Words and Photos by Andrea Regina Esperon
As the sun from earlier in the day faded out of Brooklyn, the performance felt like a transition into something softer and more immersive.
SASAMI stepped into Stone Circle Theatre and greeted the crowd with, “Welcome to my recital!”
She began with a beautifully delicate arrangement, where the violin carried the emotional weight alongside her voice. The way the strings mirrored her vibrato made it feel like the instruments were singing with her, and not just accompanying. I thought it started out as a gentle ballad but it slowly grew with intensity, and layer by layer, it swelled into something much fuller and more powerful. You could feel the shift in the room as everyone leaned into the ensemble.
But even before the performance, it was also impossible not to notice the crowd. There was such a wide range of people. There were young adults, longtime listeners, and even the in-betweens, but somehow they all were entranced by SASAMI. As an avid live music attendee, I think it is rare to see such a multigenerational audience come together for music that isn’t necessarily mainstream or the typical concert fare. But this is what made it so refreshing. Everyone was there for the same reason which was a shared appreciation for something more thoughtful and intricate. Fans were dressed up, fully leaning into the ambiance, which made it feel even more like a sacred experience rather than just a performance.
Transitioning to “Figure It Out,” SASAMI shifted the tone completely. “Make it whimsical,” she said, and the crowd instantly laughed. The staccato notes gave the song a light, playful quality. It added a sense of movement and imagination that contrasted beautifully with the emotional heaviness of the opening lyrics. As someone who used to play in chamber ensembles, this part of the show felt especially personal. The cello, guitar, and violin, combined with the acoustics of the space, created this echoing, almost cinematic sound. I closed my eyes for a split second and felt the feeling of fleeting through an empty field of grass.
Midway through the set, she paused to introduce a brand new song “Let You Go” making its New York City premiere. She was candid about it, saying it felt “too real” and “too sad,” but that releasing it was necessary. To me, that’s the essence of art. It is the ability to fully express your emotions and let them expand beyond yourself, allowing others to connect in their own way. The performance started with a stripped back ensemble with only just her and her guitar. Then she paused singing “now the melody” and slowly, the ensemble joined in. That gradual build made the emotion hit even harder. What I found emotional was when she sang, “growing up, they don’t tell you about the harder stuff,” I turned to see the audience all nodding, and even some crying, holding their hearts to feel the depth of every word.
Right after that, she flipped the energy again telling the ensemble to “fuck off” (in the most endearing way) and going completely solo. As if the audience wasn’t literally on the edge of the stage, this part of the show created this raw and intimate shift that pulled everyone even closer. In this pause, she took a moment to tell the story of how she met her opener, KatzPascale. Someone at her label had heard “the most magical sounds,” in their apartment basement and after listening, SASAMI knew instantly she had to spotlight their art at the New York Show. These in-between moments made the night feel unscripted and human.
She then transitioned into an older track, “Take Care,” followed by a cover of “I’m All Fucked Up” by This Is Lorelei, performed at the band’s request. She also brought out Vagabon, a local New York artist, as a guest singer to perform a piece together. With each song, SASAMI tapped her foot throughout, fully immersed, as if she was performing live for the first time. The steady rhythm of her foot taps acted like a built-in metronome, grounding the performance. It brought me back to my music school days, where keeping tempo with your body was second nature. It is the musician’s core in the purest form. I can still hear my teacher’s voice: feel the song, don’t just play it.
As the next song started, she reflected on themes of love and emotion. “Love makes you do crazy things you should never do,” SASAMI sang, and as the song built, a key change lifted everything the energy in the room. It felt like the music itself was rising with the emotion and tension, capturing that overwhelming intensity of the feeling of love.
One fact that blew my mind was that each night of the Blood On the Silver Screen (B.O.S.S) tour, the ensemble changes every night. SASAMI shared that while she has known her ensemble mates for some time, their first time rehearsing the setlist that morning. How unbelievably talented! Each musician brought something new, giving the show a sense of spontaneity.
What lingered by the end of the night was not just the music, but rather, the feeling it left behind. The performance unfolded as a journey through emotion, with each song progressively moving between highs and lows. And the audience was a reflection of that! You are never too old, or too far removed, to lean into the arts. The biggest takeaway felt simple: Don’t just listen but fully feel everything, even the most dramatic parts.
Loudspeaker Collective 