One of the joys of concert-going is seeing an artist from far away make a long awaited trip to your city. I remember the buzz living in Edinburgh as Kendrick Lamar was set to visit Scotland, and last week, I had the pleasure of experiencing a similar transatlantic exchange.

Arriving from London, neo-soul artist Lianne La Havas thus recently graced the stage at The Atlantis in DC.

Lianne has landed on almost every one of my Spotify playlists for as long as I can remember. Her songwriting is some of the most authentic and polished in contemporary music and, like all good musicians, she has evolved her sound as her career has grown. Most of the live performances that I listened to in the months leading up to this show on July 28 involved her standing in front of a full band performing for thousands at festivals. I was quite surprised when I saw the setup of The Atlantis.

Composer and pianist Julius Rodriguez calmed the crowd ahead of the show with his own stripped back performance, contrasting the lively NPR Tiny Desk he delivered with his band recently.

Watch Julius Rodriguez live in an NPR Tiny Desk Concert on YouTube:

Lianne then walked on by herself and occupied the seat set at the edge of the stage. She played maybe half a dozen songs on her acoustic guitar before Julius joined her for the rest of the set. The crowd stood in a trance apart from the occasional whoop or exclamation of praise.

To date, Lianne has released three studio albums: Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012), Blood (2015), and Lianne La Havas (2020). Much of her show at The Atlantis drew from that third self-titled album, opening with the record’s “Courage” and including the singles “Paper Thin” and “Bittersweet,” which appeared in her encore. For the second half of the show, Rodriguez accompanied Lianne after a solo set.

Watch Lianne La Havas sing “Bittersweet” solo for COLORS on YouTube:

For almost 90 minutes, Lianne didn’t miss a note. It was one of the greatest vocal performances I have ever witnessed, and I think all those in attendance felt honored to take in this performance at such an intimate venue.

It was the only concert I can recall where the artist could have played all night, and I would have happily stood there without a care in the world. I will make every effort to see Lianne again, whether it is another stripped down performance or a festival setting with a whole band.

Here are some photos of Lianne La Havas performing at The Atlantis on July 28, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Gabriel Adler.