Alexander 23's 'Aftershock' Tour in Brooklyn, NY
By Mackenzie Wagner
On Oct. 25, Alexander 23 played Brooklyn Steel following the release of his debut album Aftershock. Alexander was playing a packed venue in Brooklyn, but his personable presence and the close environment made it feel like you were catching up with an old friend. He has a way of making a large venue feel like a safe place to listen to music and feel all of the emotions that come with it.
In a reference to Harry Styles’ song “Kiwi”, the lyrics “It’s New York, baby, always jacked up” were projected on the screen before the show began. From eye rolling memes, guitar hero, and cats with their faces in bread to bright, colorful visuals and music videos, the visuals on stage were always well-thought out and usually pretty funny. Despite his emotional lyrics, Alexander 23 has a humorous presence on stage.
Because Alexander 23 is known for his emotional lyrics, it was no surprise when the audience fell silent when he played his new song, “How To Drive”. While he sat at the piano and debuted his song, the audience sat in awe because of the incredible vocals and ability to immediately connect to the lyrics. The song was recorded the day before in a studio in New York City, and the audience in Brooklyn Steel was the first to hear it.
The show had its fair share of emotional moments, including the performance of “The Hardest Part”, “Everything’s Fine”, and “Fall 2017 (What If?)” but Alexander 23 also knows how to bring up the energy in a big venue. His newest release “Ill” and “If We Were A Party” were both fan-favorites during the show. The crowd really got excited during a cover of the Kelly Clarkson hit, “Since U Been Gone”. In another fun use of visuals, the lyrics appeared on screen in a karaoke-style format which got everyone to sing along if they were not already.
The show ended with “IDK You Yet”, with the whole crowd singing together. The then unreleased song filled the For You Page of so many TikTok accounts in early 2020, so to have a group of people together again singing was surely a full circle moment for so many. With the artistic concept video playing in the background and everyone singing, it was one of those moments you don’t forget.
No matter how big the venue was or how many people filled it, Alexander 23 was able to truly connect with each person there. It is something that not every artist does, but something Alexander does very well.While he said himself that there’s nothing like a New York show, anyone in the audience would agree that there is really nothing like an Alexander 23 show.