070 Shake
“Who knows all of the words to The Pines?,” 070 Shake asked the sold out crowd at Parish. Fans jumped and screamed in response, hoping to be acknowledged by the New Jersey native. Shake pointed out an exuberant fan and invited him on stage. Surprisingly, she did not ask him to sing. Instead, she requested he and the crowd get ‘lit’ while she performed. At first, the fan’s movements took on an “I’mma look cool on stage” approach. By the end, he was completely in the moment; his bravado infused dancing having morphed into catharsis.
The ability to dance freely on stage in front of strangers is emblematic of the movement Shake is creating. “The only force that matters is love. No one is bigger than anyone else,” she explained. Throughout the night she made sure the fans were an equal part of the equation. She laughed an joked with the crowd, even stopping mid anecdote to comment on a fan’s “perfect” eyebrows. That level of awareness and connection with crowd made an for an intimate experience those in attendance will not soon forget.
The set was fairly stripped down. Other than some good stage lighting, Shake was the show. Her vocals were on full display as she expertly navigated the various emotions found in her music. From the astral Flight319 to the bop of Rocketship, her grip on the night was never lost. Her pain felt tangible, her optimism sincere. Guilty Conscience is an 80’s tinged track with a catchy hook, and is easy to sing along to. Hearing it in your car or through headphones is dope, but experiencing it live is on some other shit. Shake’s performance, coupled with reciprocating energy from the crowd, was beautiful to be apart of.
Shake would perform several tracks off the new album, while sprinkling in older tracks like Honey, salt bae style. She closed her set with a beautiful rendition of Terminal8. Before performing the song, she asked the crowd to close their eyes and imagine being in a place far from here. The slow lead in and trippy production created a sonic sandbox for our imaginations to play in. Once the track ended, Shake thanked the crowd for the experience and headed off stage. Chants of Shake! Shake! Shake! rang out. Moments later, Shake stepped back onstage to a raucous reception and performed Ghost Town for her encore.
Shake is a rock star. She’s created a space for herself musically, where it’s hard to peg her as a ‘genre’ artist. The raw soul of her music shines though whether she chooses to express it in hip hop, r&b, or 80’s synth pop form. In years past, artists would establish themselves for years prior to venturing out to other sonic playscapes, but for Shake, nothing seems off limits.
