OUAB and the Latinx Student Association Present 070 Shake at Newport Music Hall
070 Shake is a difficult artist to define, as the singer-songwriter blends elements of pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Though after seeing her live on Thursday, one thing is certain – she absolutely rocks.
Fans were gifted with songs from multiple projects. 070 Shake opened with “Come Around,” a slow track from her 2020 debut studio album Modus Vivendi. She followed this up by bringing more energy with “Vibrations” from her 2022 album You Can’t Kill Me. This set the tone for the rest of the night, as there was a healthy mix of energetic bangers and heavy emotional songs. Of the latter, one of my highlights of the night was the third song, “Skin and Bones,” my favorite track off You Can’t Kill Me. “Glitter” was another stunning display of lyrical and vocal prowess, using limited autotune.
The emotional music was not the only intimate part of the show, as 070 Shake spoke to the audience in between songs to talk about trust issues, as she describes in her song “Trust Nobody,” and how much she appreciates support from her fans. One quote that stood out to me was “I don’t care if it’s 500 people, I don’t care if there’s 40,000 people in the world as long as you understand my vision.” She also opened up to the crowd about her thoughts on life and death, saying “There’s gonna come a time where we’re not gonna be here any longer, so in this time here I want us all to be ourselves to the full capacity. Let’s do that because we’re not gonna be here forever, and tomorrow is not promised.”
*All photos by Tyler Boroshok
When she wasn’t sweeping us away with talented displays of raw emotion, 070 Shake brought so much energy to Newport with up-tempo tracks. The whole crowd was singing and dancing during songs like “Under The Moon” and “Honey,” which features an infectious dance beat. She even started a mosh pit multiple times throughout the night. The first time was during “The Pines,” which sees 070 Shake interpolate the chorus from “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” an old folk song best known for Nirvana’s cover on MTV Unplugged. She followed this up with an electric performance of “Cocoon” that almost took the roof off. Next, she taught everyone the melody to an unreleased song, one of two performed during the show, and the crowd loved every second of it. She even teased a new album coming out this summer. This would have easily been the best moment of the night had it not been for the final song.
To close out the night, 070 Shake brought us back to one of the first songs that put her on the map, “Ghost Town” by an artist who shall not be named in this review. This is such an emotional song that has provided a sense of relief and freedom to listeners for years. Hearing it live surrounded by an audience all screaming along the words was a tremendous experience and the perfect way to end the concert.
Overall, I was very impressed by how 070 Shake sounded live. As a very new fan, I did not know what to expect, but she knocked it out of the park. She was charismatic, funny, and incredibly talented. If you ever get a chance to see her perform, I highly recommend going.
