LIVE REVIEW: UMI in Boston, MA (06.27.24)
With red flowers adorning her microphone stand, and meditation exercises in hand, pure talent was displayed from UMI as part of “The Magic Hour” tour on 6/27 in Boston at the TD Garden. The night began with Kiana Lede, then came UMI (who we will get to shortly), then Tink, Coi Leray, and finally Jhene Aiko. An absolute fantastic show and great performances all around.
Being one of my favorite vocalists of all time it was an honor to have an up close view my first time seeing UMI perform. The set began with an introduction to the crowd and a group meditation led by the Seattle-born vocalist as she guided the crowd through an easily cooperative and freeing beginner routine.
She opened the musical portion of her set with a somewhat newer song “wherever u r.” A vocally stunning display would follow after a few hand waves and smiles to the crowd and as the set went on so did the hits. Covering Sade’s “Lovers Rock”, UMI spread positive vibes, but also showed how her voice and groove blend so well into such an iconic piece of art and breathe new life to it. Her backing band was terrific as well, the guitarist and saxophone player indulged in the songs so precisely.
To close out her set UMI would play her biggest hit, “Remember Me,” a song that currently sits at nearly 160mil streams on Spotify alone. The song is a deeply emotional and graceful tune, something that translated well during the live performance as well. Not only were the biggest UMI fans thrilled to hear and see that song live, but she sent an unintentional little message to the unfamiliar people to not forget UMI and her well-crafted set. As she walked off stage she let anybody know later in the night she would be at the merch booth to meet any and everybody interested.
Listen to UMI’s newest EP talking to the wind – HERE.
