Most people can recall nights as a kid when their parents would grant them a certain rite of passage into the adult world. Maybe it was staying up past their bedtime to watch those old reruns on Nick or an extra scoop of ice cream after dinner. It felt so special and exhilarating. That feeling of nostalgic exhilaration is exactly what Lawrence provided at the Brooklyn Bowl during their Hotel TV tour on Dec. 11.
Lawrence is an eight-piece soul-pop band whose music is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. The two lead singers, Clyde and Gracie, are siblings whose close bond is represented through their music. I got the opportunity to ask them some questions about what makes their band so unique.
“Between Gracie and I being siblings, and the other six guys in the band being our childhood friends, there is a fun and loose party energy on stage that feels really organic to us. We love playing a show with a ton of dynamics, emotion, drama and comedy, ” Clyde said.
Their first opener was up-and-coming Nashville band, Will Rosedale and “the lowly entourage”. Earlier in the year, Lawrence held an opener competition, which Rosedale applied to the day before the deadline and won. Their soul-pop music has a similar on-the-edge feel: funky, fresh and unique. They played original songs, including “Caffeine” and their new single “Dad Bod” (which I’ve been listening to non-stop since.) The crowd went wild when Rosedale played covers of “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé and “Blame It on the Boogie” by The Jackson 5. These early 2000s jams foreshadowed the nostalgia-driven Lawrence experience to come.
My only critique of the group is that “entourage” is not the right word for the band. Each and every person on the stage exuded main character energy and made it clear that they were all an integral part of the set.
Próxima Parada was the second opener. Hailing from California, this group performed groovy, uplifting originals. The mellow music paired with the band’s bright vocals had the entire audience transfixed. The band played originals such as “Hannah Hannah,” which was written about a girl that two of the band members met during their sophomore year of college, and “Tossin’ My Troubles,” which was written by Nick’s mother when he was a child.
When Lawrence emerged onstage, the air was electric. They opened up with their song, “Casualty,” which has over six million plays on Spotify. Although I am a typically shy concert-goer, I couldn’t help but dance along here. Songs that followed included “It’s Not All About You,” “Hotel TV” and “Probably Up.” The energy in the crowd matched the performers as everyone sang along and danced. Lawrence’s stage presence is uniquely captivating. I was constantly torn between watching Clyde and Gracie sing or watching Marc on trumpet and Sumner and Jordan on saxophones as they danced as a trio. The group felt like a family, not competing for attention, but always stepping back to allow each member to showcase their individual talents.
My favorite parts of the show were the little gimmicks infused throughout the show that truly brought that nostalgic feeling. Covers including the “Cha Cha Slide,” the “Hey Arnold” theme song and “Annie: Tomorrow” brought me straight back to my childhood self sitting on the couch, immersed in a Nick rerun. It had me dancing like a little kid. Other fun bits included a button that, when pressed, would do random things such as saying “Bing Bong” (the viral TikTok sound) and “rick-rolling” the audience, as well as an ongoing rock paper scissors competition between two of the bandmates. There was also a moment during the show in which two of the saxophone players did the “not my arms challenge” in which one of the members played the other’s saxophone, once again displaying their insane talent.
The show continued with performances of the song “Freckles” (which blew up on TikTok earlier in the year) and “Make a Move,” both of which emphasized female power and strength—something I needed to hear before going into finals week. The show ended with “Don’t Lose Sight,” which culminated in a three-part harmony from the audience, and “It’s Gonna Be Me,” which had just as much energy and power as the first song they performed.
The first time I saw Lawrence live was when they opened for Jon Bellion back in 2019. To see them perform two years later as the main act showcases how much they’ve grown over these past couple of years. With this much potential and support, I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next. Until then, “Do You Wanna Do Nothing With Me?”
