For many keshi fans, myself included, his lo-fi beats and soothing vocals have been the soundtrack of all four seasons since he started sharing his music on Soundcloud in 2017. His highly anticipated debut album, GABRIEL, was no exception and has stayed in my daily rotation since its release in March of this year. Clearly, the next step as a keshi fan would be to see him live. Luckily, I was able to catch him on his completely sold-out headlining HELL/HEAVEN tour at the Observatory in San Diego.

I stopped by the venue relatively early to pick up my ticket, and in typical San Diego fashion, the line was already down the block and wrapped around the entire commercial space across the street. I asked a group near the front what time they started lining up and they replied, “2pm, but there was already a line by the time we got here.” Truly, keshi die-hards are from San Diego.

About an hour after the doors officially opened, the show finally began. georgee and Rei Brown, the openers for this stop of the tour, warmed up the crowd. But the way they both handled their respective sets felt as if they could’ve easily headlined the tour. georgee’s incredible stage presence had the crowd dancing and screaming for more despite the melancholic content of his songs. Rei Brown, on the other hand, grabbed the crowd’s attention with his sweet, melodic vocals. The crowd favorite was easily “Thinking Bout You,” a collaboration with 88Rising’s very own Joji. Both put on a great set and I instantly became a fan.

As time drew near to the main event, the crowd began to chant “keshi'' louder and louder, a small peek into the hype levels that would be seen throughout his set. At 9:30pm on the dot, he finally made his way to the stage and phones quickly rose to the air as screams of praise and lust immediately filled the entire venue. Dressed in lightly ripped black jeans and a white oversized button-up shirt held together with giant safety pins, he started his set with his latest single, “GET IT,” which threw the crowd into a frenzy. In return, keshi matched their energy, constantly moving from one side to the other and back to the center; showing love to everyone along the way.

The song ends, the screams continue, and the singer switches gears as the instrumental to “SOMEBODY” begins to play. Once again we’re blessed by his angelic vocals. At this point, it’s obvious to me why keshi’s entire tour sold out so quickly. We all know the man can sing; pair that with his all too relatable lyrics, and you’re hooked in and never turning back. But hearing it in person and seeing him reciprocate the energy that his fans give is a must-have experience for avid concert-goers.

With the show moving forward, he effortlessly weaves in and out of bangers from his debut album to all-time fan favorites like “less of you” and “like i need u.” But midway through his set, he takes the hype levels down and grabs his guitar. The lights dim, a spotlight shines and he takes center stage. Now with only him playing, the feeling has shifted; giving us a chance to truly admire his vocals in an intimate environment.

The moment we dread the most eventually comes as keshi hits the end of his final song. Before leaving, he endlessly thanked the crowd and made his way off the stage. The audience, however, stayed and chants of “one more song” filled the entire venue. After a few moments of waiting, keshi and his band are back on stage and the audience goes wild as “2 soon” begins to play. The perfect song to end a perfect experience.

keshi Review