Finally standing outside of Baby's All Right, a cozy venue nestled in the heart of Brooklyn, New York, me and a few friends were brimming with energy and excitement. We had just driven for a grueling six hours, yet we were more awake than we had been at any other point of the day. The reason for our journey was the Slater Still Burnt Tour, as we were catching one of its last shows before its end. It featured opening acts Bad Vacation and Tony Velour, and, of course, was headlined by Vada Vada's own: Slater. Not listed on the tour poster displayed above were two more months of touring that Slater had done around the West Coast, with an international appearance in Tijuana, Mexico. Yet this tour, which has now concluded, is only a preamble, with fans eagerly awaiting a new album which is set to release at some point this Summer.
First up: Bad Vacation, a New York based Punk-Rock band which almost instantly had the entire crowd furiously bobbing their heads and bouncing around. They played songs from their self-titled album, Bad Vacation (2023), as well as a few other singles. Their loud rock made the venue shake, electrifying the audience for their entire performance. They also showed an impressive chemistry with each other throughout their set, at some points alternating singing while passing a mic to each other mid-song. As their set came to an end, half the crowd was already sweaty and breathing hard. Bad Vacation played a great opening performance and set the tone for the rest of the night. Bad Vacation has been steadily rising in the punk scene since they coalesced in 2020 and we can expect that rise to keep going, as they are slated to appear at LA Punk Invasion in 2025, while also continuing to perform and release music in the meantime.
Recommended Listens:
"HOLY ROLLER" - Bad Vacation
"Pound Cake" - Bad Vacation
"Tear It Up" - Bad Vacation
Next to play was Tony Velour, a rapper from Atlanta with a wide and very unique range. His hyperpop, rap, and EDM fusion sound captured the attention of everyone in the venue and brought the energy to new heights. Checking up on the crowd between every set, he both interacted with fans and maintained a laser-focus on his performance. Midway through his set, he picked a fan from the crowd and knighted them, bestowing upon them a knight's helmet (pictured below on the cover of CHANN3L 3M (2023)), and a temporary entry into 3M, Tony Velour's motto and mentality. He performed a number of songs from his album Vices Hurt (2019) and EP 4X4 (2022). Though his music was not really rock or pop, it still managed to complement the other performances, and had the entire crowd into it, interacting with his songs every time he redirected the spotlight onto them. Tony Velour performed with Slater for most of the second leg of his tour and was a more than welcome addition to the lineup.
Recommended Listens:
"Euro Plug" - Tony Velour & Dylan Brady
"d3g3n3rat3" - Tony Velour ft Boothlord
"Unfazed" - Tony Velour
After tiring myself out from jumping around throughout the first two sets, I barely had any life left in me when Slater came out. That's not to say the jumping around stopped... Slater and his band started off right where Tony Velour left off and began playing a number of fan favorites from ESI (2021) and also some of the singles which he has dropped over the past few years. The crowd was entranced, everyone reaching for Slater like zombies straight out of The Walking Dead, while he ran around the stage giving a very active performance. As he wrapped up his set, the crowd was not ready to end the night, and in what I assume was a premeditated move, he quickly left the stage. Everyone began clamoring for an encore and chanting until Slater ran back out to perform one more song to an ecstatic crowd. It was almost like being snapped out of a dream when it was over as everyone quickly started shuffling to the back of the venue in the hopes of meeting the artists. Slater did a meet and greet right after he got off stage, taking pictures and chatting with a line of fans that stretched around the entire building.
Recommended Listens:
"Sp33din'" - Slater
"He's Always Down for Something" - Slater
"Jonah Hillz" - Slater
Personally, the Slater Brooklyn concert was one of the best shows I have been to, and judging from how the crowd was acting, the same can be said for many others as well. All the performers also directly interacted with the crowd after their sets were over, talking to anyone that came up to them. Small venue concerts like this are, at least in my opinion, always preferable to large festivals or venues due to the closeness which you feel to both the other people at the concert, who share a similar niche music interest as you, and also with the artists who love to meet their fans. The tour itself was also very impressive, with Slater touring for three months and performing almost every day, only taking a break in April. Like I mentioned before, Slater shows no signs of stopping and is set to release an album at some point this summer. Everyone who reads this article should keep their fingers on the pulse because the stage is set for a Slater Summer.
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