R&B singer-songwriter Ari Lennox brought her show to New York City’s Brooklyn Paramount last week, with plenty of soul to go around. At the beginning of this year, Lennox released her third full-length album, Vacancy, and created a performance around it that perfectly encapsulated the retro motel-inspired aesthetic she was going for.
The night began with two opening sets: Phabo, followed by Lekan. Both men were great choices to get the crowd singing and swaying, and each of their voices fit nicely into the soulful R&B atmosphere that Ari Lennox would amplify even more with her set. Phabo even performed a few covers and threw some roses into the audience to keep the crowd engaged.
When it was time for Ari Lennox to take the stage, she made a dramatic entrance under a “Vacancy” sign towards the left of the stage as the lights turned on to reveal her sitting there. She kicked off the set with the first four songs off her latest record: “Mobbin in DC,” “Vacancy,” “Pretzel,” and “Under The Moon.” The set around her included chairs, suitcases, couches, and luggage carts to use as props as she moved around the stage.
Lennox packed around 30 songs into her set through some medleys, covers, and a capella versions of her songs. “Blue Skies” by Irving Berlin was a cover highlight of the night, and an a capella version of her own song “Wake Up” gave her a chance to really show off her vocals.
There were a couple musical breaks slotted into the middle of the set to highlight her background singers before Lennox began to wind down the night with some of her more popular hits: “Pressure,” “Soft Girl Era,” and, of course, “Shea Butter Baby.” The latter had the audience singing along to every word as Lennox wrapped up her set and thanked the audience.
The Vacancy Tour is all wrapped up for now, but hopefully Ari Lennox is back in town soon!
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