Life 1 Tour

Arriving at the 9:30 Club on this cold Sunday felt like the culmination of multiple weeks of work. I had spent hours writing an artist profile of Quadeca and reviewing his latest record, Life 1. I enjoyed working on both projects, and covering his Washington, DC, show felt like an honor (links to both previous articles here). Having seen Quadeca before, I had some idea of what to expect from his set. His openers, Olēka and Derby, were less familiar to me as live performers. I knew their music, and I was aware that Olēka was getting ready to release her debut album.

The line had reached the end of the 9:30 Club by roughly 4:30 p.m., and by 6:00 p.m., there were people wrapped around the corner of the street. I wanted to talk to as many fans in line as possible before the show about Quadeca. Starting from the end of the line, I asked people their personal ranking of his records, their thoughts about the new album, and what they were most excited about for the show. His 2024 mixtape, Scrapyard, seemed to be the favorite among the fans I spoke with. I discussed the online debate over “Regular guy” (my favorite track from Life 1) with fans, and many agreed with me that it does not get the love it deserves. One fan in particular who had seen Quadeca multiple times was handing out custom-made stickers with their Instagram handle attached (@dog_ran_away).

I was surprised by how much the venue had filled by the time Olēka took the stage. Olēka came out with an energy that reached the whole room. Known for her flute playing and backing vocals on Quadeca’s recent songs, Olēka told the audience that she had started out as a tour manager before making her own music. This tour marked her first-ever solo tour, and she played a lot of songs from her new album that had not been released yet. Joined by members of Quadeca’s backing band, she seemed comfortable on stage, even while introducing unreleased material.

Derby took the stage fifteen minutes after Olēka’s set ended, his hood raised and his face obscured by the lighting. The crowd erupted as his set began, his vocals drenched in his signature Auto-Tune. His set included “Jenny,” “Money Fight,” and “Two Step” from Slugger. He also played a newer song, along with an unreleased track. His charisma was uncontainable as he bounced around on stage singing his tracks with the fans reciprocating the energy. He expressed gratitude for the chance to open for Quadeca, having previously worked with him on Kevin Abstract’s Blush.

Quadeca took the stage to a voice memo he had recorded for DC, part of his tradition of preparing one for each show. He opened with the title track from Life 1. The nineteen-song setlist drew primarily from the album, giving me a chance to hear its songs reimagined live. He also played some songs from previous projects like Scrapyard and I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You. Quadeca’s set revolved around a piano backdrop that lit up and changed colors. With piano at the heart of much of Life 1, Quadeca spent more time at the instrument than I had seen on previous tours, when he had largely reserved it for “Forgone” from Vanisher. The crowd remained energetic after two opening sets, screaming the lyrics and calling out their love for Quadeca. He bantered with the crowd, leading into songs seamlessly. One of my favorite moments came during “Regular guy” when Quadeca sang “Put your hands in the air if you can hear me right now,” sending arms shooting up across the venue. It was such a beautiful moment to see everyone coming together.

Would I recommend going to Quadeca’s Life 1 tour? The short answer is yes. If you want to move around, meet new people, and listen to three talented artists live all in the same night, I would encourage you to go. New fans and veterans alike joined together at the 9:30 Club that night to showcase their support for Quadeca. If you have not already, check out Quadeca’s Life 1 and Derby’s Slugger, and look out for Olēka’s new album Human Error on October 21.