LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: Thundercat, Hamilton Leithauser in Boston, MA (06.23.26)
Hamilton Leithauser opened his set with “Fist of Flowers” — loud and scrappy from the jump, his voice doing that thing where it sounds like it’s running right at the edge of control but somehow never tips over. Gravelly in the way that actually means something, not in the way that’s performed. The band behind him was tight without being stiff, every member locked in without anyone trying to prove it. I remember scanning the crowd and thinking that many people in this room were about to discover something.
It wasn’t until the third song, “Alexandra,” that I actually stopped working. I was trying to frame shots, doing what I came to do, and I kept losing track of it. The song builds slowly and earns its payoff rather than just grabbing for it. By the time it got there, I’d put the camera down for a minute and was standing there. That doesn’t happen often.
Before “Sick as a Dog,” he mentioned his daughter was at the show that night. It was a small thing to say, offhand almost, but the room shifted a little when he said it. The song already had weight, and that just added more. There’s something that happens when you know a real thing is sitting underneath a performance — it changes how you hear it. The crowd felt it too.
As Thundercat’s set began, drummer Justin Brown walked out first, the way he always does, wearing that mirrored helmet that throws light in every direction across the venue. His opening solo wasn’t a warm-up — it was a statement about what kind of night this was going to be. Technical without being cold, groovy without being cheap. By the time it was done, the room was already somewhere else.
Thundercat came out, and the first thing I noticed was the Sonic the Hedgehog chain around his neck. Gold, catching the light. Then I noticed another Sonic on the bass itself. I’m a lifelong gaming fan, and I’ll admit I spent longer than I should have just staring at both of them, wishing I had someone to text about it.
Then straight into “Children of the Corn…The Baked Potato,” and if you’ve never heard Thundercat, that song is as good a place to start as any. Funky, unpredictable, a little unhinged in the best way. His bass playing sits in a strange place where it serves both as a lead instrument and a rhythm section at once — melodic lines running over a groove that anchors the whole thing. Watching him play, you get the sense he’d be doing exactly this even if the arena were empty. There’s no performance of enjoyment. He looks like he’s somewhere in his head, and you’re along for it.
The set moved into “Candlelight” — solos stretching out, transitions that felt loose but landed exactly right. For a set that wasn’t as long as fans would’ve liked, he wasn’t rushing anything. Every groove had room to breathe before he moved on.
Between songs, he kept telling the crowd how much he loves Boston. Not the way artists sometimes say it as filler, but repeatedly, genuinely, like the thought kept occurring to him. He’d randomly shout “Boston!” mid-banter and grin while the room cheered. He went on tangents about Star Wars and Star Trek. The people at the front were howling. It made the whole thing feel less like a show you were watching and more like you’d stumbled into a hang that happened to have thousands of people in it.
“No More Lies” came, and by that point, I’d basically stopped doing my job. I was singing along. At some point, Thundercat looked over from the stage and caught me, and he flashed a thumbs-up. It’s a nothing moment, really — but it’s the kind of nothing moment you end up remembering.
I’d been quietly trying to figure out all night who this crowd was actually there for. You can usually tell by the energy dips, the people drifting to the bar between sets, the way attention redistributes itself. None of that was happening.
Then he teased the opening of “Funny Thing,” and people reacted before the first verse, just from the bass line. Recognizing it from a few notes and losing their minds before it had fully revealed itself. Then “Them Changes” started, and the answer to my question became completely obvious.
The floor stood up. Whole sections. Hands in the air, singing every word back to him, and he’s out there encouraging it with this grin like he still can’t quite believe this is his life. Looking around the arena during that song — at the people dancing, at the sections that had been on their feet since the song started — I kept thinking I wished he could see it from where I was standing.
Photos – Thundercat, Hamilton Leithauser at TD Garden in Boston, MA on June 23rd:
