I have been fortunate to attend many shows of all sizes in my career. I’ve also, unfortunately, found myself becoming a bit jaded to just how amazing it is to be in a venue seeing a live show. The Last Dinner Party, though, reignited that spark last night at Hammerstein Ballroom with a purely joyful spectacle of a show that made me feel the same way as a younger version of me going to his first concert in a big city.

The band didn’t hold back at all on the penultimate show of the first leg of their North American tour, and first of two sold-out shows in New York City. With stage decor of Broadway-quality and lively choreography that sent the band members all over the stage, The Last Dinner Party treated the audience to something that at times felt more like a theatrical performance than it did a concert. Every song, every lyric, and every note was delivered with such intention and heart behind it.

As well planned-out as it felt, it didn’t stop the band from enjoying the impromptu moments that make each show unique. At one point, an audience member shouted and asked lead singer Abigail Morris to marry her—and Morris took it and made a whole comical bit out of the situation.

The Last Dinner Party at Hammerstein Ballroom on April 25, 2026 in New York, NY. Photography by Bobby Nicholas III

The moment that made me feel the best was when Morris introduced their last pre-encore song, “Nothing Matters,” by asking the audience to put away their phones and just enjoy the moment. This resulted in the entire room—all three floors—with their hands up and waving back and forth in sync, which is an art form that I didn’t realize until tonight has gotten lost in the “let’s record everything on our phones” generation.

The word that appears most often in my notes from this show is “love,” and that’s because there was so much love from the band during the whole show. Their love for each other was evident, as each band member got multiple moments in the spotlight… with the exception of Georgia Davies, who is back in London nursing an injury. Their love for the entire crew was shown as Morris thanked everyone who is part of their tour—including the bus and truck drivers. Their love for the audience was genuine. Their love for the opener, Ireland-based band Florence Road, was strong. And if I may add, it was well deserved, too! Florence Road didn’t let the massive stage stop them from filling the room with strong, loud music that made the audience audibly ‘woo’ multiple times.

To emphasize the theatricality of the whole night, The Last Dinner Party ended with the most grandiose encore I’ve seen in a while, complete with an LCD Soundsystem cover of “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down,” a dance tutorial featuring Scottish cowboys, and a callback to the aforementioned engagement bit with a member of the crowd. This is a show that will stick with me for a while, and I want to thank The Last Dinner Party for reminding me just how special live music can be sometimes.

Words and photography by Bobby Nicholas Ⅲ

The Last Dinner Party at Hammerstein Ballroom on April 25, 2026 in New York, NY. Photography by Bobby Nicholas III

Order tickets for The Last Dinner Party HERE