Chelsea Cutler:
Live at Radio City Music Hall
September 17, 2021
Words and Photos by Nicole Conflenti
It’s a special moment in any artist’s career to play the iconic Radio City Music Hall. Add to that the context of a year and a half of pandemic closure and a sold-out audience, and you get the feeling that this is going to be a night to remember. Frequent collaborators and close friends, Chelsea Cutler and Quinn XCII’s co-headlining “Stay Next to Me” Tour is both artists’ biggest to date, taking them to 23 cities across the country. Walking down 6th Avenue in the heart of Manhattan, I joined the throngs of fans making my way toward the venue, eager to be a part of it.
Once inside, the grand theater opened to reveal its emblematic arches seemingly reverberating from the stage to cover the ceiling, all the way back to the three mezzanines of seats hovering overhead. Thick curtains hung above the stage, lining its circular frame in lush gold velvet. This place oozed class. The room filled with the chatter of excited fans as opener Tai Verdes took the stage, delivering a fun performance chalked full of effortless charisma and contagious happy energy.
After a short intermission, the lights dimmed once more and it was time for the main act. All eyes were trained on the dimly lit stage as a cacophony of news soundbites filled the legendary hall, the cool voices of journalists detailing the decline of the live music industry due to the pandemic. The crowd roared as Chelsea’s band entered the stage and took to their instruments, building layers of gentle synths behind the audio track. Slowly, the drums came in with a steady beat that soon grew to an urgent march as the anchors spoke about the inevitably joyous return that would come when we were allowed to gather to experience live music once again. It hit with the power of worship music. Pressure built as the entranced crowd bellowed with excitement - it had all come down to this. Finally, the stage was illuminated to reveal Chelsea joining the room, a huge smile on her face, yelling “Radio City, make some noise!” before moving into an energetic performance of “Sad Tonight.”
After following it up with a throwback to her 2018 track “Cold Showers,” the Connecticut native took a moment to take it all in. Referring to NYC as her “hometown,” she asked for light to be cast on the crowd, then said that she starts every show asking a few favors. The first? “If you look to your left, look to your right, I just ask that you guys put your arm around whoever you came here with tonight…Let’s just remember how grateful we are, how lucky we are right now to be here.”
The (fully-vaccinated) crowd folded in on itself as people embraced those around them, and I found myself brought into a group hug with two enthusiastic young women standing next to me. Then Chelsea asked her final favor, “Keep your hands up, put your phones down, scream as loud as you can, be present. I love you guys, let’s have an incredible night!”
You could feel the gratitude in her voice as she transitioned to her new single “Walking Away” off her forthcoming sophomore album, When I Close My Eyes. The album, to be released October 15th, is the latest installment documenting her emotional journey since her rise in 2017. The night’s setlist brought the audience along on that journey, bringing down the energy for intimate performances of older tracks like “NJ,” “This is How You Fall In Love,” and “You Were Good to Me.” They paint a vivid, passionate picture of heartbreak - a young romance painfully and reluctantly coming to a close.
Reflecting on the new album between songs, Chelsea gave insight into her creative process of writing in a pandemic, saying that she was “fortunate enough to find enough creativity” to do it. Speaking to her earlier, more somber tracks, it seems the new music is not a departure from her old sound as much as a new layer added to it, showing her growth as a musician and a person. “I’ve written a lot of really sad songs and I feel like this album was my chance to branch out and try being happy for a little bit,” she said. “And I got to write a lot of songs about joy and gratitude, and being in love and finding my people.”
Her newfound happiness lit up the stage with breezy performances of another new single “You Can Have It,” and “Lucky.” Another highlight was a duet with surprise guest Noah Kahan for their song “Crazier Things.”
Gratitude and presence were two major themes of the night, with Chelsea pausing repeatedly to thank the fans for their support. “I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s been a bit difficult for us to remember who we are, what brings light to our eyes, what makes us feel like ourselves,” she said. “Being able to be back here, that’s what does it for us. That’s what means the world to us and you guys have enabled that, you guys have empowered us to be ourselves.”
The first of two sold-out nights at the venue, the image is one that it’s safe to say no one thought could be possible a year ago - including Chelsea. Speaking of a white board where she keeps her goals, the 24 year old shared that she had dreamed of playing Radio City by 2022. “I can definitely say with the onset of the pandemic that I was expecting to push that goal back and erase it, even,” she said, looking out at the crowd. “This is better…this is better.”
Chelsea finished out her hour-long set with a dynamic cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” then seamlessly transitioned into her breakout single “Your Shirt.” Quin XCII took the stage for the next hour, with a lively performance that had everyone in the room smiling. I took the opportunity to catch the view from the highest mezzanine, where you could feel the floor bending under the weight of the jumping crowd. A couple swing-danced together, mouthing the lyrics enthusiastically as they moved in unison. To close the evening, Chelsea returned to the stage for a four-song encore with her long-time collaborator who lovingly referred to her as his “little sister.” The twinkling lights of 6,000 fans’ phones dotted the hall, transforming it into a beautiful galaxy, while their accompanying voices sang along to a new single from the duo, “Calling All Angels.”
Watching Chelsea perform, I couldn’t help but think that this is someone who has found what they love and truly appreciates every moment of being able to do it. On stage, she weaves a beautiful tapestry, inviting the audience to come beside her in her darkness and, now, her happiness. It’s clear that her music, deeply heartfelt and profoundly relatable, helps her fans feel seen and heard. She radiates vulnerability and gratitude, honoring the exchange.
