On Friday, September 9th, Giveon took the stage at Stubb’s in Austin, TX. First, I want to
start off by giving a huge shout-out to the Stubb’s security staff. Being an outdoor venue in Texas, Stubb’s is notorious for sweaty patrons and heat strokes, but the front of house bouncers were passing out water to the crowd for the entirety of the 95+ degree show. Safety first, folks!
Before Giveon took the stage, two openers warmed up the crowd with their sultry tunes, Saleka and Fana Hues. Saleka, the daughter of famous filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, has been pursuing music since the age of 16, and debuted her first single “Clarity” in 2022. Being from an immigrant family, Saleka draws a lot of inspiration from her background into her music. She performed 5 songs to an already packed amphitheater in preparation for the next act, Fana Hues.
Touring with her new album Flora and Fana, Fana Hues sang many of her new songs during a thirty-minute set, in addition to covering Stevie Wonder and sampling Fergie. Instead of drowning in the sorrows of dark thoughts, Fana uses this album to turn it into steamy self-love. As an audience member, you can feel that love radiate through her voice, drawing you in more. Fana sings with her hands, accentuating those vocals even more, as if she’s massaging her words as they exit her mouth. Fana Hues and Saleka will be on the Give or Take tour with Giveon from Philadelphia through Las Vegas.
Now the crowd is amped up, the sun has set, it’s a Friday night and they’re ready for the main event. Everyone is chanting “GIVEON, GIVEON” from the moment Fana Hues exited the stage. The lights flash on, each instrument on stage intros one at a time, and then Giveon himself comes out and the audience goes wild. From the first note he sang, everyone in the crowd was singing along to every song. Giveon knew he was the moment, and as the flirt he is, sang directly into the eyes of the lucky front row throughout his set.
His love songs and vocal stylings are seductive, and you can consider me seduced! Giveon would wave to the audience, wink, and continue on, leaving the girls and guys and theys alike fainting, and not just from the heat. Throughout his set, Giveon would dedicate songs to couples in the audience, allowing them room to slow dance to his serenade. This is the kind of show that you would want to go to with a lover, and if you don’t have one, you might by the end of the night.
The Give or Take Tour, named after Giveon’s latest album, goes from August 16 to October 19th, 2022, ending in Toronto, ON. You can listen to Give or Take wherever you stream your music today!
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