Khalid – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA – August 11, 2019 (A PopEntertainment.com Concert Rev

Updated: Jun 20, 2022

Khalid & Clairo – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA – August 11, 2019

Contemporary R&B artist Khalid brought his Free Spirit World Tour to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The lines outside the venue were huge, full of fans so excited to see Khalid. For the tour, Clairo was alongside Khalid opening the shows. The two very unique sounding artists made a great lineup for an overall good night.

Clairo, only 20 years-old, walked out onto the stage looking extremely comfortable wearing sweats. She shared her songs which have been labeled as a newly formed genre, “bedroom pop.” Her setlist was mostly slower songs, which led a relaxed vibe to the beginning of a night that was anything but laid back.

Along with her stunning vocals, the stage set was simple and had very little lighting, creating a very relaxed scene. Her movements were very simple and there were no choreographed routines to any songs, it was just Clairo singing. She played some old tunes, along with ones off her newly released album Immunity. “Closer to You,” a song off Immunity, was definitely one of my favorites. Older songs “Pretty Girl” and “4EVER” then closed her incredible set.

Not too long after Clairo’s set ended, Khalid’s stage setup was ready to go. The 21-year-old singer didn’t hold back. He walked out to “Free Spirit,” which is the introduction to his album. He looked so ecstatic to be onstage in Philly. The first song of his set being “8TEEN” from his first album, he and his backup dancers came out in matching Flyers’ jerseys.

His soulful voice echoed incredibly in the venue during slower songs like “Motion” and “Bluffin,” both songs off his second album Free Spirit. “This song really means a lot to me, and I hope it means a lot to some of you,” he explained before performing “Saved,” which was a very laid-back performance. During “Motion” and “Vertigo,” the visuals on the screen behind him were very aesthetically pleasing and peaceful, they matched the songs’ slower tempos perfectly.

Other songs he performed like “Better” and “8TEEN” were more upbeat, which gave the dancers a chance to show off their amazing choreography, which the audience loved. Although the setlist was pretty good at including songs from both albums and EP, I do wish there were more songs from his first album American Teen on the setlist. I personally like that album a lot and would’ve liked to see more of the songs from that album on the setlist.

The entire night was filled with good music. Clairo and Khalid seemed like very opposite sounds to me before going to the show. However, after hearing both the same night, I realized the two were actually quite similar in sound and paired very well together to host a fun night out with friends. I encourage you to go see Clairo on her upcoming tour this fall for a laid-back night of good music. I also recommend going to see Khalid live if you get the opportunity to, as he had a great performance.

Maria Gilles