Khalid In LES
Last Saturday, I got a chance to witness Khalid aka American Teen in action and needless to say I was intrigued to see is the hype around him worth it. First off I have to give myself credit for even going all the way to East River Park Bandshell because from Queens that's a helluva journey and on a Saturday no less. I was able to get there with ease but getting inside the venue was hell. I walked towards the bandshell and it was packed. I was shocked because I never thought it would be crowded like a NYC subway car and it was. I totally underestimated this kid's fanbase and they showed out big time. I don't know what was more impressive: the fact that East River Park was crowded or the demographic of the fans. The fans was young but extremely diverse from all races across the board. Then of course the security was all over the place trying to keep people from coming in because of the capacity. No one can blame them, I mean after all this is a free show featuring a young talent on the rise why not straight rush to get inside?
DJ Satori keep the tunes going as the buildup for Khalid's arrival mounted. He played the usual hits and some album cuts for the youth but blending some classics with edm beats which was pretty cool. His set was particularly long then I realize there was no opening act so he had to keep it going until it was time. Then was smoke and lights which meant the teenager wunderkind was about to hit the stage. I witness the anticipation building and once the song played the place went crazy. He started with the title track with background cheerleaders(typical for a teenager) and a strobelight above. It was quite the stage show, I was impressed especially from the view I had. Being the back of the crowd then moving towards the side of the bandshell I was thankful of my height. Otherwise all I would hear is music and see nothing else. He did mixed album cuts with some of his features among throughout the whole set. I was impressed by the ebb and flow of songs that kept the momentum going throughout the set.
Overall it was a great first time for me, like I said before I was impressed by the youngster. He definitely made a fan out of me and I had the opportunity to listen to his material as I got home. He got some summer love jams to me and his appeal can grow with the right material around him. Interestingly enough Khalid did a couple of shows for his tour which was paid and sold out. Good thing I caught him for free and not having to deal with the teenage crowd and their mothers(or fathers) at the venue. Thank you City Parks for the opportunity, this old man needed it.