Red Bull Sound Select’s annual 3 Days music festival set up shop in Philadelphia this year. It all kicked off last Thursday (Oct 12) with featured acts Syd, Noname, Girlpool, St. Beauty, Ravyn Lenae, Andrea Valle, Brianna Cash and more. The ladies took took their turns winning over crowds at Philly’s Underground Arts and Trocadero Theatre over 72 hours.
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On night 1, indie rockers Girlpool, The Dove & The Wolf and Queen of Jeans took the stage with free-flowing vibes in the dim setting at U.A. Collectively they brought their DIY spirits to the City of Brotherly Love with a whole lot of girl power.
“We have had the chillest to the most wildest shows in Philly. We lived here for a few years on and off, and there’s a lot of culture in the city. I know a lot of amazing creators in art and music here,” says Girlpool’s Cleo Tucker. “Philly has a special place in my heart — it’s the ruggedness of certain parts here that I love.”
Philly isn’t your average East Coast metropolis. It’s a blue collar city with the best undiscovered arts and music for miles around. Sure, New York City often overshadows the talent there, but curators — like RBSoundSelect — give Philly’s rising stars a platform to be heard. On night 2, Noname headlined a sold out show with local talent Brianna Cash and Andrea Valle providing the opening tunes.
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Before the Chicago star shut the place down, Brianna and Andrea really set the tone and had the audience hanging on their every last word. In particular, the Puerto Rican singer/songwriter lit a fire among onlookers with a rendition of her latest fan favorite, “Handsome.”
The grand finale took place at the city’s famed Trocadero Theatre where fans lined up an hour before doors opened to ensure they would have an upfront spot to witness creative sets from Syd, Ravyn Lenae and St. Beauty.
“The crowds here have great energy,” says St. Beauty’s Alexe Belle about performing in the city. “I love connecting with the audience, just getting closer and looking people in the eyes. I love feeding off the energy from the audience.”
“We call our music “confetti,” it’s about colors, movements and finding all the different moves. From the high moments to the melancholy moments, we want to embody all of that. Also, we want to cross the colors and emotions,” Isis Valentino of St. Beauty told VIBE backstage before they opened the show. With the right mix of uptempo grooves and moody melodies, the duo’s performance was like a seesaw of feelings. At one point, they had a full-on jam session with the guitars and drums blaring — then in the blink of an eye, St Beauty tucked right into a calm rendition of Andre 3000’s “Prototype.”
After Ravyn Lenae touched the stage with her stirring vocals and lovelorn songs, it was time for the headliner to annihilate her performance. Moments before Syd crept onstage, workers dressed in all white bio-hazard suits quickly dismantled the previous set-up and laid down an all white platform. Curious fans whispered in awe about what was happening, while a few were aware of the build up, but the majority seemed bewildered.
Then, like a bolt of lighting Syd calmly walked out, dressed in a plain black t-shirt and black pants. No band, no hypemen or hypewomen, just the lady in all her solo glory. Syd is the type of artist that doesn’t need any additional accessories or elaborate stage props to captivate audiences. Her angelic voice and charismatic presence was enough to influence every living body in attendance to stare in disbelief as she crushed songs like “You’re The One,” “Smile More” and “Body.”
By the end, it was clear that Syd could have headlined 3 Days In Philly all by herself.
