D4vd
Irving Plaza
New York City
By Shrithik Karthik
The unexpected return of D4vd to New York City for his Govball After Dark show was a thrilling surprise. With no NYC date on his previous tour, this was a unique addition and a show that I, as a fan, was eagerly anticipating.
The openers began as a mellow start to the night with slow mixes and brilliant vocals that soothed the crowd and got them ready for David’s performance. Vellesse, the second opener, had some of the best vocals I have seen in a long time and had a performance that felt so heartfelt. She played such great tunes that the crowd enjoyed, some of which the crowd knew as well. This resulted in a remarkable sing-along session that got the crowd really moving. What marked today’s concert so special was that it was a new addition to the d4vd tour that was previously off the list. On David’s last tour, he had multiple NYC dates. It was one of his favorite cities to perform at, so when his 2024 tour “My House is Not a Home” was announced, it was a surprise to see no NYC date. After announcing this show, I was pleasantly surprised and knew I had to cover this.
We were all waiting for David to take the stage, and it was finally d4vd’s turn to take the stage. He burst out with incredible energy, ready to perform, and started with a bang, playing ‘Take Me to The Sun,’ an astonishing song and easily one of my favorites. The crowd was instantly electrified. The crowd continued to be captivated by his performance, playing a slower tune as his second song to calm the audience and then bringing the action right back with his third song, even doing a backflip onstage, which made for some incredible pictures.
The performance was nothing short of legendary, and it even exceeded my expectations. Every time I cover a d4vd show, I know that it is one I’ll never forget. He has a significant stage presence and vocals that you generally wouldn’t expect in someone so young and new to the industry. I have yet to be at a show that does not have a sold-out crowd filled with some of his die-hard fans. Every song he played that night was one his crowd knew absolutely every lyric, too. One of the big reasons why his concerts are always so great is due to his excellent crowd control and audience interaction that he does at every show. The constant jokes, the conversations he has, and the topics he talks about on stage are always welcome. He is just as old as me, and it’s often too relatable to how he acts on stage. Funnily enough, he even performed a TikTok dance, one of Glorilla’s trends, which was so fun to see. His stage presence and audience interaction created an intimate and unforgettable experience for all.
He has yet to perform at a bigger venue than this one; however, it is perfect for the type of performance that he is putting on. While bigger venues bring more enormous crowds, this intimate experience can only be felt at smaller venues where everything is so much more heartfelt. Every d4vd concert I have attended has been fantastic. He has a few more dates left on his “My House is Not a Home Tour,” I highly recommend you check him out if he is coming to a city near you! The unique and intimate nature of his shows makes them truly unforgettable.
