By: Erica Fasoli
Indoor concerts are ramping up as the temperature drops and the Complex recently hosted the American indie-pop trio SHAED (pronounced “shade”). The night was filled with electro-pop bangers blended with smooth, creamy R&B licks that had the crowd swaying in delight. Absofacto opened the show. Jonathan Visger, known as Absofacto, is incredibly dynamic. A blend of different sounds, his high energy set defied genres and boundaries. Absofacto is known for producing music that doesn’t fit a specific mold. The energy built throughout the set and he danced across the stage as the audience cheered. He even played a new song that he anticipates releasing soon. If you’re a fan, keep an eye out, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what’s to come. He ended his set with his breakout single “Dissolve”, which has over 54 million streams on Spotify.
The lights went dark and out from the shadows came vocalist Chelsea Lee. SHAED opened the set with a few classics including “Silver knife” and “Perfume”. The crowd was small but passionate. Chelsea took a pause to thank the two others on stage with her. Max and Spencer Ernst, twin brothers, are incredibly talented instrumentalists and producers. With sincerity in her voice, Chelsea told the audience, “I was at a really low point and these two on stage supported and encouraged me to write the music that I wanted to make” as she thanked them. They went on to play “Melt”, a powerful ballad about finding herself.
It was clear that the trio has a strong bond. It makes sense since they’ve been friends for years and Chelsea and Spencer were married at the end of 2018. But, it’s always nice to see someone on stage acknowledge the importance of the people around them. In a bit of a corny fashion, Chelsea told the audience to “come on a journey with [her]. Think about your best friend. If that person is here give them a squeeze”. I had brought my best friend with me so I did just that. “Now let me introduce you to my best friends. This is Max and he makes the best omelets in the whole world. And this is his twin brother and my husband Spencer. He makes a great salmon” she said as she laughed, “this is for everyone out there that has that one friend you just can’t live without”. The uplifting intro to “You got me like” started to play. The crowd waved their hands back and forth in the air as they sang along.
Next, they played “Thunder” and Chelsea’s powerhouse vocals echoed around the room. I was first introduced to SHAED last year when they opened for X-Ambassadors. I remember being in awe of her voice. I went home and immediately looked up the trio and I’ve been a big fan ever since. I think it’s pretty hard to leave a SHAED concert unimpressed. Chelsea sounds even better live than she does on the studio album. They followed with “Too Much” and even incorporated a bit of fun choreography into the set.
Next was a beautiful and unique rendition of “Lonesome”, one of my favorites. They looped in the chorus of Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone you loved” before wrapping back into the end of “Lonesome”. Clearly a crowd favorite, and by far SHAED’s most popular song, the crowd cheered loudly as the lights went crazy and the intro to “Trampoline” began. As the electronic soundscape rang out into the audience they sang back “I’ve been havin’ dreams, jumpin’ on a trampoline”. They ended with a single-song encore. “Name on it”, from their self titled first album under the name SHAED. The song showcased everything that makes them incredible. The vocals, electronic synth, and the catchy, almost retro beat was a great way to finish the night. SHAED proved that they’ve only gotten better with time.
Setlist
I Just Wanna See
ISOU
Silver Knife
Perfume
Melt
Wish I
Keep Calling
Back to Earth
You Got Me Like
Thunder
Too Much
Lonesome
Someone You Loved
Encore
Name On It