Live at the Gasometer
Kehlani: Sunny R&B sounds against the winter cold
R&B in Austria - a difficult relationship. On Friday evening, Californian genre superstar Kehlani floated down onto the Vienna Gasometer, which was not sold out, and fired up almost 2000 fans with a perfectly choreographed show and many hits. However, no special magic unfolded.
The lavish concert halls in Austria are mostly still in hibernation in January, and the major international tours, which are known to celebrate their high points in the open-air and festival season in summer, are only very slowly awakening. The rendezvous of American R&B star Kehlani at the Vienna Gasometer can undoubtedly be seen as one of the first major highlights of the year. Vienna, a place that is all too often overlooked on the international concert map for well-known musicians, even has a key role to play for once, as Kehlani Ashley Parrish, as her full name is known, makes herself scarce and only takes two handfuls of cities with her on her journey across the Old Continent.
Not fit again
The fact that R&B acts don't have it easy in this country is shown by the number of visitors - the "sold out" sign is a long way off. However, the almost 2,000 visitors, mainly young, international and diverse, are mostly confident in their lyrics and try to drown out the singer's extremely loud program with enthusiastic cheers. Kehlani made her debut at this venue in the fall of 2022, once not quite up to scratch. She also feels "sick as a dog" here and asks her fans early on to sing along as loudly and fervently as possible so that any vocal weaknesses in the B note can be ignored. Vocally, the Californian is usually beyond reproach, but the European cold, which is always a challenge for West Coasters, has clogged her nostrils to such an extent that there is a lot of cracking and crackling, especially on the high notes.
Of course, the fans aren't bothered by such details, the - no na - perfectly staged show is far too spectacular for that. The three instrumentalists on guitar, drums and keyboard are pushed to the narrow edge of the stage, the bass comes unspectacularly from the tape, which also has one or two short hitches during the course of the evening and stops the flow of the sound. Meanwhile, Kehlani, long-haired and casual in a white T-shirt and black jogging trousers, dances, gymnastics and charms on the multi-level stage, allowing herself to be properly showcased by bright cones of light. The aforementioned mistakes prove that the voice is real, and after a few songs four backing dancers join in, perfectly choreographed and poaching their way through a staccato of hits that is now four albums strong.
Focus on entertainment
Kehlani's latest album "Crash" may not even make it into the top 20 in America, but songs such as "What I Want", "Next 2 U", the title track and "After Hours" are still celebrated religiously. The 29-year-old can't rely on the superstar status of her home country here, but she doesn't let that show on stage. During her concert evening, Kehlani relies entirely on the power of music and entertainment. There is no room for stories about her parents who died of drugs, about the crude theories that she is an elementary part of a bizarre sex cult or about her closeness to Palestine, which she flaunts particularly strongly online. Instead, there's a subtle duet with the talented Keyrah from Kehlani's opening act, well-timed changes between snappy beats and acoustic guitars and an attempted but not particularly exciting cover of Bruno Mars' "Marry You" to marvel at.
Kehlani has long since put her past in a girl band and on casting shows behind her, but her biggest successes as a solo artist came before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. As is usual in the R&B cosmos, the songs are mostly played without transition and cut short, which gives the show an unnecessary sense of haste. When the artist needs time to catch her breath in front of the fans activated at constant pressure, dissonant-jazzy instrumental interludes lead into the next number in a surprisingly confusing way. Unfortunately, the completely overdriven sound ends up taking a lot of the drive out of the show, which is built on love and community. The concert year 2025 has begun - for the time being, there is still room for improvement.
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