an excellent concert from start to finish. i didn't watch much of Garcia's set, but it seemed like she had pretty good stage presence from the song or two that i watched. she sounded great, even from the other side of the venue. i really enjoyed "Paloma" (i think that's the name). she got some great energy out of the crowd during that one.
it was a packed crowd, but the venue handled it well. i felt like i had a very good view of the stage even as far back as i was. i hadn't been to radio/east since ML Buch in June 2024. they've made a lot of updates to the space that have really elevated it.
Sudan Archives... what a star. she is so incredibly talented and has insane stage presence. totally commanding up there; i could hardly look away. i first saw her in April 2023 at a motorcycle/car festival. it was a very unique booking. i think there was maybe 5 people including myself in the small crowd that had bought tickets specifically to see her. it was just her and the fiddle, but even then she made an insane impression on me.
the BPM Tour had a much more polished set up: lighting, drum pads, a concept (robotic per the album), and of course the violin. she performed for nearly 90 minutes straight, hardly missing a beat. it was very impressive. she also did a great job interacting with the crowd-- talking to us, bringing someone on stage during "A BUG'S LIFE", going into the crowd towards the end of the concert. unfortunately she wasn't anywhere near me, but i'm glad that others got that experience.
the setlist was great, no notes there. well, i would've loved to see a track from Athena, but that sound is not the vibe of the tour so i'm not surprised she didn't perform anything from that album. i especially loved the energy during "Freakalizer", "Selfish Soul", and "THE NATURE OF POWER".
one of my favorite concerts to date. probably tied with Yaeji in April 2023... it's very hard to beat "Raingurl". also, i bought the last BPM cd that they had. sorry to everyone else that wanted one lol
