Kaytranada, Victoria Monet, Tems & More Stun At All Points East 2024
Friday’s showcase was a warm welcome for Black music.
a Warm Welcome for Black Music
But in the end, it all comes back to Kaytranada. It’s admittedly a bold choice of headliner—DJs and producers are usually reserved for the festival’s electronic line-ups, such as Field Day. But it speaks to the artist’s prowess headlining across various venues, both Stateside and overseas, in recent years. Here, the crowd is visibly hyped with the anticipation of an incredible live show in a city where Kaytranada is so adored. Decked out in Martine Rose and his trademark glasses, he opens with the title single from his new album, TIMELESS. Exploding in a haze of blue lighting, it’s the first of many exquisite changes to stage setup: hazy photo camera images, rainfall, pyrotechnics, and often reflecting the effervescent crowd staring back at him.
It’s a career encompassing set. Kaytra chooses to forgo many of the tracks from his newest release, instead pointing to select throwback hits like “Meditation” with GoldLink and Jazmin Sullivan, “Waitin” with Kelela, and much-loved tracks like the classic “Be Your Girl”. But there still remains glaringly missed opportunities. For a bill packed with so many of his collaborators (the producer has worked with a record six-plus others performing on the event) one could only assume several would join him on stage. Bar Channel Tres, who is a vision performing “Drip Sweat” on stage, that was pretty much it. A snippet play of Victoria Monet’s “Alright” audibly begs for the singer to rejoin, and it’s a wonder whether energy would be able to match that earlier accompanying moment.
But in the end, crowds are unfazed by lack of support. Kaytra doesn’t really need it—his warm reception is reflected back in hordes of festival-goers locked in warm embraces, singing and dancing to every word. It’s clear those early morning expectations have been more than met—they have been exceeded.
