instagram aesthetic, but were probably enraptured in the groove.
Despite being shy in interviews, his performance is sharp. His background in dance is obvious, although at times it’s hard to distinguish the dance steps he’s practiced from the ones that the music brings out in him. Bridges has learned the importance of interacting with the crowd and does so smoothly, oozing a practiced cool.
“If you got a woman, you gotta make sure you treat her well or you’ll be singing songs like mine,” he said, transitioning into “Better Man.”
Throughout the night he sailed through tracks from his debut album Coming Home, and added a handful of new tunes. Bridges’ voice is a magical force in itself, pure in tone and soul fueling in feel. Aided by a powerful saxophone player, the energy became electric, and sounds became bigger and bigger.
For a moment the instrumentalists dropped off stage, leaving Bridges and backup vocalist Brittni Jessie to sing the stunningly soulful “River,” both crooning with squinted eyes. This stripped moment gave way to the goosebump-inducing track of the night, but the band quickly went back to a one-two encore punch of “Pussyfootin” and “Mississippi Kisses.”
As I was leaving, a couple was gushing about the show. “I can’t believe the people in front of us didn’t move all night,” this was truly the greatest mystery of the night—it was impossible not to catch the infectious groove.