[Review] Re:SET Concert Series

The Re:SET Concert Series stopped in New Orleans. Music fans gathered at the Festival Grounds at City Park for three days of live music – from indie rock to hip-hop to electronic to contemporary pop.

What is Re:SET?

According to their site, Re:SET is an all-ages “artist and fan-friendly alternative to the standard summer concert experience.” Each weekend in June, the concert series stops in three cities. Headliners alternate playing each town on consecutive days – for example, boygenius played in Dallas on Friday, New Orleans on Saturday, and Atlanta on Sunday. Similar to Lil Weezyana Fest, Re:SET is aligned so attendees are able to enjoy full sets from all four headliners on one stage – with no overlapping set times.

And there’s more to Re:SET than the ability to enjoy every artist without having to choose between conflicting set times or running from stage to stage. On-site there is a variety of local food and drink options, including vegan and vegetarian options. Concessions included: smoked wings, sushi tacos, vegan Mandela burgers, crab cake burgers, and more. Attendees also could stop by tents and learn about various organizations like Headcount, UpBeat Academy, and Sounds of Saving! Plus, a couple of sponsor activations were on site including Budlight and Rockstar Energy.

Day One: Friday, June 9th

New Orleans’ own, Big Freedia, kicked off the Re:SET Concert Series in New Orleans on Friday afternoon. In true Freedia fashion, ass was everywhere. Some lucky audience members got a chance to shake on stage with the Queen of Bounce. Big Freedia’s set included a performance of “Explode” which transitioned into Beyoncé’s “BREAK MY SOUL” which samples the track. Despite performing in “pass-out weather” as Freedia described, Team Freedia gave a high-energy and fun performance!

Next to take the stage was British punk-rock band, IDLES. The quintet rocked the stage. During “Car Crash,” a mosh pit opened up in the general admission crowd. Guitarist, Lee Kiernan, jumped off stage and into the crowd! Although their punk sound felt aggressive, their message was anything but. Their lyrics mentioning that of anti-fascism, pro-black, pro-immigrant, and pro-women’s rights. “This song is dedicated to anyone who believes a women’s reproductive system is their politics and their politics only,” singer Joe Talbot exclaimed before the band performed their song “Mother.” “It’s an honor to finally play in this beautiful fucking city.” Safe to say, IDLES left a lasting impression during their first performance in New Orleans.

English musician and DJ, Jamie xx, let the music speak for itself. During the 60-minute set, the giant disco ball was lowered and the audience was projected on the screen. The Indie star turned producer seamlessly mashed up his single, “Idontknow” with Ludacris’ “What’s Your Fantasy.” Also Jamie xx slid in a bit of bounce music in the mix. It felt like one big dance party.

The giant disco ball lit up as hues of vibrant colors hit it. A sign that New York, indie-rock band LCD Soundsystem was taking the stage. It’s been almost six years since the last time the band performed in New Orleans – ironically at the same venue but for the Voodoo Music & Arts Experience (gone but never forgotten). From “Get Innocuous!” to “new body rhumba” to “Daft Punk is Playing at My House,” they took you through two decades worth of music in a little over an hour. The band was enjoyable to watch, especially with so many members on stage and just as many (if not more) instruments! As the first night came to a close, LCD Soundsystem ended with an encore of three of their biggest hits, “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down,” “Dance Yrself Clean,” and  “All My Friends.”

Day Two: Saturday, June 10th

As a result of the weather, Day 2 of Re:SET was cut in half. The first two acts, Bartees Strange and Dijon, did not get a chance to play. On social media, attendees expressed their displeasure about the delay – some mentioning how they traveled from out of state for one of the two canceled acts while others said they were told by venue security that Day 2 would be canceled so they went home.

Once the gates opened at 6:30 p.m., fans either rushed in to secure a spot for the remaining acts or ran to buy boygenius merch at the merchandise table. At 7 p.m., indie-pop artist, Clairo, took the stage along with a six-piece band. She kicked off the set at the piano with “Bambi.” For 40 minutes, she performed a bit of everything – from older tracks like  “North” and “4EVER” to newer releases like “Harbor” and “Amoeba.” Clairo and her band kept things chill and intimate but in a way that still fit the vibe of each song that was performed. 

Despite the weather delay and what seemed to be some light technical difficulties, boygenius, took the stage at 9 p.m. The indie supergroup comprised of Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers, recently supported Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. At Re:SET, the trio played an hour-long set that included basically every single song they’ve released to date. Bridgers shared with the crowd that she was missing her friends’ wedding to play the show. The crowd made sure to send Tom and Lisa warm wishes and congratulations on tying the knot. An hour of harmonizing, explanations of tracks, cracking of jokes, and checking on fans who may have gotten overheated in GA. “Who else is pissed about the humidity? Thanks for enduring it for us. It means the world,” the trio told the teenage-filled crowd. The set ended with Dacus and Bridgers bringing Baker (and her guitar) down into a group hug – before they went into a three-song encore where each of them performed one solo song.

Day Three: Sunday, June 11th

Fousheé, an R&B and soul artist from New Jersey, kicked off the final day of Re:SET Concert Series in New Orleans. Her single, “deep end” went viral on TikTok in 2020 with over 2 million videos. But Fousheé is more than just a viral TikTok artist – she’s a high-energy, natural performer who knows how to captivate a crowd. Like her recent release, softCORE, Fousheé’s 40-minute set was multi-genre: hip-hop, alt-rock, R&B, and pop. She mentioned it being her third time performing in New Orleans and how much she loves the city. And although she didn’t perform their collab “gold fronts,” she made sure to give a shoutout to New Orleans native, Lil Wayne.

Next up was Toro y Moi. The California-based musician, along with a three-piece band, delivered a funk-filled set. For fifty minutes, electric and psychedelic sounds filled the Festival Grounds at City Park (so basically one big dance party). The crowd moved and grooved along to “Mirage,” “Magazine,” “Rose Quartz” and every song in between.

English singer-songwriter, James Blake, took the crowd ‘mile high’ with his angelic voice. He, along with two longtime bandmates – guitarist Rob McAndrews and drummer Ben Assister, graced the stage. From singing his part of Metro Boomin’s “Hummingbird” to covering Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” (a track that Blake produced) to leading a crowd singalong during “Say What You Will,” Blake performed for an hour Sunday night. The Londoner closed with “Coming Back”, a collab he released with SZA in 2021.

Last but certainly not least, Steve Lacy ended the final day of Re:SET. The last time he was in New Orleans, Lacy went viral for smashing a fan’s disposable camera that was thrown on stage. He joked that people were probably surprised he’d come back to the city after that incident. It was clear, Lacy doesn’t have any bad blood with New Orleans. This time around, New Orleans got a better version of the Compton native while he got a much more respectful crowd. Although Lacy wasn’t rocking his signature oversized eyewear while bearing a gigantic ‘S’ on his chest, his fans in the crowd were. And despite the size of the crowd, somehow Lacy managed to make his set feel intimate. “I would not be standing out here…y’all are some real ones. My California ass feels like a raising right now,” Lacy joked with the crowd. He delivered a powerful performance (and so did the crowd as they sang back to him). Fousheé joined Lacy on stage to perform their collaboration, “Sunshine” live. And the contemporary R&B artist hinted he might have new music coming. “I’m making some shit…might come through with the song of the summer one more time,” Lacy shared with the very excited audience.

My Thoughts on Re:SET

Overall, the Re:SET Concert Series is a great concept. Despite the hiccups due to the weather, the weekend went well (especially considering it’s the first year). I appreciated it gave fans in the New Orleans metropolitan area a chance to see artists they might have not been able to see. Although Steve Lacy was just here in October, it’s been almost 6 years since LCD Soundsystem played in The Big Easy and almost 7 years since James Blake has played here.

I also appreciated how each day felt very curated – artists and groups that performed on the same day had similar sounds, vibes, and fanbases. It allowed fans the opportunity to just buy a single-day ticket and see all of their favorite artists at once. 

Compared to other cities, it looks like the New Orleans crowd was a lot more tame. I expected more people in attendance but I’d chalk it up to the 90° weather and humidity. I think every single artist that stepped foot on the Re:SET stage in New Orleans mentioned how hot is was (and also thanked the fans for bearing the heat to watch their set.) Big Freedia, who is loyal to the city, had to cancel their Atlanta performance due to dehydration from performing in New Orleans the day before.

Lastly, the model and idea of Re:SET is great on paper but this weekend definitely showed how unpredictable a setup like this can be. All three cities slated for the June 9th-11th weekend were impacted by bad weather. While New Orleans’ was delayed on Saturday, Dallas, and Atlanta were both impacted on Sunday. The Atlanta show was able to continue after the inclement weather passed but the final day in Dallas ended with evacuations, cancellations, and refunds.

I’m personally looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the Re:SET Concert Series (hopefully it includes an ice cream or snowball vendor on site). And if you’re on the East Coast, there’s still two more weekends to catch them in cities like New York, Nashville, and Washington, D.C.

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