As students entered the dimly lit Le Poisson Rouge on Oct. 9, they were greeted with an array of red and blue lights, a disco ball and an empty stage. The classic Greenwich Village venue, only tonight bare of alcohol, buzzed with anticipation for the well-loved annual event of the Mystery Concert. The night began with NYU student True Jackon and Bushwick band Telescreens opening up the show with intimate energy. Headliner Anycia was no different, and performed a unique selection of songs to continue the tradition of an NYU event unlike any other.
NYU’s Program Board, a student-run organization that holds events for students throughout the year, puts on a free, annual concert for NYU students during the beginning of the semester. The group announces the concert lineup a few days before the event and builds anticipation for it by having students attempt to guess the “mystery” artists on the student group’s social media platforms. Past performers have included Ethel Cain, TisaKorean, Safa and Skaiwater.
“I love a good mystery,” said Bozhena Plotytsya, a first-year who attended the show. “It’s still a mystery to me who’s gonna show up on that stage, but it’s a beautiful venue, and they’re playing good music already.”
This year they brought together a unique list of rock, indie and rap artists for students to enjoy. All three performers, despite their very individual vibes, connected distinctively yet well with the audience, making the experience further immersive.
This year’s artists all embodied distinct vibes through their rock, indie and rap performances. Yet they still managed to put on a performance that felt cohesive and intimate, even in a venue that felt a bit like a nightclub. They began with Jackson, a student at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.
Jackson opened the show with a subtle rock ballad, exerting vulnerability in her lyrics and raw emotion in her energy. She engaged with her audience and warmed up the crowd by singing a cover of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” She sang two more original songs before concluding her set, with suave-sounding guitar and rock-pop influences.
The next performers, a group of NYU alumni that comprise the band Telescreens, was nothing short of electrifying. The lead singer, Jackson Hamm, embraced an infectious, carefree spirit that bled into his anecdotes on how to navigate undergraduate years. Hamm encouraged the crowd to let go of their stress and feel the music instead. The performance itself was moving with emotion and vivacity, and the band’s alternative rock sound left the crowd shaken in the best way. Their liveliness was contagious, so much so that concert-goers formed a mosh pit near the center of the venue. The quartet’s music experiments with indie progressive rock, often creating conceptual moments within the stage, themselves and the audience. The band ended their set with an unreleased song called “Nothing” and Hamm gave one final piece of advice to students: “Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do with your life.”
Following a 10-minute DJ set and a new stage setup, the crowd welcomed the headliner, Anycia. The Atlanta rapper’s show was all about cultivating connections with the audience, and she would often pause to ask the audience questions and get to know them on a deeper level. She even brought a student on stage to sing a portion of a song with her, showering them with compliments. Her music featured echoed brass instrumentals with heavy beats atop, and her raspy voice added an entrancing edge to the evening, making the raps sound angelic. She took turns going around to clusters of students that had formed near the front of the stage, and hugged them before shouting, “Love y’all, bye NYU!” to wrap up the exuberant night.
Contact Eva Mundo at [email protected].
