Seeing Samia live reminds me a lot of why I became, and continue to be, a huge fan of her music—her voice and lyricism are strong enough on their own that she doesn’t need much grandeur or extra flair to captivate an audience. Her show last night at Brooklyn Steel was exactly that, with minimal stage décor and no fancy outfits. It was Samia doing what she does best: pouring her heart out into her music; with every beat packing a punch that evokes a different feeling in everyone.

The décor that did make its way to the stage—some folding chairs and rolling cooler—helped contribute to what made everything about this show feel like being at a summer camp, which is fittingly the theming around Samia’s most recent album, Bloodless.

Much like going back to summer camp, the whole show felt like it was a meet-up with a bunch of old pals. The first opener, Hank Heaven, emphasized this feeling by talking fondly of how they came up playing music alongside Raffaella, the second opener, and Samia. I myself ran into some friends (and made a few new ones) in the crowd.

The crowd itself was packed, more so than other shows I’ve seen at Brooklyn Steel in recent memory. And as they cheered for what felt like a minute between key songs, Samia stood on the stage in seeming disbelief that she’s playing in front of a sold-out audience at a venue that she shared that she’s seen many shows at before, naming Mitski as one. This crowd sang along as Samia and her band played through every song off of Bloodless as well as other notable crowd-favorites from her previous releases. I was disappointed, though, that my personal favorite song, “Show Up,” didn’t make its way to the set list.

Having seen Samia last time she played Brooklyn Steel, and being as big of a fan as I am, I left the show feeling like I was expecting a little bit more. Aside from a bit during the end of “Kill Her Freak Out,” there weren’t any show-stopping moments that choked the audience up in the same way as “Breathing Song” did on her last tour. The night didn’t necessarily need it, but it did feel it was missing something given what I’ve come to expect at her shows. I hope to see these moments return in future performances because sometimes I am just looking for a good cry.

Regardless, as I type this review, my mind is doing what it usually does after listening to Samia—racing between a bunch of different thoughts, feelings, reflections, and a need to be around my friends and loved ones as soon as possible.

Samia at Brooklyn Steel May 30th in Brooklyn, photo by Bobby Nicholas lll

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