A queue had begun to form at Boot and Saddle before the doors were even open. On Saturday, October 27th, the Philadelphia bar, Boot & Saddle did not serve alcohol, but that did not stop fans from lining up as they eagerly awaited Yungblud‘s arrival. The night started with Kentucky band, Arrested Youth, setting the stage for Yungblud, creating a stick to the man, punk-rock vibe. Arrested Youth ended their set with my favorite song of theirs, “News,” as the boys were shirtless and the lead singer crowd-surfed.
A few minutes went by and the anticipation for Yungblud was growing. As time continued to go by, it seemed as if the back room of Boot and Saddle grew smaller, as more fans filtered to the front of the stage. Adam Warrington, guitarist, was the first band member to come onto the stage and the crowd was pretty excited. Then, as Yungblud’s throne (aka his hot pink wheelchair) was placed on stage, the audience completely lost it. One audience member even referred to the wheelchair as “iconic.”
Yungblud began the night in his signature pink and black striped shirt with “21st Century Liability,” which is the title of his debut album, (check out the i99 album review here) followed by his arguably most popular song, “I Love You, Will You Marry Me.” I could not believe how mobile he was for someone being in a foot cast/boot. Yungblud was jumping all over the place creating undeniable, contagious and rebellious energy. The rebellious attitude continued as he dedicated his third song of his set, “King Charles,” to Donald Trump.
Although Yungblud is raging and rebelling against authority figures and creating protest anthems with his music, there is such a positive, good-natured quality to him. He radiates light and positive vibes through his smile. He is creating a safe space and giving young people a voice (hence the reason alcohol was not served- there were many fans under 21) through songs like “Anarchist” and “Psychotic Kids.”
Next, about mid-way through his set, Yungblud performed my favorite song off of 21st Century Liability: “Polygraph Eyes,” a song that tackles the issue of date-rape culture. It was a very emotional part of the night. Yungblud could not even sing the last line, “she can’t even talk” without the audience first applauding his bravery with creating the song and being an ally. Yungblud smiled and looked extremely grateful. Yungblud followed “Polygraph Eyes” with “Medicine” and “Kill Somebody.” Similar in sound and message, “Kill Somebody,” as stated in my i99 Album review, discusses the effects of being scared and trapped in a very dark place inside of one’s mind. Yungblud shared this with the audience before sitting in his wheelchair and singing.
“Polygraph Eyes” and “Kill Somebody” are two vulnerable tracks off the album, but it was clear Yungblud was ready to turn up the volume and make some noise like the true punk-rock king that he is. At one point in the night, a string broke on Yungblud’s guitar, which he tried to fix, but was unsuccessful. Then in rockstar fashion, he later broke a guitar, completely demolishing it on stage, smashing into pieces. Throughout the entire night, the audience was feeling the rock and roll vibes by singing, jumping and raging with songs like “Tin Pan Boy,” a track off of the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack and the closing song of Yungblud’s set, “Machine Gun.”
The closing of Yungblud’s setlist, may have been my favorite moment at a concert ever. Yungblud announced that “Machine Gun” would be his last song. He, then, teased the audience and asked us if we wanted one more. Of course, the audience went wild. Yungblud explained that the ‘Encore’ typically serves as the dramatic part in the evening where the artist walks off stage and then comes back and plays a few more songs. With complete brutal honesty, Yungblud yelled, “Well I can’t f*cking walk.” Therefore, he stayed on stage and said he would play “Die for Hype.” Realizing he made a mistake, he laughed with the audience and played “Doctor Doctor” followed by his last song of the night, “Die for Hype.”
After the show, Yungblud met all of his fans, creating a special bond and an unique concert experience for his black hearts club, a name for his fan-base. If you were unable to attend the Boot and Saddle show, that is ashame because this rockstar is about to blow up!
