LIVE: ELYANNA – Detroit, MI – November 1, 2024

Venue: The Fillmore

City: Detroit, MI

Dates: November 1, 2024

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (https://www.toddstarphotography.com)

Music strikes at different times, from different sources, and with different impacts.  Elyanna’s music is one of those instances where I may not have been drawn to really listen to her material, but thanks to a new daughter that drew my attention to the Palestinian singer who is currently on a headline tour across the United States.  Openers Fairdose and ZEEMUFFIN warmed the crowd up with rousing DJ sets that brought together pop and dance music with Arabic beats and rhythms.  Fairdose elicited screams as the crowd grew from the moment the doors opened and continued during his short set.  His efforts set the stage for ZEEMUFFIN to come out and do what she does… keep the energy high and the anticipation growing.  She offered up great music and grooves as well as an overall good vibe in Detroit keeping the crowd engaged while building the enthusiasm for the headline set from Elyanna that the packed house was there to see.

With little to no ‘show’ to set up for, Elyanna hit the stage amidst some haze, low lights, and dancers to help build out the staging and presentation of her music as opener “Al Sham” flowed from the sound system.  Full disclosure – I don’t understand a word or any of the dialects involved in Arabic language, but it didn’t stop me from listening to her EPS and the latest release on repeat in the home office in the days leading up to the show.  With a new album to support, WOLEDTO, Elyanna’s set pulled heavily from the release with other tracks from her two EPs Elyanna and Elyanna II sprinkled in to please her fans that have followed and supported her from the beginning.  I found myself listening through the set and enjoying the music and vocals even more in a live setting than I have while discovering the talented singer’s voice and songs.  The visual of Elyanna and her dancers added to the showcasing of the emotional content of the lyrics as well as emphasizing moments that even I could pick up with my total lack of understanding the words to nearly every track played tonight.  Her music reminds me of another of my favorite performers, Ligabue, who delivers killer music and songs that I have no understanding of other than the music speaking to me in ways I fully comprehend.  There are songs from Elyanna tonight that I love and get into more than others including “Calling U (Tamally Maak),” “Mama Eh,” “Lel Ya Lel,” and the title track.  Another track that hit the set that I really enjoyed from the first time I heard it while digging into her catalog was “Sokkar.”  Something about the rhythm wrapped around perfectly delivered vocals created an earworm that I couldn’t escape, and I found myself trying to sing along while standing in a large group of Elyanna’s fans in a crowded venue.  The show has come and gone through Detroit, and I am already looking forward to the next opportunity to check out her show as well as more time to dig into her catalog and add more of her music to my standard playlist.  If there was one show this year that gave me a new appreciation for an artist, I wasn’t familiar with as well as one to look forward to each year and tour cycle, Elyanna’s performance tonight was that show.

[Show as slideshow]

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Tags: featured

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries