Now if you want a quick summary:
Team Dynamite performed an incredible set with a bunch of special guests to a crowd full of friends, fans & whanau. Nothing but love and good energy in that room! Also the opening lineup was EPIC!
Now the full review:
Team Dynamite were finally in Auckland for a SOLD OUT show to finish off their ‘Respect The Process’ tour. I don’t know about all of you but this was one show that I was waiting for since the tour was announced. Note: This review is still unbiased ALWAYS. As I arrived to the venue the first thing I noticed was actually the groups in the outside area and I just thought they all looked so young, turns out I didn’t realise it was ALL AGES! Not a lot of shows do this anymore so that was awesome to know and I just loved seeing families there as well.
BBYFACEKILLA welcomed the crowd as it continuously flowed in during her set. There wasn’t crowd up the front or anything, it was more of a make your way in, grab a drink and chill. But the music definitely matched the vibe (when you know how to read a room)!
I also noticed that during most shows, you can usually see a clear change between each act. Like a solid stop and changeover but there was no huge gap between acts to do that, which I quite liked. Enough time to pop to the bathroom or grab a drink but not so long as to say “when is the next act on”.
It really felt like I looked down then back up and Haz & Miloux were on stage. I had heard the ‘Blonde’ EP but there was definitely something different in hearing it live. Some of the crowd had moved closer to the stage as more people continued to arrive. Miloux has a beautiful voice and a really good range. This was one of those sets where I personally just feel like closing my eyes and vibing. That’s probably why I kept a bit of a distance from the crowd in that I didn’t want anyone to interrupt and talk to me. You feel it.
Then just as quickly as they got off the stage, Jarna and her band took the stage next. JARNA ya’ll! Where have I been?! I had heard her name before but hadn’t heard her music or seen her live. Needless to say after seeing her live, I realised that I was missing out. Jarna was joined onstage by 4-piece band. The crowd had packed in more and people had moved in closer to the front of the stage. She performed originals and a cover. I couldn’t fault her vocals, they were incredible and she really made it look effortless. The crowd was really vibing along and people, I’m assuming friends, were shouting out her name and giving her props. You could really feel the support and love in the room. I think Jarna really got the crowd ready for Team Dynamite who were up next.
I will say this, the wait between Jarna departing the stage and Team Dynamite taking the stage was definitely longer than the previous acts but at the same time I was like “fair enough”. I mean it’s your show, get ready and don’t rush. I couldn’t say the same for the crowd though as people began to line the barrier and get their spot for the set. But as Team Dynamite took the stage the crowd practically all squashed together like a mosh pit and were just ready to go. Team Dynamite and their band (Adam Fuhr – keys, synths etc & Corbin Kuhtze – drums) took the stage and were just full of smiles. This room was really another level of energy and it was infectious, even as I sat in the photo pit I couldn’t help but smile as I snapped. There was so much love in that room. As soon as they began playing ‘Images’ the crowd went off and thought it was the ‘Respect The Process’ tour. There were definitely some older gems in there as well which the crowd were definitely happy about, such as ‘Very On’ which Lui Silk took the stage for and ‘Coconut Lime’ where they bought out the man Che Fu himself! If that wasn’t enough, they bought out Diggy Dupe for ‘Who’ and Bailey Wiley for ‘Lightning Bolt’.
What I loved about the set was it didn’t feel like the focus was on the performance or the show, it felt more like you were just enjoying good music with friends. Lance even jumped down to the barrier to just vibe with the crowd more. I will say this about the performance though, the delivery was on point! I really couldn’t fault their performance. The word-flow and breath work – these guys know what they are doing that’s for sure.
I could go on about this show but it was honestly just such a great night. Now everyone just seems to have the same question, when’s the next one?
SETLIST
Images
I Like That
Principle
Gladys Knight
Dragonfruit
Shepherds Delight
Love Is The Key
Coconut Lime
Lightning Bolt
The Reason
Marvin
Who
Goodbye
Do It Slow
Very On
