On Wednesday, Sept. 11 and Thursday, Sept. 12, British pop-indie artist Beabadoobee played two shows at SummerStage in Central Park.
Popularized on TikTok in 2020 by her hit song “Coffee,” Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, better known by fans as Beabadoobee, is a top artist in the multi-genre indie music scene. She is currently on a world tour, performing her old classics and new hits from her most recent album, “This Is How Tomorrow Moves.”
Before Beabadoobee came on to perform at the latter of the shows around 8:35 p.m., the Texas-based band Hovvdy opened the show. Their country sound was comical to hear to my Georgia ears while standing in the middle of Manhattan. Seeing as they have a more country sound, I was confused as to why they were chosen to open for Beabadoobee, but I enjoyed the contrast. However, toward the end of their set, you could tell everyone in the audience was ready for Beabadoobee.
As soon as the lights dimmed, the audience screamed, eager to see the indie-music icon make her way to the stage. People were chanting “Bea” in anticipation of the concert starting. As soon as she stepped on stage, screams erupted from the audience, and a wave of cellphones appeared.
Beabadoobee began the show with her new song “California” from her most recent album. From the moment she began singing, the audience was instantly entranced, singing along to every word. After “California,” Beabadoobee played some of her other fan favorites, like “Talk,” “10:36” and “Charlie Brown.”
An interesting aspect of the show was how often Beabadoobie was handed a new guitar. Between every song, or even during, a crew member would bring on a new guitar, and Beabadoobee would shred.
Bebadoobee’s emotional performance of “Glue Song” left everyone watching embracing their loved ones, and there wasn’t a single dry eye in the audience. The song’s poignant lyrics and Beebadoobee’s soulful delivery created a powerful and intimate atmosphere.
Similarly, “Girl Song” from her latest album tackles themes of self-doubt and insecurity. When playing it, Beabadoobee’s voice, accompanied by soft piano brought the concert down to earth, resonating with much of the audience.
The last song of her set was “Cologne,” or so the audience thought. After delivering an intense rendition of the song with flashing red visuals, Beebaboobee and her band left the stage. However, in traditional concert-encore fashion, the audience wasn’t left waiting long before Beebadoobee returned to the stage without her band to deliver three more songs.
Her final songs of the night were “Coming Home,” “the way things go” and “See you Soon.” Before singing “Coming Home,” Beabadoobee opened up about how the song resonated with how she’d been feeling on tour as she’s so far away from her home in the United Kingdom. The singer also jokingly told the audience that the song reminded her of how much she missed her cat.
The concert was an artistic masterpiece and a true testament to Beabadoobee’s brilliance. It was truly “A Night to Remember.”
